PIAC says CRTC’s Internet Code has “no real protections,” CCTS research shows uptick in complaints

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said that the CRTC’s Internet Code provides consumers with a false sense of protection after a new report found there were only 18 violations under the code this year with nearly 13,000 complaints. On Monday, the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) released its annual report which covered a full year of Canadians living through the COVID pandemic (Aug. 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021). The report found that the CCTS experienced a 9 per cent increase in complaints, for a total of 17,003, compared to last year. “Increased home internet usage by Canadians during COVID-19 restrictions highlights serious problems with Canada’s internet industry and regulation,” PIAC’s executive director, John Lawford, said in a Monday release. Wireless-related issues took the cake with 7,508 complaints, followed by internet-related issues with 4.465 complaints, television at 2,319, local phone services at 1,820 complaints, and 192 complaints related to other issues. The Internet Code -- which came into force Jan. 31, 2020 and requires large internet service providers to provide contracts that clearly highlight consumer’s rights, how customers will incur added fees and handle disputes -- had only 18 confirmed violations this year. BCE Inc. made up 15 of those violations -- one through its subsidiary Virgin Plus and 14 from Bell itself. “That’s a ridiculously low number that we think means the Internet Code has no real substantive consumer protections while consumers are led by regulators and industry to think that it protects them,” Lawford said. Consumers raised more than 42,254 issues, in the 17,000 complaints this year. Billing issues remained the number one problem (16,304) among complainants this year but it still dropped by six per cent this year among all the service types combined. However, billing issues increased by that same amount when looking at the main issues among internet-related complaints. Contract disputes, among all service types, followed in second place with 13,147 issues raised. Service delivery issues increased by nine per cent this year (for a total of 11,130) with the internet accounting for 25 per cent of that increase. In total, complaints about internet services account for the highest proportion of service delivery issues, at 43 per cent. Finally, there was a five per cent increase in credit management issues this year, driven by a 27 per cent increase in credit management issues raised in internet service complaints. The CCTS also found there was a 12 per cent increase in complaints about internet issues driven by the quality of consumers’ internet service. “With the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians relied increasingly on their communications services, especially for remote work and learning, keeping in touch with loved ones, ordering essential items and leisure activities,” said CCTS commissioner and CEO Howard Maker in the release. “We encourage providers to continue listening to consumers and actively work with their customers to fix problems as they arise.” There were 96 confirmed breaches of the Wireless Code this year which amounts to a 48 per cent decrease from last year. The decline was driven by a drop in confirmed breaches for Telus Corp.’s Koodo, which only saw four this year compared to 101 last year. “The majority of confirmed breaches relate to disclosure issues stemming from lack of clarity or accurate information in communications with customers, information in and provision of contracts and related documents, and the Critical Information Summary,” the report reads. “The main issue was wireless service providers failing to communicate with customers using plain language.” Bell and Virgin Plus had the most breaches under a parent company, with a combined total of 35. Rogers Communications Inc. and its subsidiary Fido had a combined total of 34 Wireless Code breaches. Telus and Koodo, combined, made up 12 of the breaches, followed by Shaw Communications Inc. and its Freedom Mobile with a combined total of 8, Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron at six, and Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink with one. -- Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca and editing by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

PIAC says CRTC’s Internet Code has “no real protections,” CCTS research shows uptick in complaints

News | December 6, 2021

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PIAC says CRTC’s Internet Code has “no real protections,” CCTS research shows uptick in complaints

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