Canada’s telecommunications regulator is directing all service providers to notify it within two hours when they become aware of an outage to their networks.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) says the directive is the first step of a new consultation it is launching aimed at enhancing the resilience and reliability of telecommunications networks.
It says providers must also file a report with the CRTC within 14 days following an outage.
The move comes after a mandate handed down by Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne went into effect last week.
Ottawa’s new directive to the CRTC emphasizes consumer rights, affordability, competition and universal access.
Last July, a major Rogers Communications Inc. network outage temporarily left more than 12 million mobile and internet customers without service.