PIAC says CRTC ‘railroading’ internet code, boycotts proceedings

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre says it is boycotting the CRTC’s internet code proceedings, a move that comes after the regulator denied an application by consumer groups for a time-extension on filing until after it issues its sales practices report. PIAC’s executive director John Lawford said his organization doesn’t have enough time and resources to participate. By not giving consumer groups more time to prepare, he said the CRTC is effectively “railroading” its draft code of conduct for internet service providers. “They’ve made it impossible for us to work in this environment,” he told the Wire Report in a phone interview. “This is a draft code, which we have 27 working days to comment on in the middle of a number of other proceedings at the CRTC, and this review of the legislative framework, which is gigantic. We’ve already been squeezed for time – it’s not like they don’t know that, it’s also not like we didn’t mention it – and we all have no money, no time, no staff, and they should be aware of that.” He said the CRTC has been “very slow” at awarding reimbursements to his group for participating in telecom proceedings. “I’m still waiting for stuff,” he said, adding the group is “very close to running out of money again this year.” Lawford also said rushing to establish an internet code “might eclipse” the sales practices report and “we might not get a sales code.” He suggested other consumer groups might also not take part in the proceeding, meaning the result could be an “echo chamber” of one-sided arguments. Monica Auer, executive director at the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, said her organization isn’t ‘boycotting’ the proceedings, but said there is not enough time for it to participate effectively. “Since the CRTC has decided 27 working days are enough, I don’t know what public interest organizations are supposed to do. It’s not as if we are large, well-funded telcos,” she said. “The commission is choosing at this point to ensure that it may well be dominated by a very small number of very well-resourced organizations.” In a letter to Lawford and a number of other consumer groups which requested a delay in the filing deadline, the CRTC secretary general Claude Doucet wrote that it is “not in the public interest” to delay the proceeding. "The commission is not convinced that the current schedule, which allows 40 days before initial submissions are due, does not provide sufficient time for all parties to make their initial comments," the Nov. 22 letter said, which also rejected a request for public hearings. The initial comments on the draft internet code are due December 19, but the various consumer groups had asked to extend that until April 2019. The CRTC’s report on its telecom sales practices hearings, which took place this fall, is due by end of February 2019.

PIAC says CRTC ‘railroading’ internet code, boycotts proceedings

Brief | November 23, 2018

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PIAC says CRTC ‘railroading’ internet code, boycotts proceedings

Brief | November 23, 2018

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