The CRTC
What concerns you concerns us
Since the discovery of electromagnetism and the development of its
applications leading to the inventions of radio, television and
telecommunications, people around the world have been concerned about how
best to regulate these resources.
In Canada, we quickly recognized that radio, television and
telecommunications should serve the public interest. Our challenge was to
create a communications infrastructure to serve a small population
distributed over a large territory. We met this challenge, largely due to our
ingenuity and our willingness to cooperate with others. Today, our
communications infrastructure is considered a model to be emulated. This
expertise is also found in Canadian policies and regulations on Broadcasting
and Telecommunications. There again, we are considered to be a model.
More precisely, observers wonder how the CRTC manages to supervise and
regulate Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications while remaining
independent in balancing and serving both public and private sector
interests.
If Canada has become a recognised leader in the information and
knowledge-based society, it is thanks to you.
Your ideas, your opinions and your comments help us update our policies
and procedures and evaluate the performance of the television, radio, cable
distribution and telecommunications carriers that we regulate and supervise.
Since what concerns you, concerns the CRTC, here is some information on
how to express your opinion, file a complaint or obtain information.
Censorship
The CRTC regulates and supervises all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting
system and requires broadcasters to comply with its regulations. We should
point out, however, that the CRTC is not a board of censors. We do not have
the authority to tell broadcasters what they can broadcast, nor can we act
pre-emptively before a program has been aired.
For some issues, we have agreed on a set of standards, developed with
input from the public and in co-operation with broadcasting,
telecommunications and cable companies, to serve the public interest. In the
spirit of self-regulation, companies are expected to monitor themselves to
ensure that they comply with these standards.
Complaints - Broadcasting
When we receive your complaint, we review it, and depending on the nature
of your concern, we direct it to one of our broadcasting branches or to the
Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC). In most cases, you will
hear from us within ten days of the receipt of your complaint.
When you submit a complaint to the CRTC, please clearly explain the nature
of your complaint. If you make a verbal complaint, you must follow-up with a
signed written complaint.
If your complaint concerns a program or advertisement on radio or
television, you must send it to us within four weeks of the date of its
broadcast. The regulations only require broadcasters to keep tapes of their
broadcasts for four weeks, unless otherwise requested by the CRTC. You must
also indicate the location of the television or radio station or the name of
the cable company as well as the date, time and title of the program or the
product advertised.
Before submitting your complaint to us, we suggest that you first contact
the station or carrier directly. If you are not satisfied with the response
you receive, you may then wish to contact the following organisations:
Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC)
P.O. Box 3265, Station D
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6H8
Tel: 613-233-4607
Tel (Toll Free): 1-866-696-4718
Fax: 613-233-4826
E-mail: complaints@cbsc.ca
Internet:
www.cbsc.ca
Private broadcasters founded this independent organisation to administer,
within the framework of self-regulation, the Canadian Association of
Broadcasters' (CAB) code of ethics, and codes on television violence and
gender portrayal. It also handles complaints relating to all aspects of these
codes.
Advertising Standards Canada (ASC)
175 Bloor Street East, South Tower, Suite 1801
Toronto, Ontario M4W 3R8
Tel: 416-961-6311
Fax: 416-961-7904
E-mail: info@adstandards.com
Internet:
www.adstandards.com
Les normes canadiennes de la
publicité
2015 Peel Street, Suite 915
Montréal, Quebec H3A 1T8
Tel: 514-931-8060
Fax: 514-931-2797
E-mail: info@adstandards.com
Internet:
www.adstandards.com
Advertising Standards Canada (ASC) is also a self-regulating body. Its
members are the CAB, advertisers and advertising agencies. This foundation
receives complaints related to advertising issues.
Complaints - Telecommunications
If you want to make a complaint related to telecommunications, it is
important to know that the CRTC establishes guidelines in certain areas.
These include the quality and accessibility of service, customer billing
practices, connections and disconnections of facilities or services. The CRTC
also establishes guidelines on other issues dealing with telephone companies
and their subscribers.
You might find it useful to know and refer to your telephone company's
Terms of Service and subscribers' rights and obligations in your complaint.
These Terms are usually found in the first section of your telephone
directory. If you have a dispute with a telephone company that can't be
resolved to your satisfaction, you may take your complaint to the CRTC.
TEL. (toll-free): 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
TDD (toll-free): 1-877-909-2782
Internet address: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
Complaints
and Inquiries |
