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Telecom Public Notice
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Ottawa, 22 March 1984
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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 1984-17
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USE OF AUTOMATIC DIALING-ANNOUNCING DEVICES
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The Commission has recently received a number of complaints from subscribers of British Columbia Telephone Company (B.C. Tel) and Bell Canada (Bell) regarding the use of Automatic Dialing-Announcing Devices (ADADs). ADADs can be defined as any automatic equipment which incorporates a storage capability of telephone numbers to be called, or a random or sequential number generator capable of producing numbers to be called, and the capability, working alone or in conjunction with other equipment, to convey a prerecorded message to the telephone number called.
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The complainants argued that ADADs solicitation calls invade the called party's privacy and are particularly annoying to the elderly and the disabled. Some suggested that the calling party should be identified and that the communication should be disengaged as soon as the called party hangs up, while others argued that ADADs should be prohibited.
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The Commission has also received a request from B.C. Tel, dated 27 January 1984, to prohibit or restrict the use of ADADs for commercial solicitation purposes.
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In support of its request, B.C. Tel stated that the use of ADADs for solicitation purposes can cause localized network congestion or blockages, tie up the called party's line in exchanges not equipped for automatic called party disconnect and call unlisted telephone numbers as well as those of essential and emergency public services. B.C. Tel also stated that the use of ADADs for sequential or random dialing can activate complex emergency systems such as those used for alarms, fire reporting and medical decoding.
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In the U.S., several public authorities have taken steps to deal with ADADs. For example, the California Public Utilities Code requires that ADADs users advise the called party of the nature of the call, obtain that party's consent to convey the message and disconnect the ADAD when the called party hangs up. An ADADs user's service may be disconnected for failure to comply with these rules.
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Michigan law prohibits the use of ADADs for home solicitation purposes. Wisconsin law prohibits ADADs solicitation calls without the consent of the called party. Connecticut law specifies that any person, firm or corporation using ADADs to transmit an unsolicited recorded telephone message for any commercial, business or advertising purpose must discontinue the call/message after the customer hangs up the receiver.
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The Commission invites comments from interested parties on whether the use of ADADs should be prohibited or restricted and on the nature of any such restrictions.
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In addition to the examples of possible restrictions described above, other examples could include restrictions on the time of day during which ADADs calls could be made and on the use of sequential number calling techniques for the purposes of commercial solicitation as well as limiting ADADs call lists to those subscribers who have agreed to be included on them.
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Several parties have also commented on the use of ADADs in response to CRTC Telecom Public Notice 1983-56, dated 8 September 1983, initiating a proceeding to review the General Regulations of the federally regulated telephone companies. The Commission considers that it would be more appropriate to deal with the issue of ADADs in a separate proceeding, especially in light of the apparently rapid increase in their use and their allegedly negative effects on service quality as described above.
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B.C. Tel's submission concerning ADADs may be examined at any of its business offices or at the offices of the CRTC, Room 561, Central Building, Les Terrasses de la Chaudière, 1 Promenade du Portage, Hull, Quebec or 700 West Georgia Street, Suite 1130, Vancouver, British Columbia. A copy of the submission may be obtained by any interested party upon request directed to B.C. Tel at the address shown below.
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If you wish to comment on the use of ADADs please write to Mr. J.G. Patenaude, Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, by 24 April 1984. Comments should include specific proposals as to how the Commission should deal with ADADs.
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A copy of your letter should be sent to the telephone company or companies to which it relates. The addresses for such copies are as follows: Mr. E.E. Saunders, Q.C., c/o Mr. Peter J. Knowlton, Assistant General Counsel, Bell Canada, 25 Eddy Street, 4th Floor, Hull, Quebec, J8Y 6N4, or to Mr. K.D.A. Morrison, Secretary, British Columbia Telephone Company, 3777 Kingsway, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5H 3Z7, or to Mr. J.M. Williamson, Director Marketing, NorthwesTel Inc., 301 Lambert Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Y1A 4Y4, or to Mr. B.A. Fulcher, Director Marketing, Terra Nova Telecommunications Inc., 3 Terra Nova Drive, Gander, Newfoundland, A1V 2K6.
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J.G. Patenaude
Secretary General
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