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Ottawa, 3 August 1988
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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 1988-36
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ADVOCACY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE HANDICAPPED - TELEPHONE SET COMPATIBILITY WITH HEARING AIDS
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On 10 June 1988, the Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped (ARCH), representing the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, the Canadian Association for the Deaf, the Canadian Coordinating Council on Deafness, the Canadian Hearing Impaired Youth Association and several hearing impaired individuals, submitted a notice of intention to participate in the British Columbia Telephone Company (B.C. Tel) Revenue Requirement Proceeding for the years 1988 and 1989.
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ARCH indicated that the focus of its participation in the B.C. Tel proceeding would be the issue of telephone set compatibility with hearing aids. ARCH stated that it would request the Commission to incorporate by reference into the tariffs of B.C. Tel, and other carriers within the Commission's jurisdiction, technical standard CAN 3-T515-M85 "Requirements for Handset Telephones Intended for use by the Hard of Hearing".
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ARCH was of the view that a revenue requirement hearing would be an appropriate setting to raise this issue. ARCH noted that the Commission has not addressed the issue of requiring telephones to be hearing aid compatible since 1982 and submitted that the telecommunications climate has changed substantially since that time.
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The Commission notes that the tariff revisions requested by ARCH would affect the tariffs not only of B.C. Tel but of all the federally regulated telephone companies. Moreover, the interest of other parties, such as terminal equipment suppliers, in the issues raised would not be limited to those located in B.C. Tel's operating territory. Even within B.C. Tel's operating territory, persons interested in these particular issues may not have filed a notice of intention to participate in the Revenue Requirement Proceeding.
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The Commission, therefore, considers that it would be desirable to establish a single proceeding which focuses strictly on these issues. Such a proceeding would facilitate the participation of all interested persons and would provide a better record on which to base a decision. In light of the above, the Commission announces the following procedure:
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1. ARCH is deemed to be the applicant in this proceeding. Its submission of 10 June 1988 is deemed to be the application.
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2. Bell Canada, B.C. Tel, Northwestel Inc. and Terra Nova Telecommunications Inc. are deemed to be respondents.
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3. The Commission will address interrogatories to the applicant and respondents by 5 August 1988. These parties are to file responses to their respective interrogatories with the Commission, serving copies on each other, by 26 August 1988.
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4. Persons wishing to participate as interveners in this proceeding must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by 26 August 1988. Persons who so notify the Commission (interveners), the applicant and respondents will be considered parties to this proceeding.
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5. The respondents are to file answers to the application with the Commission, serving copies on all other parties, by 9 September 1988.
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6. Parties may address interrogatories to the applicant and any of the respondents, with a copy to the Commission, by 30 September 1988.
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7. Responses to interrogatories addressed pursuant to paragraph 6 are to be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by 21 October 1988.
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8. Comments from interveners must be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by 14 November 1988.
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9. Argument from respondents must be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by December 1988.
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10. Reply argument from the applicant must be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by 6 January 1989.
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11. All documents are to be received by the dates specified, not merely mailed by those dates.
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12. The public file of this proceeding may be examined at the offices of the CRTC, Room 201, Central Building, Les Terrasses de la Chaudière, 1 Promenade du Portage, Hull, Québec, or Complex Guy-Favreau, East Tower, 200 Dorchester Blvd. West, 6th floor, Montréal, Québec, or 800 Burrard 800, Street, Suite 1500, Vancouver, British Columbia. Copies of the application and response set initial CRTC interrogatories may be obtained by any interested person upon request directed to the Commission.
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13. The mailing addresses of the Commission, applicant and respondents are as follows:
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Mr. Fernand Bélisle,
Secretary General,
CRTC,
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2;
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Ms. Marilyn Ginsburg,
Barrister and Solicitor,
Advocacy Centre for the Handicapped,
40 Orchard View Blvd., Suite 255,
Toronto, Ontario, M4R 1B9;
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Mr. Peter J. Knowlton,
Assistant General Counsel,
Bell Canada,
25 Eddy Street, 4th floor,
Hull, Québec, J8X 4B5;
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Mr. K.D.A. Morrison,
Secretary,
British Columbia Telephone Company,
3777 Kingsway,
Burnaby, British Columbia V5H 3Z7;
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Mr. J.M. Williamson,
Director Marketing,
Northwestel Inc.,
301 Lambert Street,
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Y1A 4Y4;
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Mr. J.H. Clarke,
Director Marketing,
Terra Nova Telecommunications Inc.,
3 Terra Nova Drive, P.O. Box 3000,
Gander, Newfoundland, A1V 2K6.
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Fernand Bélisle
Secretary General
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