Post Tagged with: "crtc"

The Letters of the Law: 2010 in Tech Law from A to Z

The past twelve months in law and technology were exceptionally active, with the passage of anti-spam legislation, record penalties for violating the do-not-call list, and relentless lobbying on new Canadian copyright legislation. A look back at 2010 from A to Z (Toronto Star version, homepage version):

A is for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which concluded in October with a watered-down treaty after the U.S. caved on several controversial Internet issues.

B is for Black v. Breeden, an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling involving postings on the Hollinger International, Inc. website that Conrad Black claimed were defamatory.

C is for Crookes v. Newton, the high-profile Supreme Court case that addressed the liability hyperlinks between websites.

D is for the do-not-call list, which gained new life when the CRTC pressured Bell into paying $1.3 million for multiple violations of the list rules.

E is for the Electronic Commerce Protection Act, the initial name of Canada’s anti-spam legislation that received royal assent in December, six years after a task force recommended new Canadian spam laws.

December 28, 2010 — 12 comments — Columns

Bell Pays $1.3 Million To Settle Do-Not-Call Violations

The CRTC announced yesterday that Bell has agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a case involving multiple violations of the do-not-call list rules. Bell places the blame at third-party telemarketers who placed calls to people on the list. The fine is the largest to-date by the CRTC for a do-not-call violation and unquestionably sends a strong signal that the Commission is prepared to enforce the law with strict penalties. I had previously been critical of the enforcement efforts and this marks an important step forward in demonstrating that the law can be used effectively.

The fact that Bell was the target is significant for at least two reasons. First, Bell administers the do-not-call list under contract. By targeting the company, it sends the message that no one is above the law. Second, as I wrote last year, Bell was seemingly the top source of complaints among reputable companies:

December 21, 2010 — 10 comments — News

CRTC Levies $500K Fine for Do-Not-Call Violation

In the largest do-not-call violation fine to date (by far), the CRTC has hit Xentel DM, a Calgary-based telemarketing firm, with a $500,000 fine for violating the law.

December 20, 2010 — 5 comments — News

City of Vancouver Passes Anti-UBB Resolution

The City of Vancouver has passed a resolution calling on the CRTC to reverse its usage based billing decision. While a municipal resolution obviously is not binding on the telecom regulator, the move places the spotlight on growing frustration with wireless and Internet services in Canada. It also comes on […]

December 17, 2010 — 3 comments — News

Rogers Admits New Net Throttling, Slow to Disclose to the Public

Rogers has been hit with a complaint about its throttling practices but has been very slow amend its public disclosure documents as required by the CRTC. Complaints began appearing online earlier this fall, with users noting that Rogers was degrading P2P uploads and downloads. Torrent Freak details what happened next […]

December 14, 2010 — 15 comments — News