Telemarketer Subscription Rates and File Formats for the National Do Not Call List

Subscription Rates

Organizations on whose behalf telemarketing is conducted, whether done by themselves or through a third party, must register their organization’s information with the National DNCL.

Organizations on whose behalf non-exempt telemarketing calls are made, whether done by themselves or through a third party, must subscribe to and access the National DNCL.

There are two subscription options for accessing telephone numbers on the National DNCL: Query and Download.

1. The Query subscription allows an organization to check up to 100 numbers at a time in any combination of area codes to determine if those numbers are on the National DNCL.
2. The Download Subscription allows an organization to download a file containing a list of telephone numbers that are registered on the National DNCL to compare with the organization’s calling list. Download subscriptions are available for a 1-, 3-, 6- or 12-month period. You can purchase the entire list for Canada (all area codes), or you can purchase only numbers contained in the area codes that cover your marketing territory.

Timeline of changes to subscription rates

• December 2007: We contracted Bell Canada to act as the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) Operator.
• March 20, 2015: We approved Bell Canada’s proposal for a subscription rate increase.
• July 20, 2015: We decided that the proposed increase was reasonable. The revised rate for the List Operator’s portion of the subscription fees came into effect as of August 1, 2015.
• July 20, 2015: As a result of a public process, we announced that we approved amendments to the Unsolicited Telecommunications Fees Regulations. These amendments included a multi-year increase to our component of the rate for access to the National DNCL. The first of these amendments came into force on August 1, 2015.
• October 2017: We contracted Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Inc. to act as the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) Operator as of January 15, 2018.
• October 2022: The contract for service for the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) was extended for Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton Inc. to continue to act as the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) Operator for an additional 5 years. The revised List Operator’s portion of the subscription fees came into effect as of January 14, 2023.

Accordingly, telemarketers who are required to subscribe to the National DNCL can expect to pay the following as of January 14, 2023, in these hypothetical examples:

1. A telemarketer that conducts telemarketing campaigns to all area codes across Canada for a one-year period could purchase an annual subscription for $46,736.27.
2. A telemarketer that conducts telemarketing campaigns in four area codes for one year could purchase a subscription for $9,923, (four area codes at $2,480.75 each per year)
3. A telemarketer that conducts a seasonal three consecutive month telemarketing campaign to all area codes across Canada could purchase a subscription for $14,716 (three-month subscription to all area codes)
4. A telemarketer that conducts a limited telemarketing campaign to 50 specific telephone numbers could query those 50 numbers for $25.00. (50 calls at $0.50 each). The query option is available for telemarketers making unsolicited calls to a limited number of consumers. For example, a business that wishes to place calls to referrals would find this subscription option method cost-effective.

File Formats

Telemarketers can download the National DNCL in two different file formats:

• Comma-separated values (CSV), also known as Flat Text Files; and
• Extensible Markup Language (XML) Tagged Files.

The files are provided for downloading in one Zip file, which includes individual files for each Canadian NPA (area code) selected. If the full national list is selected, then one Zip file is provided containing a single file with all numbers registered on the National DNCL for Canada.

Flat Text File format:

The complete list in a flat text file consists of one three-digit Canadian area code and seven-digit telephone number per line, with a linefeed at the end of each line. For example:

• 416,1234567
• 416,1234568
• 416,1234569

XML Tagged File format:

When the full list is downloaded as an XML Tagged file, an element indicates what level and value of data are contained in the file.

For the complete national list, the level is “all” and the value is null (Example 1).

For an area code list, the level is “ac” and the value is the area code, such as 416 (Example 2).

Example 1: National List

<list type='full' level='all' val=''>
  <ac val='416'>
    <ph val='1234567'/>
    <ph val='1234568'/>
    <ph val='1234569'/>
  </ac>
  <ac val='905'>
    <ph val='1234567'/>
    <ph val='1234568'/>
    <ph val='1234569'/>
  </ac>
</list>

Example 2: Single Area Code List

<list type='full' level='ac' val='416'>
  <ac val='416'>
    <ph val='1234567'/>
    <ph val='1234568'/>
    <ph val='1234569'/>
  </ac>
</list>

Date modified:

2023-01-13