CRTC has a three year plan to modernize Canada’s telecommunications landscape

On Wednesday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission published a new document that outlines how the organization aims to help to modernize Canada’s telecommunication landscape.

In its so-called Three Year Plan, the regulator touches upon six major milestones it aims to accomplish between now and 2018.

The first major goal the document outlines is the establishment of a draft code based upon the framework the CRTC established with its Lets Talk TV initiative back in March. This was when the CRTC decided that it would force Bell and Rogers to unbundle CraveTV and Shomi from their cable subscriptions. The commission says it hopes the code it intends to draft will help Canadians make more informed choices when it comes to their cable TV subscriptions.

The commission’s next major goal is to review how Canadians are able to access basic telecommunications services. The aim here is “to ensure that Canadians have access to world-class telecommunications services that will allow them to participate actively in the digital economy.” Based on its language, it seems to indicate that the CRTC intends to be more aggressive when it comes to enforcing net neutrality and ensuring that Canadians have access to Internet infrastructure.

For anyone that has received phone calls from telemarketers claiming to represent WestJet, this next point will come as a welcome relief. The CRTC says it will continue to work with its partners both in Canada and across the world to ensure that Canadians don’t receive unsolicited phone calls and emails. For the most part, the CRTC has already been active in this regard. In April, it fined Metroland Media $240,000 for not respecting Canada’s Do Not Call List.

Lastly, the commission says it will continue to work on implementing Canada’s Voter Contact Registry, and looking at whether mobile devices are accessible enough to Canadians with disabilities.

“The Three-Year Plan is the Commission’s commitment to Canadians to pursue its efforts to modernize the communication system,” said Jean-Pierre Blais, the chairman of the CRTC’s, in an issued statement. “We plan to undertake a number of activities to enable Canadians to step into the digital future with confidence and to ensure that the communication system protects their health and safety.”

The CRTC is inviting Canadians to submit their feedback through one of its regular forums.

[source]CRTC[/source]