A person navigates to the on-line social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cell phone in Ottawa on May 17, 2021. Canada's telecommunications regulator is directing all service providers to notify it within two hours when they become aware of an outage to their networks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
OTTAWA – Canada’s telecommunications regulator is directing all service providers to notify it within two hours when they become aware of an outage to their networks.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says the directive is the first step of a new consultation it is launching aimed at enhancing the resilience and reliability of telecommunications networks.
It says providers must also file a report with the CRTC within 14 days following an outage.
The move comes after a mandate handed down by Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne went into effect last week.
Ottawa’s new directive to the CRTC emphasizes consumer rights, affordability, competition and universal access.
Last July, a major Rogers Communications Inc. network outage temporarily left more than 12 million mobile and internet customers without service.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2023.
