ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2013-138
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Ottawa, 19 March 2013
TELUS Communications Company – Destandardization of Enhanced Community Notification Service
File number: Tariff Notice 448
1. The Commission received an application from TELUS Communications Company (TCC), dated 4 December 2012, in which the company proposed to destandardize General Tariff item 218 – Enhanced Community Notification Service – Information Service1 (eCNS), effective 22 February 2013.
2. TCC stated that in Telecom Decision 2007-13, the Commission directed the large incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) to file proposed tariff pages for eCNS following a request from a public authority. TCC indicated that in 2011, the Commission had approved its application to introduce eCNS service, which it had filed in anticipation of requests for the service.2
3. TCC also stated that it had not received an order for eCNS and that the service had not yet been developed. TCC was of the view that the anticipated demand for eCNS will likely never materialize because the service was only designed to provide information to wireline customers.
4. TCC indicated that, upon consultation with the chairperson of the Emergency Services Working Group (ESWG) of the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee, it understood that the future viability of wireline-based eCNS is currently being examined by the ESWG because of the increasing penetration of and reliance on wireless communications.
5. The Commission received no comments regarding TCC’s application. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 31 January 2013, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Public Proceedings” or by using the file number provided above.
Commission’s analysis and determinations
6. The Commission notes that the ESWG is not currently conducting any activities regarding eCNS or a wireless notification service, as was suggested by TCC. While the ESWG may in the future be requested to assist in the development of wireless notification service standards, the Commission is of the view that any wireless notification service would most likely complement eCNS, and not necessarily be a substitute or a replacement for that service.
7. Further, despite TCC not yet having received any request for eCNS from a public authority, the Commission considers that the potential still exists that such a request could be made in the future.
8. In light of the above, the Commission considers that the proposed destandardization of TCC’s eCNS at this time would not be appropriate, and denies TCC’s application.
Secretary General
Related documents
- Telecom Order CRTC 2011-242, 11 April 2011
- Use of E9-1-1 information for the purpose of providing an enhanced community notification service, Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-13, 28 February 2007
Footnotes:
[1] This service provides a municipality, regional district, or other government authority access to certain information in the E9-1-1 Database for the purpose of providing emergency public alerts using a telephone-based community notification system.
[2] In Telecom Order 2011-242, the Commission granted final approval to TCC’s application to introduce eCNS.
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