Effective April 1, 2017, it will cost telemarketers $48,047 annually to access all area codes of the Canadian Do No Call List (DNCL) for scrubbing, an increase of $1,034. The annual access fee to individual area codes will be $2,875, an increase of $62. For those marketing in the United States, it is interesting to note that the maximum annual cost to access the National DNC in the USA is a relatively inexpensive $16,228 when comparing lists size.
Since the DNCL’s creation in 2008, the Canadian Do Not Call List has registered over 13 million telephone numbers. By comparison, the National Do No Call Registry (DNC) in the USA maintains a list of 266 million. One area both registries do have in common is the requirement that phone numbers are retained permanently and only removed by request.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) manages Canada’s DNCL. Their mandate is to protect Canadians from unsolicited telecommunications. In that role, they require that all telemarketers register (for free) with the National DNCL, even if they only make exempt calls.
For those considering telemarketing in Canada, here are their two classifications of telemarketers:
- Regular Telemarketers – those who make calls or send faxes to sell or promote a product or service, or to request donations. Regular telemarketers are exempt where they have an existing commercial relationship with consumers.
- Exempt Telemarketers – registered charities, newspapers, political parties, as well as organizations that conduct market research, polls and surveys.
Whether telemarketing in the United States, Canada, or any other country, you should consult an attorney experienced in the regulatory and compliance laws of that country before dialing begins. Telemarketing rules from one country to the next can be vastly different and violations can be an unnecessarily costly lesson learned.
Telemarketers interested in marketing in Canada should visit Canada’s National Do Not Call List for more information.