ASL – Summary of the decision and the actions the Commission is taking (1 of 4)
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Video Transcript
Summary of the decision and the actions the Commission is taking
The summary of this decision is being provided to help promote accessibility and is not an official version of the decision.
Summary
Canadians need access to reliable, affordable, and high-quality telecommunications services for every part of their daily lives.
Telecommunications service outages, even if they are short, are highly disruptive and can seriously impact Canadians’ day-to-day lives. All outages can have harmful effects on people, especially when they cannot connect to emergency services in times of need.
The Commission, along with telecommunications service providers and other government authorities, all play a role in preventing and managing telecommunications service outages. This includes federal departments like Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Public Safety Canada, as well as provincial and territorial emergency management organizations, and 9-1-1 call centres.
This decision will help improve coordination whenever a major outage happens by requiring telecommunications service providers to notify the Commission and other government authorities within specific timeframes. These notifications will help ensure that relevant authorities are aware of outages so that they can help manage them and their impact on Canadians.
This decision also requires telecommunications service providers to file comprehensive post-outage reports detailing the causes, effects, and steps taken to resolve an outage. With this information, telecommunications service providers can learn from what happened to avoid similar outages in the future, Canadians can learn the cause of an outage and other facts, and governments can develop policies to help limit outages going forward.
Alongside this decision, the Commission is taking two additional actions as part of its broader strategy to help lessen the disruptive impact of service outages on Canadians. First, the Commission is gathering views on measures telecommunications service providers should take to help improve the resiliency of their networks and the reliability of their services through its Telecom Notice of Consultation on the development of a regulatory policy on measures to improve the resiliency of telecommunications networks and the reliability of telecommunications services. Second, the Commission is considering additional consumer protections when Canadians experience an outage with their Internet, cellphone, telephone, or television services through its Telecom and Broadcasting Notice of Consultation on Consumer protections in the event of a service outage or disruption. These protections include clearer communication from service providers during outages and refunds for lost services.
The requirements established in the decision will become effective two months from the date that this decision is published.
This decision establishes the notification and reporting requirements for service providers when they experience a major telecommunications service outage.
This video introduces the decision. It summarizes the importance of reliable telecommunications services for Canadians and the actions the Commission is taking to help lessen the disruptive impact of service outages. It also summarizes the requirements for service providers to notify the Commission and other authorities during major service outages and to file post-outage reports.
Telecom Decision CRTC 2025-225
Consultation on notification and reporting about major telecom service outages
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