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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 98-25
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Ottawa, 22 September 1998 |
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9-1-1 SERVICE - RATES FOR WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS, CENTREX CUSTOMERS
AND MULTI-LINE CUSTOMERS/MANUAL AUTOMATIC LOCATION IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS
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File No.: 8661-C12-01/98 |
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I BACKGROUND |
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A. 9-1-1 Rates - Wireless Service Providers
(WSPs) |
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1. In Telecom Order CRTC
98-785, 13 August 1998 (Order
98-785), the Commission gave interim approval to tariff revisions for the
introduction of BC TEL's Provincial 9-1-1 Service. Under the new tariff,
rates for WSPs apply to each connection (DS-O) to the Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN) equipped for outward local calling. By contrast,
land-line customers are charged on a per telephone number basis. This
approach is based on the premise that service to a wireless customer is of
less value than that to a land-line customer because of the unavailability
of Automatic Location Identification (ALI) to identify the location of a
wireless 9-1-1 caller. The Commission noted that the per PSTN connection
method of charging WSPs is consistent with the approach accepted by the
Commission for other Stentor companies' province-wide 9-1-1 services. |
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2. During the proceeding, Emergency
Communications for Southwest British Columbia (E-Comm) submitted that
wireline users would be subsidizing wireless users if WSPs were not
required to pay on a per wireless number basis. E-Comm also claimed that
there is now a growing volume of 9-1-1 calls originating from wireless
users and that these calls are more costly to handle. |
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3. The Commission noted that recent rate
changes over a broad range of local exchange services have reflected less
emphasis on the value of service rating principle, and more on moving rates
closer to costs. Given this, the Commission stated that it would be
appropriate to re-examine the basis on which Stentor companies charge WSPs
for 9-1-1 service. |
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B. 9-1-1 Rates - Centrex Lines |
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4. In Order
98-785, the Commission also
gave interim approval to a lower per telephone number rate for Centrex
lines, noting that this was consistent with the approach taken by other
Stentor companies. The service to Centrex customers is considered to be of
less value than that to other land-line customers because Centrex lines
access the network on a shared basis. However, for the reasons set out in
paragraph 3, the Commission stated that it would be appropriate to
re-examine the basis on which Stentor companies establish 9-1-1 rates for
Centrex lines. |
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C. Call Answer Levy Billing and Collection
Charge |
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5. In Order
98-785, the Commission approved
a monthly charge of $0.07 per telephone number for the billing and
collection of a proposed charge on behalf of municipalities to recover
expenses associated with 9-1-1 calls. This service will only be offered
where BC TEL also collects the 9-1-1 charge from subscribers, instead of
from the municipalities. |
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D. 9-1-1 Service - Manual ALI |
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6. In Telecom Order CRTC
98-737, 24 July 1998, the
Commission approved an amending agreement between Maritime Tel & Tel
Limited (MT&T) and the Province of Nova Scotia in respect of the provision
of 9-1-1 service. Under the amending agreement, manual ALI requests are
permitted in cases where a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) operator is
unable to identify the location of a person requiring emergency services
because the incoming call originates from (i) a location other than the
location requiring emergency services, (ii) from a multi-party line, or
(iii) from a cellular telephone. The agreement provides that a manual ALI
request must only be performed by a PSAP operator for the purpose of
dispatching emergency services. The agreement further provides that, in
every case where a manual ALI request is performed, the PSAP must record
the telephone number associated with the request as well as the date, time
and purpose of the request. |
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7. In the circumstances, the Commission was
satisfied that manual ALI requests are appropriate. The Commission noted
that the Province and the company jointly own the 9-1-1 database, that the
amending agreement clearly delineated the circumstances in which a manual
ALI request would be allowed and that it required that a record be kept of
manual ALI requests. The Commission directed the company to amend the
agreement so it stated that a record of the request would be retained for a
period of two years. |
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8. The Commission noted that the issue of the
appropriateness of manual ALI requests has arisen previously with regard to
9-1-1 services provided in Bell Canada's territory. |
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II ISSUES |
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9. In light of the above, the Commission
hereby initiates a proceeding to re-examine the basis on which those
Stentor companies that offer province-wide 9-1-1 service establish rates
applicable to WSPs, Centrex customers, and multi-line customers for 9-1-1
service and to consider the appropriateness of permitting manual ALI in the
territories of those Stentor companies, other than MT&T. |
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10. The Commission invites comments on the
following issues: (i) the most appropriate method of charging WSPs, Centrex
customers, and multi-line customers for 9-1-1 service (e.g. per telephone
number at the rate, or percentage of the rate, for single line customers,
per access line equipped for outward calling, etc.); and (ii) whether it is
appropriate to permit manual ALI requests and, if so, under what
circumstances and with what safeguards. |
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III PROCEDURE |
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11. Bell Canada, BC TEL, MTS Communications
Inc., NBTel Inc. and TELUS Communications Inc. are made parties to this
proceeding. Other parties wishing to participate in this proceeding must
notify the Commission of their intention to do so by writing to Mrs. Laura
M. Talbot-Allan, Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, fax:
819-953-0795, by 6 October 1998. Parties are to indicate in the notice
their Internet email address, where 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. |
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12. Parties may address interrogatories to the
Stentor companies named in paragraph 11. Any such interrogatories must be
filed with the Commission and served on the party or parties in question by
13 October 1998. The Commission has addressed interrogatories to the named
Stentor companies. |
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13. Responses to the Commission's
interrogatories and interrogatories addressed pursuant to paragraph 12 are
to be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by 3
November 1998. |
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14. Requests by parties for further responses
to their interrogatories, specifying in each case why a further 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 the
party or parties in question by 10 November 1998. |
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15. Parties' replies to requests for further
responses and requests for public disclosure are to be filed with the
Commission and served on the parties making the request by 17 November
1998. |
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16. The Commission will issue a determination
with respect to any such requests as soon as possible. The Commission
intends to direct that any information to be provided pursuant to that
determination be filed with the Commission and served on all parties by 15
December 1998. |
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17. Parties may, by 5 January 1999, file with
the Commission and serve on other parties their comments. |
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18. Parties may, by 19 January 1999, file with
the Commission and serve on other parties, their replies to the comments
filed pursuant to paragraph 17. |
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19. The record of this proceeding may be
examined, or will be made available promptly upon request, at the CRTC
offices at the following addresses: |
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Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière 1 Promenade du Portage
Room 201
Hull, Quebec |
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530-580 Hornby Street
Vancouver, British Columbia |
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Bank of Commerce Building
1809 Barrington Street
Suite 1007
Halifax, Nova Scotia |
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Place Montréal Trust
1800 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1920
Montréal, Quebec |
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275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba |
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55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario |
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20. 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. |
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21. 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
www.crtc.gc.ca. |
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This document is available in alternative
format upon request. |
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Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General |