The Nova Scotia government has tabled legislation to “demand” telecommunications companies be more accountable and provide more reliable service during emergencies.
Government introduced amendments to the Emergency Management Act and the Emergency 911 Act that will require companies to be prepared in advance of a storm, to take precautions to provide continued phone service during an emergency, and to give updates and transparency to customers.
The penalty for not complying with the legislation or regulations could result in daily fines up to $250,000, according to a news release from the province.
The move comes after Premier Tim Houston openly criticized companies for the drop in telephone and internet services following post-tropical storm Fiona in September.
The fierce storm swept through Atlantic Canada late last month, bringing hurricane-force winds that left many without power — and in some cases the ability to communicate.
“It is unacceptable that there are Nova Scotians who can’t call 911 or connect with loved ones during this difficult time. There is no question we need our telecommunications companies to step up and be more transparent,” Houston said at the time.
Houston also criticized the companies for their “poor participation” with the province when it came to coordinating their response.
The premier even sent a letter to the federal minister responsible for telecommunications companies, François-Philippe Champagne, calling on him to make sure companies are accountable for their performance.
In response, representatives from both Bell and Eastlink told reporters on Sept. 28 that their teams were working around the clock to restore service.
Lee Bragg, executive vice-chair of Eastlink, said he found the premier’s comments “unfair” given the magnitude of the storm.
“This particular storm was massive, but I will say – in my experience going through Dorian and Hurricane Juan – we had a higher level of coordination with all our other telecom and infrastructure partners,” he said.
Geoff Moore, Bell’s director of network operations, acknowledged communication with the province could always be better during emergencies and that they were always looking for ways to improve. However, he said the company was doing its best in light of the ferocity of the storm.
“We can’t forget that we had a huge hurricane impact Nova Scotia, so I think an expectation of service never going down isn’t something that is reasonable, given the magnitude of the event that hit us,” Moore said.
The amendments
The amendments introduced on Thursday include requiring service providers to develop an annual emergency response plan “that must be approved” by the minister responsible for the Emergency Management Office, who is currently John Lohr.
The minister would also be given the authority to require “the physical attendance” of providers at emergency planning meetings and require them to share their records.
As well, the amendments include a requirement for companies to give customers rebates for the time that service was down.
— with a file from Alex Cooke
Comments