ARCHIVED -  Transcript of Proceeding

TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS BEFORE

THE CANADIAN RADIO-TELEVISION AND

TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

TRANSCRIPTION DES AUDIENCES DEVANT

LE CONSEIL DE LA RADIODIFFUSION

ET DES TÉLÉCOMMUNICATIONS CANADIENNES

SUBJECT / SUJET:

Expedited procedure for resolving a competitive issue - Telecom application /

Procédure accélérée de règlement des questions de concurrence - Demande de télécom

HELD AT:                                 TENUE À:

Réal Therrien Room                   Salon Réal Therrien
1 Promenade du Portage            1, Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec                       Gatineau (Québec)

January 29, 2009                         Le 29 janvier 2009

Transcripts

In order to meet the requirements of the Official Languages Act, transcripts of proceedings before the Commission will be bilingual as to their covers, the listing of the CRTC members and staff attending the public hearings, and the Table of Contents.

However, the aforementioned publication is the recorded verbatim transcript and, as such, is taped and transcribed in either of the official languages, depending on the language spoken by the participant at the public hearing.

Transcription

Afin de rencontrer les exigences de la Loi sur les langues officielles, les procès-verbaux pour le Conseil seront bilingues en ce qui a trait à la page couverture, la liste des membres et du personnel du CRTC participant à l'audience publique ainsi que la table des matières.

Toutefois, la publication susmentionnée est un compte rendu textuel des délibérations et, en tant que tel, est enregistrée et transcrite dans l'une ou l'autre des deux langues officielles, compte tenu de la langue utilisée par le participant à l'audience publique.

Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission

Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des
télécommunications canadiennes

Transcript / Transcription

Expedited procedure for resolving a competitive issue - Telecom application /
Procédure accélérée de règlement des questions de concurrence - Demande de télécom

BEFORE / DEVANT:

Konrad von Finckenstein              Chairperson / Président
Leonard Katz                               Commissioner / Conseiller
Rita Cugini                                   Commissioner / Conseillère

ALSO PRESENT / AUSSI PRÉSENTS:

Sheila Perron                            Secretary / Secretaire
Anthony McIntyre                     Legal Counsel /
Crystal Hulley                          Conseillers juridiques
Christine Bailey                         Regional Administrative Officer / Agente
                                                administrative régionale
Kathleen Taylor                        Manager, Consumer Affairs /
                                                Gestionnaire, Consommation
Gerald Lylyk                            Director, Consumer Affairs/
                                                Directeur, Consommation

HELD AT:                               TENUE À:

Réal Therrien Room                Salon Réal Therrien
1 Promenade du Portage        1, Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec                   Gatineau (Québec)  

                   Gatineau , Québec / Gatineau (Québec)

--- Upon resuming on Thursday, January 29, 2009

    at 1601 / L'audience reprend le jeudi 29

    janvier 2009 à 1601

501     THE CHAIRPERSON:   Good afternoon, everybody.

502     We are first going to be on the public record and then we will go onto the confidential record.

503     First, as part of the public record, we got a letter this morning from TELUS basically asking for a one-week delay and asking to be made a party so that they could explain the use of the DVACs and give more facts that they feel are missing from the record.

504     We have made a decision which we communicated to you, but for the public record I would ask my Vice Chairman to read it into the record.

505     Len...?

506     COMMISSIONER KATZ:   The following constitutes the Commission's response to the TELUS' request for adjournment sent today to Ted Woodhead at TELUS.

"Late on 28 January 2009 , TELUS Communications Company (TELUS) requested that the proceedings be adjourned for one week and TELUS be permitted to file evidence on DVACs costs and the transition, which could be tested by the Commission and other parties, as the COMMISSION considers appropriate.   TELUS also raised concerns with respect to the process that the Commission has followed.

TELUS has had ample opportunity to comment, both on Public Works and Government Services Canada's (PWGSC) application and the process followed in this proceeding.   The facts are as follows:

- On 10 November 2008 , PWGSC filed its application, where it specifically stated that it required DVACs for 2 years plus an optional year.

- By letter dated 3 December 2008 , establishing a process for this proceeding, TELUS was provided an opportunity to provide evidence and submissions.   Telus did not object to being treated differently than PWGSC and Bell Canada .

- Telus provided fulsome submissions on 15 December 2008 , including specific evidence and submissions with respect to the matter of DVACs.

- By letter dated 19 December 2008 , an expedited oral public hearing was announced to allow the Commission to ask questions, and PWGSC and Bell Canada to make submissions.   PWGSC and Bell Canada were made the only parties to the oral public hearing.   The letter noted that TELUS' submissions dated 18 November, 28 November and 15 December 2008 would be considered by the Commission when making its final determination.   TELUS did not object to this process.

- At the oral hearing on 22 January 2009 , senior TELUS officials and its outside counsel were present.   TELUS did not object to the process, including the in camera portion at which only PWGSC and Bell Canada representatives were present.

TELUS' request comes well over a month after the process was established and after two sittings of the oral public hearing (on 22 January and 27 January 2009 ).   The Commission notes that TELUS is a sophisticated and experienced participant in Commission proceedings and considers that it was incumbent on TELUS to make any objections known at the earliest possible opportunity and not on the eve of the Commission decision.

Moreover, the Commission considers that the arguments raised by TELUS in its letter in support of its participation are without merit.   TELUS submits that its participation is necessary to correct the record of the proceeding regarding the transition path for DVACs services.   The Commission notes, however, that the transition of DVACs has been an issue thoroughly canvassed during the entire proceeding and an issue on which TELUS itself commented in its 15 December submission.   At many points in the proceeding, both public and the confidential, PWGSC made clear that its contractual requirements are for at least 1014 DVAC SIPs for two years, with an option for a third year regardless of the migration schedule.   Indeed, this fact was on the public record of this proceeding as far back as PWGSC's application dated 10 November 2008 .   The Commission considers that TELUS had ample opportunity to raise this matter and failed to do so until the last moment.

Accordingly, TELUS' application is denied."

507     THE CHAIRPERSON:   Thank you, Mr. Katz.

508     Now I understand there is now an offer in from Public Works and we had an offer from Bell when we met on Tuesday.

509     Are those offers on the public record or not?   I just want to understand?

510     MR. BIBIC:   Neither one is.

511     THE CHAIRPERSON:   Neither one is.   Okay.

512     Let's go now into confidential mode.

513     I would ask anybody who is here from TELUS or anybody who is not Bell , Public Works or CRTC to leave.

514     Would you please push the necessary buttons, Madam Secretary?

515     THE SECRETARY:   Yes.   Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

516     We will need two minutes to just ensure that we are off the air.

517     Thank you.

--- Upon recessing at 1606, to resume immediately

    in camera / L'audience est ajournée à 1606

    pour reprendre immédiatement à huis clos

                REPORTERS / STÉNOGRAPHES

____________________           ____________________

Bill Curley                      Jean Desaulniers

Date modified:

2009-01-29