Broadcasting and Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to Monica Auer (Forum for Research and Policy in Communications) and Tahira Dawood (Public Interest Advocacy Centre)
Gatineau, 25 May 2026
Reference: 1011-NOC2025-0274
BY EMAIL
Monica Auer, M.A., LL.M.
Executive Director
Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC)
613-618-0224
execdir@frpc.net
Tahira Dawood
Acting General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
1-877-613-7422
tdawood@piac.ca
Subject: Procedural request by FRPC and PIAC for clarification- Broadcasting and Telecom Notice of Consultation 2025-274-2
Dear Ms. Auer and Ms. Dawood,
CRTC staff is in receipt of a letter from the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) dated 6 May 2026 requesting clarifications to the reinstated proceeding that was announced in Broadcasting and Telecom Notice of Consultation 2025-274-2, Call for comments – Improving customer awareness of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services Inc. – Reinstating the proceeding with changes to procedure (the CCTS Awareness Proceeding).
The CCTS Awareness Proceeding was reinstated with changes to the procedure, inviting service providers to develop proposals on how to ensure that customers with unresolved complaints were made aware of the CCTS more effectively and efficiently. The CRTC encouraged service providers to consult and collaborate with consumer groups when developing these proposals.
CRTC staff also acknowledges the letter received from the Canadian Telecommunications Association (CTA) in which it responds to the FRPC-PIAC concerns.
FRPC and PIAC requested the following clarifications with respect to the new phase:
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Collaboration between Service Providers and public-interest parties
FRPC and PIAC asked the CRTC to clarify its change to its guidance regarding joint submissions (from parties with shared views to parties with potentially opposing views), to clarify how it believes the collaborative approach would actually work and to clarify why the CRTC’s more typical practice of permitting parties to respond to notices of consultation by submitting interventions or comments and then replying to other parties’ submissions is either inadequate or inappropriate for this proceeding.
With respect to the accessibility, FRPC and PIAC also asked who will be responsible for ensuring that, if needed, American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) will be provided in the collaboration stage.
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Impact of the new Proposal Phase on 2025-274 Interveners
FRPC and PIAC asked the CRTC to clarify why all parties cannot simply intervene in June 2026 – with comments that address some or all issues in 2025-274 including alternatives to the CRTC’s preliminary views. Parties would then also have an entire month (rather than the 15 days provided by 2025-274-2) to review and reply to all interventions. Parties would then have time to respond to the CRTC’s October 2025 ‘preliminary views’ and to other parties’ comments, while the CRTC itself would regain two months of time to undertake its decision-making.
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Time consumed by this proceeding
FRPC and PIAC asked the CRTC to clarify the advantages to the public interest of delaying increased CCTS awareness until (potentially) Winter 2027 or later, over increasing such awareness before the end of 2026.
With respect to the first request for clarification, the CRTC has encouraged, in the new phase, service providers to work in collaboration with consumer groups to develop proposals for improving awareness of the CCTS for customers with unresolved complaints. As stated in 2025-274-2, service providers are best placed to explain their customer complaint resolution process and consumer groups have vital insights into the customers’ experiences and perspectives. This is why the notice supports a proposal developed collaboratively as being the most effective and efficient solution for all parties.
CRTC staff notes that 2025-274-2 does not require consumer groups to file joint proposals or interventions with service providers. Collaborating with service providers does not necessarily imply that they share the views of the service providers. Regardless of whether consumer groups provide input on the service providers' proposals, they are welcome to file submissions with their own proposals, interventions and replies.
In response to FRPC and PIAC’s questions about when collaboration would unfold, including when it would begin and how long it would last, 2025-274-2 sets out the relevant deadlines that all intervenors are to remain mindful of when developing proposals.
Further, with respect to accessibility matters, CRTC staff has responded to the matter in a letter addressed to the Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee (DWCC) dated 19 May 2026, following their own procedural request.
With respect to the second request for clarification, timelines in 2025-274-2 are structured in a way that service providers or interested persons to the proceeding can intervene after the CRTC receives all proposals. By waiting for interventions until after the deadline for proposals, service providers or interested persons will have a more complete picture to develop their interventions. For further clarity about the process, interested persons who file an intervention by the deadline of 23 July 2026 will become a party to this proceeding.
Finally, with respect to the third request for clarification. based on the importance of the process for consumer protection and the possible long-term impact on the industry, CRTC staff consider the new timelines are suitable to gather the necessary public record to inform any decision taken by CRTC.
A copy of this letter will be available on the CRTC website and on the record of the CCTS Awareness Proceeding.
Sincerely,
Nanao Kachi
Director of Social and Consumer Policy
Consumer, Analytics and Strategy
c.c.:
Bell Canada, bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Bragg Communications Inc., carrying on business as
Eastlink, Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca
Cogeco Communications Inc. telecom.regulatory@cogeco.com
Quebecor Media Inc., regaffairs@quebecor.com
Rogers Communications Canada Inc., rwi_gr@rci.rogers.com
Saskatchewan Telecommunications, document.control@sasktel.com
TELUS Communications Inc., regulatory.affairs@telus.com
Xplornet Communications Inc., Xplornet.Legal@corp.xplornet.com
Janet Lo, CCTS, regulatory@ccts-cprst.ca
Marc Nanni, mn_crtc@proton.me
Scott Hutton, Vice President, Consumer, Analytics and Strategy (CAS), CRTC, scott.hutton@crtc.gc.ca
Patrick Arseneau, Senior Analyst, CRTC patrick.arseneau@crtc.gc.ca
Galen Weaver, Legal Counsel, CRTC, galen.weaver@crtc.gc.ca
Scott Chaffey, scott.chaffey@gmail.com
Nelson Bonaoy, bonaoynelson@yahoo.com
Shauna Bergen, empathcarmen@gmail.com
Allan Kelly, allan_kelly10@outlook.com
Amane Ota, amaneota@yahoo.ca
Gérard-Louis Schafroth, gerardschafroth@yahoo.fr
Darryl Sigurdson, sigurdsond@gmail.com
Margaret Upham, Janieupham@me.com
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