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Telecom Decision CRTC 2016-118

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Ottawa, 1 April 2016

Revocation of basic international telecommunications services licences

The Commission revokes the basic international telecommunications services licences of 42 companies that have failed to comply with the conditions of licence. The Appendix identifies the companies that have had their licence revoked.

  1. All entities that provide basic international telecommunications services (BITS) to Canadians are required, pursuant to subsection 16.1(1) of the Telecommunications Act (the Act), to be licensed by the Commission. In Telecom Decision 98-17, the Commission established classes and conditions of licence. In Telecom Circular 2005-8, the Commission amended certain conditions of licence of Class A and Class B BITS providers. In Telecom Decision 2008-70, the Commission noted that the conditions of licence for Class A and Class B licences were identical, and undertook to merge the two classes.
  2. Licensees are subject to annual reporting requirements pursuant to the following condition of licence:

    The licensee shall file with the Commission any information required to be filed, in such form as may be prescribed by the Commission. For example, the licensee shall comply with the telecommunications industry data collection process requirements set out in Telecom Circular 2003-1 and Telecom Circular 2005-4, as amended from time to time by the Commission.

  3. Despite Commission requests that licensees comply with these filing requirements, a number of licensees have failed to comply. Consequently, on 17 November 2015, the Commission, in accordance with subsection 16.4(1) of the Act, sent by registered mail a notice of intent to revoke the BITS licences of those licensees that had failed to comply with their conditions of licence. The licensees were given until 30 November 2015 to file the required information with the Commission or to make representations as to why they should not be required to comply with the conditions of licence.
  4. Forty-two companies have failed to file the required information or make representations. The Commission, pursuant to subsection 16.4(1) of the Act, is therefore revoking the licences of the companies listed in the Appendix.
  5. The Commission notes that any person providing BITS in Canada without a licence from the Commission may be found guilty of an offence punishable on a summary conviction under subsection 73(1) of the Act, which states the following:

    73(1) Every person who contravenes subsection 16(4) or 16.1(1) or (2) or section 17 is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction and liable

    (a) in the case of an individual, to a fine not exceeding fifty thousand dollars for a first offence, or one hundred thousand dollars for a subsequent offence; or

    (b) in the case of a corporation, to a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand dollars for a first offence, or one million dollars for a subsequent offence.

Secretary General

Related documents

Appendix to Telecom Decision CRTC 2016-118

List of companies that have failed to comply with the conditions of the BITS licence

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