ARCHIVED -  Telecom Public Notice CRTC 97-16

 Telecom Public Notice

 Ottawa, 30 April 1997

 Telecom Public Notice CRTC 97-16

 IMPLEMENTATION OF REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR QUÉBEC-TÉLÉPHONE AND TÉLÉBEC LTÉE

 I INTRODUCTION

1.  In Regulatory Framework for Québec-Téléphone and Télébec ltée, Telecom Decision CRTC 96-5, 7 August 1996 (Decision 96-5), the Commission decided that the same basic regulatory framework that applies to Stentor Resource Centre Inc. member companies under the Commission's jurisdiction should be applied to Québec-Téléphone and Télébec ltée (Télébec). This included a price cap method of regulation for their Utility segments.

2.  In Decision 96-5, the Commission was of the view, however, that given the timing of the release of Decision 96-5, and in recognition of the rate rebalancing that needed to take place, the implementation plan for a transitional period, and associated issues, should be considered in a future proceeding.

3.  In view of the above, the Commission hereby initiates a proceeding to determine the implementation plan for a transitional period, and associated issues, that should apply to Québec-Téléphone and Télébec prior to implementing a price cap method of regulation for their respective Utility segments.

 II SCOPE

4.  In Decision 96-5, the Commission required Québec-Téléphone and Télébec to file, no later than 1 May 1997, a proposed implementation plan for a transitional period setting out the duration of the transitional period, the rate of return range on average common equity for the Utility segment, the split rate base methodology, the calculation of the Carrier Access Tariff under the proposed split rate base regime, and any rate rebalancing proposals for the years beyond 1998.

 III PROCEDURE

5.  Québec-Téléphone and Télébec are made parties to this proceeding.

6.  Other parties wishing to participate in the proceeding must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by writing to Mr. Allan J. Darling, Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, fax: 819-953-0795, by 16 May 1997. Parties are to indicate in the notice their Internet email address, if available. If parties do not have access to the Internet, they are to indicate in their notice whether they wish to receive disk versions of hard copy filings. The Commission will issue a complete list of parties and their mailing addresses (including Internet email addresses if available), identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions.

7.  Any person who wishes merely to file written comments in this proceeding, without receiving copies of the various submissions, may do so by writing to the Commission at the address noted in the previous paragraph, by 12 September 1997.

8.  By 30 May 1997, Québec-Téléphone and Télébec are to serve on all parties copies of their proposed implementation plan filed with the Commission on 1 May 1997.

9.  By 30 May 1997, the Commission will address interrogatories to Québec-Téléphone and Télébec on their proposed implementation plan for a transitional period. Québec-Téléphone and Télébec are directed to file responses to the interrogatories with the Commission and serve copies on all parties by 20 June 1997.

10.  Parties may address interrogatories to Québec-Téléphone and Télébec. Any such interrogatories must be filed with the Commission and served on Québec-Téléphone and Télébec by 8 July 1997.

11.  Responses to interrogatories addressed pursuant to paragraph 10 are to be filed with the Commission and served on all parties by 29 July 1997.

12.  Requests by parties for further responses to their interrogatories, specifying in each case why a response is both relevant and necessary, and requests for public disclosure of information for which confidentiality has been claimed, setting out the reasons for disclosure, must be filed with the Commission and served on relevant parties by 8 August 1997.

13.  Written responses to requests for further responses to interrogatories and for public disclosure must be filed with the Commission and served on the parties making the request by 15 August 1997.

14.  The Commission will issue a determination with respect to requests for disclosure and for further responses as soon as possible, and intends to direct that any information to be provided pursuant to that determination be filed with the Commission and served on all parties to this proceeding by 1 September 1997.

15.  All parties may file comments with the Commission, serving copies on all other parties by 12 September 1997.

16.  All parties may file replies to any comments, serving copies on all parties who filed comments, by 26 September 1997.

17.  Regional public hearings are scheduled to be held in late August or September 1997 in Val d'Or and in Rimouski, Québec. The Commission will issue further directions with respect to this regional hearing.

18.  Québec-Téléphone and Télébec are directed to mail, within 60 days from the date of this Public Notice, billing inserts notifying their respective subscribers that: (i) the company has filed, on 1 May 1997, a regulatory framework proposal for its transition period prior to the Commission adopting a price cap method of regulation; (ii) the proposal is available for public inspection during normal business hours at its business offices located in Gaspé, Rimouski, Sept-Îles and Ste-Marie de Beauce for Québec-Téléphone, in Anjou, Bécancour, Mont Laurier and Val d'Or for Télébec, and at the offices of the Commission in Hull and in Montréal; (iii) there will be regional hearings as noted in the above paragraph; (iv) subscribers may provide comments by writing to the Commission by 12 September 1997 or making representations at the regional hearings referred to in the above paragraph; (v) persons wishing to participate at the regional hearings are to notify the Commission by 21 August 1997; and (vi) subscribers may contact Québec-Téléphone, Télébec, or the Commission for further information.

19.  Where a document is to be filed or served by a specific date, the document must be actually received, not merely sent, by that date.

20.  In addition to hard copy filings, parties are encouraged to file with the Commission electronic versions of their submissions in accordance with the Commission's Interim Telecom Guidelines for the Handling of Machine-Readable Files, dated 30 November 1995. The Commission's Internet email address for electronically filed documents is public.telecom@crtc. gc.ca. Electronically filed documents can be accessed at the Commission's Internet site at http://www.crtc.gc.ca.

 IV LOCATION OF CRTC OFFICES

21.  The documents made part of the record of this proceeding and submissions filed in this proceeding may be examined during normal business hours at any of the CRTC offices listed below:

 Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage
Room 201
Hull, Quebec
K1A 0N2
Tel.: (819) 997-2429
Fax: (819) 953-0795
TDD: (819) 994-0423

 Place Montréal Trust
1800 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1920
Montréal, Quebec
H3A 3J6
Tel.: (514) 283-6607
Fax: (514) 283-3689
TDD: (514) 283-8316

28.  This document is available in alternative format upon request.

 Allan J. Darling
Secretary General

AVI97-16_0