Mexican Vacation Telemarketers Can't Escape From CRTC Rules

In a recent case involving telemarketing calls made to Canada on behalf of foreign companies, the CRTC has entered into a novel compliance agreement with the companies in question, aided by the local consumer protection agency.

On October 17, 2011 the CRTC announced that it had recently reached an agreement with two Mexican companies relating to unauthorized telemarketing and "robocalls" made to Canadians to promote Mexican vacation packages.

The investigation and eventual agreement were apparently pursued in response to thousands of complaints received by the CRTC respecting the calls. The companies were found to have committed several breaches of the CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules (the Rules), including calling numbers registered on the National Do Not Call List (the National DNCL) and calling outside of permitted calling hours. Some of the calls were made by using Automatic-Dialling Announcing Devices (ADADs), which, while apparently permitted in