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Telecom and Broadcasting Information Bulletin CRTC 2022-227

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Ottawa, 23 August 2022

Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0124 and 1011-NOC2021-0069

Guidance on notification under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations

Summary

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) provides guidance to regulated broadcasting undertakings, Canadian carriers, and telecommunications service providers on how to notify it when feedback process descriptions, accessibility plans, and progress reports prepared under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations are published. In particular, regulated entities should notify the Commission using the My CRTC Account interface through the Commission’s website.

Purpose

  1. The purpose of this information bulletin is to provide guidance to regulated broadcasting undertakings, Canadian carriers, and telecommunications service providers (TSPs) on how to notify the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) when they publish their feedback process descriptions, accessibility plans, and progress reports under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations (the Regulations).Footnote 1

Summary of obligations

  1. Under the Regulations, regulated broadcasting and telecommunications entities must publish feedback process descriptions, accessibility plans, and progress reports. These regulated entities must, by electronic means, notify the CRTC within 48 hours of publication and include in the notice a hyperlink to the URL of the description, plan, or report.
  2. The Regulations establish different classes of regulated broadcasting and telecommunications entities, as shown below.Footnote 2 The classes are broken down based on employment levels or correspond to the types of entities (i.e., Class T5) that are exempt from the obligation for resellers to register with the CRTC (the reseller obligation), as set out in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2019-354.

Classes of regulated entities

Class B1 and Class T1 Consist of federal government/Crown entitiesFootnote 3
Class B2 and Class T2 Consist of private sector entities that have 100 or more employees
Class B3 and Class T3 Consist of private sector entities that have 10 or more employees but fewer than 100 employees
Class B4 and Class T4 Consist of private sector entities that have fewer than 10 employees
Class T5 Consists of reseller TSPs that are exempt from the reseller obligation – that is, reseller TSPs whose telecommunications service is limited to
  • a service that is offered without an explicit charge,
  • a service that is offered on a temporary basis only to individuals located on the entity’s premises, or
  • a service that does not allow individuals to engage autonomously in two-way voice telecommunications or to access the Internet autonomously.
  1. The Regulations also specify the publishing deadlines for feedback process descriptions, accessibility plans, and progress reports, as shown below. Each three-year cycle repeats for subsequent accessibility plans and progress reports.
    • Classes B1/T1 and B2/T2:
      • Feedback process description: by 1 June 2022
      • Initial accessibility plan: by 1 June 2023
      • First progress report: by 1 June 2024
      • Second progress report: by 1 June 2025
    • Classes B3/T3 (upon submission of an attestation, as described in Telecom and Broadcasting Information Bulletin 2022-117):
      • Feedback process description: by 1 June 2023
      • Initial accessibility plan: by 1 June 2024
      • First progress report: by 1 June 2025
      • Second progress report: by 1 June 2026

How to notify the CRTC

  1. Regulated broadcasting and telecommunications entities should notify the CRTC of publication via the My CRTC Account interface, which is the usual and preferred means for making submissions to the CRTC. This tool allows for secure transmissions to the CRTC and authenticates the user’s identity when filing information. It also ensures that messages or documents transmitted online are not altered. New regulated broadcasting and telecommunications entities may need to set up an account.Footnote 4
  2. To submit your notice, access the Forms and My CRTC Account page, then select the Broadcasting Cover Page or Telecom Cover Page as applicable. You will then be asked to log in either through your GCKey account or through a Sign-in Partner, and to enter the relevant information for your organization (name, address, etc.) as necessary.

