Federal regulator demands answers from Bell MTS over landline service complaints
Federal regulators are demanding answers and solutions from the bell MTS after several Manitobans have spoken out about their landline phone service which they call unacceptable.
The main landline at St. George’s Anglican Church in Crescentwood has been down since late April. Mary Smith, a parish administrator, said many parishioners there rely on that old school phone service.
“It’s been really frustrating, at this point, it’s hard for people to reach the Church,” said Smith.
Making matters worse, the phone line is connected to the church’s security system, so calls were rerouted to a backup line.
“And that line was going down as well and we were getting security alarms to the people who answer to them,” said Smith.
The Church’s service provider is Bell MTS.
“They apparently came and nobody seems to know what they did and we still don’t have a phone,” said Smith. “It would be nice if they could provide constant service, that’s all we’re asking."
The church is not alone. Other people CTV News spoke with are also having issues with their Bell MTS landlines.
Karen Kirk’s phone works now, but the West End homeowner said that was not the case three weeks during the first downpour of rain.
“The service became very crackly and it was difficult to hear,” said Kirk.
On top of that, Kirk said the system malfunctioned, inadvertently calling 911 three times resulting in a late night knock at her door to make sure everyone in the house was okay.
Joy Sutyla’s 84-year-old father has had a prolonged outage since March 8. He lives alone in rural Manitoba near Elma.
“I’m worried that I’m going to find him on the floor and he can’t tell me this,” said Sutyla.
Because of the number of complaints, the Canadian Radio‑television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which is the federal regulator of broadcasting and telecommunications, is demanding Bell MTS identify all landline quality issues in the Winnipeg area.
On top of that, the CRTC is requiring Bell MTS to provide a plan to resolve the problem, along with a timeline.
“These issues and outages are impacting their ability to contact 9-1-1 and essential services. Moreover, residents have been complaining of poor customer service, missed appointments, and that Bell MTS has failed to respond to service outages in a timely manner. Many of the complaints refer to deteriorating telecommunications infrastructure across the city,” the CRTC said in a letter to Bell MTS.
Bell, which owns Bell MTS, is the parent company of CTV News. In a statement, Bell MTS said the extreme weather events this winter and spring have caused damage to cables.
“We have called in staff from outside of the area and our technicians are working overtime to get customers’ services up and running as quickly as possible. As calls for repairs are up over 60 per cent, we have been connecting with customers who may be experiencing prolonged outages to offer alternative service solutions,” the company told CTV News.
Bell MTS also said to prepare for the flooding it sandbagged its infrastructure and deployed batteries and generators in case of power outages.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.