The CRTC, Canada’s governing body in charge of regulating and supervising broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada, has been on a rampage lately.
Today, the CRTC announced it was granted an inspection warrant to search a property in Brampton that it believed to be making unauthorized calls to Canadians registered on the National Do Not Call List (DNCL). The search went down on November 24th, and was the first time that the oversight body executed its right to enter, which was granted by the Ontario Justice of the Peace and carried out by Peel Regional Police. The CRTC noted that this was a “significant telemarketing operation” that focusses on selling anti-virus software.
Unfortunately, the company’s title was not made public, but the CRTC ensures that it will publicize the results on its site if the company is found to be in violation of the Telecommunications Act.
Manon Bombardier, CRTC Chief Compliance and Enforcement Officer, said, “We are committed to protecting Canadians from unsolicited telecommunications and ensuring that telemarketers comply with the applicable rules. We will not hesitate to use all the tools at our disposal, including executing inspection warrants, in carrying out investigations of suspected violations and to enforce the Rules. I am grateful to our partners at the Peel Regional Police Services for their assistance in this matter.”
The CRTC launched the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) on September 30, 2008 with the of goal of preventing telemarketers from calling you. Canadians can register their home phone, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone numbers. To-date, over 12.9 million numbers have been registered. As for fines, the CRTC announced today that it has issued over $6.4 million in monetary penalties.
[source] CRTC [/source]
(Image credit: Flickr)
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