Canada’s telecom regulator wants the country’s carriers to do more when it comes to shielding their customers from unsolicited and illegitimate telecommunications.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has given carriers 90 days to come up with practices for blocking “blatantly illegitimate calls” at a network level. Those calls, says the regulator, include ones that don’t conform to the North American Numbering Plan, are spoofed to appear local or match the telephone number of the person being called.
Additionally, the CRTC is requesting that telecoms report on what opt-in filtering services they offer or propose to offer within 180 days.
The solutions will be subject to CRTC’s approval and the commission says it’s prepared to take further action if it “becomes clear that the industry is not taking sufficient measures to protect Canadians against unwanted calls.”
“We strive to ensure all Canadians have adequate and reliable protection when using the communication system,” said CRTC CEO and Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais in a statement.
“In this case, telecommunications service providers are in the best position to develop and implement call management solutions for the millions of Canadians tired of receiving nuisance calls, just as they have done for e-mail and text messaging. We encourage Canadians to contact their service provider to find out what solutions they offer to protect themselves against nuisance calls.”
Currently, Canadians can register their number on the National Do Not Call List to attempt to reduce unwanted telemarketing calls.
[source]CRTC[/source][via]The Globe and Mail[/via]
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