Canadian regulators have fined Bell Canada US$1.28 million for violating rules barring telemarketers from calling consumers on the national do not call list.
According to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), independent telemarketers hired by Bell had called people who had registered for the list, set up in September 2008 to stop unwanted sales pitches.
The calls, made this year between January and October, were made to promote and sell Bell’s television, telephone, wireless and Internet services.
Since the violations, Bell has stated that it had taken steps to make sure independent telemarketers strictly comply with government and company rules on telemarketing.
The CRTC also claimed that it had found that Bell Canada had used automated calling devices to contact its prepaid mobile customers without obtaining their consent.
Bell added that it would stop the practice and agreed to make a $266,000 payment for research and development at Concordia University in Montreal.