The massive service outage that affected over 10 million Rogers customers in July 2022 has prompted the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to take action. The CRTC has hired the engineering consulting firm Xona Partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the network crash and determine what further regulatory measures may be necessary. This move comes after widespread criticism of the CRTC for not acting sooner to address the outage that left many Canadians without cellphone and internet access for days.
Xona Partners has been tasked with conducting a „forensic level technical review“ of Rogers‘ networks, interviewing key employees, and visiting its operation centers in Toronto. The goal is to understand what caused the outage and assess whether the measures Rogers has implemented since then are sufficient to prevent a similar incident in the future. The final report is expected to be completed by the end of October, after which the CRTC will review the findings and release the report to inform Canadians and stakeholders.
Critics have raised concerns about the transparency of the investigation, with some questioning why the CRTC did not conduct its own probe into the outage sooner. John Lawford of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre has expressed skepticism about the effectiveness of hiring an external firm after the fact, stating that it is akin to „sending in investigators after the body is cold.“ He emphasizes the importance of transparency in understanding what occurred at Rogers during the outage.
The outage, which began on July 8, 2022, had far-reaching consequences, disrupting critical phone and internet services for government offices, businesses, and emergency services. In one tragic case, a woman in Hamilton suffered a fatal stroke because a family member was unable to call 911. The CRTC subsequently ordered Rogers to provide details about the impact on government services, but the information released by Rogers was heavily redacted, citing customer confidentiality concerns.
Matt Malone, an expert in trade secrets and confidential information, has criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the outage, noting that important details about the impact on 911 services have been withheld. Rogers has cited safety concerns as the reason for not disclosing certain information, but critics argue that this secrecy hinders accountability and transparency.
In response to the outage, Rogers has implemented several enhancements and safeguards to improve the resiliency of its network. The company has conducted a full review of its network, separated its wireless and wireline networks, and signed a memorandum of understanding with other providers to support each other during major network outages. Additionally, the CRTC has introduced temporary rules requiring providers to notify the regulator within two hours of a major outage affecting more than 100,000 customers.
Overall, the investigation into the Rogers outage highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and regulatory oversight in ensuring the reliability of telecommunications services for Canadians. The findings of the Xona Partners report will be crucial in determining what further regulatory action is needed to prevent similar incidents in the future and protect the interests of consumers.