ARCHIVED -  Telecom Public Notice CRTC 98-25

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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 98-25

  Ottawa, 22 September 1998
 

9-1-1 SERVICE - RATES FOR WIRELESS SERVICE PROVIDERS, CENTREX CUSTOMERS AND MULTI-LINE CUSTOMERS/MANUAL AUTOMATIC LOCATION IDENTIFICATION REQUESTS

  File No.: 8661-C12-01/98
  I BACKGROUND
  A. 9-1-1 Rates - Wireless Service Providers (WSPs)
  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.
  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.
  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.
  B. 9-1-1 Rates - Centrex Lines
  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.
  C. Call Answer Levy Billing and Collection Charge
  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.
  D. 9-1-1 Service - Manual ALI
  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.
  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.
  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.
  II ISSUES
  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.
  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.
  III PROCEDURE
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  17. Parties may, by 5 January 1999, file with the Commission and serve on other parties their comments.
  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.
  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:
  Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière 1 Promenade du Portage
Room 201
Hull, Quebec
  530-580 Hornby Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
  Bank of Commerce Building
1809 Barrington Street
Suite 1007
Halifax, Nova Scotia
  Place Montréal Trust
1800 McGill College Avenue
Suite 1920
Montréal, Quebec
  275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba
  55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario
  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.
  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.
  This document is available in alternative format upon request.
  Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General
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