Format for description of information

  1. Once logged into the GCKey account, select the relevant type of submission from the menu provided. In this instance, select Other document(s). The CRTC reminds entities that all documents should be submitted in accessible formats.Footnote 5
  2. In the Submission screen that follows, entities are requested to use the following naming conventions in the Description of Information Submitted: (required) field:
    • ACA, <document name> is one of the following, as appropriate:
      • ACA, Feedback process description;
      • ACA, Initial accessibility plan;
      • ACA, First progress report;
      • ACA, Second progress report; or
      • ACA, Updated accessibility plan.
    • <Entity name> is the name of the organization. Include the legal name of the entity and, if different, the business or brand name used to market services to the public.
    • <Date> is the due date (deadline) for the plan or report as established by the Regulations. The format for the date should be YYYY-MM-DD.
    • <Version #> is the version of the plan or report, starting with 1. Increment as necessary (2, 3, 4, etc.) for subsequent versions.
      • Example 1: Company named Broadcasting 123 Limited, commonly known as Broadcast Co., is a Class B2 entity. Class B2 entities have a deadline of 1 June 2023 to submit their accessibility report. As a result, Broadcasting 123 Limited would name its document as follows:

        ACA, Accessibility Plan, Broadcasting 123 Limited (Broadcast Co.), 2023-06-01, Version 1

      • Example 2: Company named Wireless ABC Corp., commonly known as ABC Corp., is a Class T3 entity. Class T3 entities have a deadline of 1 June 2026 to submit their second progress report. The company submitted its report on time but realized that changes needed to be made. It submitted an update of its progress report on 21 September 2026. Consequently, Wireless ABC Corp. would name its documents as follows:

        Progress report submitted on 1 June 2026: ACA, Progress Report, Wireless ABC Corp. (ABC Corp.), 2026-06-01, Version 1

        Progress report submitted on 21 September 2026: ACA, Progress Report, Wireless ABC Corp. (ABC Corp.), 2026-06-01, Version 2 (2026-09-21)

    • <Amendment #, Date> is an optional field for future use in specific circumstances when the Commission requests amendment of a specific version of a plan or report. Use 1 to identify the first amendment and increment as necessary (2, 3, 4, etc.) for subsequent amendments. The format for the date should be 2022-08-23.
      • Example: Company named Telephone XYZ Limited, commonly known as Telephone XYZ, is a Class T3 entity. Class T3 entities have a deadline of 1 June 2023 to submit their feedback process description. Telephone XYZ Limited provided notification to the CRTC on 1 June 2023; however, the CRTC noticed that certain elements were missing, and asked the company to rectify the issues and submit an amended feedback process description. Telephone XYZ Limited notified the CRTC on 14 November 2023 that an amended feedback process description was available. Therefore, the company would name its document as follows:

        Notification submitted on 1 June 2023: ACA, Feedback process description, Telephone XYZ Limited (Telephone XYZ), 2023-06-01, version 1

        Notification submitted on 14 November 2023: ACA, Feedback process description, Telephone XYZ Limited (Telephone XYZ), 2023-06-01, version 1, amendment 1 (2023-11-14)

Entities offering both broadcasting and telecommunications services

  1. Entities offering both broadcasting and telecommunications services may choose to address both services in a single consolidated document.
  2. Entities should submit the same information in GCKey using both the Broadcasting Cover Page and the Telecom Cover Page and clearly indicate, on the cover page and in the notification document, that they have done so. Having this information in both places will help with internal processing and organization. It will also help with external discoverability since information related to the documentation will be published on the CRTC’s website.

The Accessible Canada Regulations

  1. The Regulations apply to areas within the CRTC’s mandate. However, regulated broadcasting and telecommunications entities are reminded of their complementary obligations, including notification obligations, under the Accessible Canada Regulations.Footnote 6
  2. The Accessible Canada Regulations are administered by the Accessibility Commissioner to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
  3. The Accessibility Commissioner can be contacted as follows:

    Email: Info.Com@chrc-ccdp.gc.ca

    Phone: 613-995-1151

    TTY: 1-888-643-3304

    VRS: video relay service calls made through Canada VRS are accepted from Monday to Friday, between 8 am and 8 pm (Eastern Time)

    Fax: 613-996-9661

Secretary General

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