Premier encourages Yukoners to file CRTC complaints over phone service disruptions

Frustration in the Yukon over Bell Mobility's service is continuing to build, and the premier's office is encouraging residents to file complaints with the CRTCand ask their phone companies for a one-month credit.

For months, residents have complained offrequently dropped calls, intermittent service and spotty coverage, which has affected individuals, businesses and even front-line workers such as wildfire fighters and nurses while they're on the job.

The issue even prompted the premier tosendcomplaint letters on behalf of all residents.

The premier has also pushed back over what he says has been the company's inability to properly handle complaints and compensate its customers. Bell owns the majority of Yukon's cell towers.

"I have heard from wildland firefighter personnel who have had challenges even being able to speak to a Bell technician because the service continued to cut out throughout the call," reads a complaint letterfrom Premier Ranj Pillai,to Bell.

In August, Pillai urged Bell's CEO to provide customers with financial compensation.

"Bell Canada owns and operates all but a handful of cell towers in the Yukon, so even Yukoners with other mobility providers must rely on Bell towers for cellular service," reads a press statement from Pillai's director of communications, Jordan Owens.

Complaint line didn't work as promised

As a result of the premier's complaints, Bell provided the Government of Yukon with a special phone number that Yukoners can call (1-888-883-0966) to register complaints with the company and report issues.

But the premier's staff say the phone number didn't initially live up to its promises.

"When we called the number that was provided, the person answering the phone was unable to help us and did not appear to know about the situation here in the Yukon," Owens said.

Since then, Owens said the office has heard from some Yukoners who are Bell customers who've called the Yukon-specific number. Owens said those customers have reportedgetting a "one-month credit on their bills" and that customers with other cell phone companies are being told by the Bell agents to"report issues to their provider and encouraged to ask for a similar credit."

Pillai's office is also encouraging Yukoners to report their concerns about service disruptions to the CRTC (1-877-249-2782 or online), Canada's telecommunications regulatory agency.

In one of Pillai's letters to Bell's CEO Mirko Bibic, Pillai said the company should be embarrassed that its Yukon customers "cannot have uninterrupted cell phone calls in the downtown of their capital city."

Bell Canada has not responded to multiple interview requests from CBC News, but provided an emailed statement in which it encouraged people to reach out to its Yukon-specific help line.

"We have deployed teams to address these concerns," the statement reads.

The company added that it is "investing more than $22 million in its wireless network in the Yukon over the next three years to improve speed and reliability," which will "expand 4G and 5G service to dozens of cell sites across the region and improve capacity."