Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS)

What is the CCTS?

Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) is an independent organization dedicated to working with consumers and service providers to resolve complaints about telephone and internet services. Its structure and mandate were approved by the CRTC.

The CCTS handles complaints about most telecommunications services provided to individuals and small businesses, including home phone, wireless, Internet, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. The CCTS also addresses complaints about television services provided to individuals, including cable, Internet Protocol television and satellite television providers.

To ensure that the CCTS’s services are available to you, the Commission requires all phone, internet, television and other telecommunications companies that offer services within the mandate of the CCTS to become participating service providers.

How do I complain to the CCTS?

If you have a complaint about your telecommunications or television services, you should first try to resolve the issue with your service provider. If you can’t reach an agreement with your provider, contact the CCTS. For information about how to do this, see the CCTS Guide to Making a Complaint.

If your complaint is related to your Northwestel Internet service and you can’t reach an agreement with Northwestel, contact the CRTC.

What can the CCTS do?

The CCTS will review any complaint you submit, to ensure that it falls within its mandate. If it does, the CCTS will first ask your service provider to try again to resolve the problem with you directly. The CCTS will also help you reach an amicable resolution acceptable to both you and your service provider.

If the complaint remains unresolved, the CCTS will conduct an investigation to determine whether your service provider has reasonably followed the terms and conditions related to your service.

If the CCTS finds that your service provider has not done so, it can recommend a resolution of the complaint. This can include correcting any errors that were made (e.g., billing errors), or recommending that your service provider provide you with an explanation, apology or monetary compensation up to $5,000. If the recommendation is not accepted by both parties, the CCTS can issue a binding decision.

The CCTS also publishes an annual report in which it discusses the types of complaints it receives, how these complaints were resolved and trends that may warrant further attention. You can find the CCTS annual reports on its website.

Who participates in the CCTS?

Telecommunication and television service providers that offer services within the mandate of the CCTS must participate. More than 300 service providers are a part of the CCTS.

When you have a dispute with your telecommunication or television service provider, you may contact the CCTS. If you contact the CCTS with a complaint about a service, and your provider is not already a participating member, they must join the CCTS in order to solve your complaint. Television service providers must participate in the CCTS by condition of license, unless they’re a small independent provider (less than 20,000 subscribers).

The providers may fail to become a participant after notification from the CCTS. When this happens, the CCTS will refer that service provider to the CRTC for compliance and enforcement action.  You can find a list of providers that have been referred to the CRTC on the CCTS’ website.

Additional helpful information

Here are links to other information you might find useful:

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