ARCHIVED -  Telecom Order CRTC 99-430

Telecom Order

Ottawa, 7 May 1999

Telecom Order CRTC 99-430

On 19 June 1998, TELUS Communications (Edmonton) Inc. (TCEI) filed an application for approval of tariff revisions to General Tariff Item 3065, Digital Network Access (DNA), to offer Channelization for DS-3 to DS-1 trunks and DS-1 to DS-0 trunks and to align the tariffs with those of TELUS Communications Inc. (TCI) in order to facilitate uniform tariffs for TELUS services on a province-wide basis.

File No.: Tariff Notice (TN) 86

1.TCEI stated that as TN 85 proposed to restructure TCEI's Equal Access tariffs to match TCI's Equal Access tariffs, TCEI expected an increase in the demand to provide channelization. TCEI proposed that customers with existing Special Assembly contracts would continue with the terms and conditions of these contracts until the contracts expire. Upon contract expiration, customers who choose to continue service would migrate to the proposed DNA tariff.

2.In Telecom Order CRTC 98-639 dated 2 July 1998, the Commission granted interim approval to TCEI TN 86.

3.In its comments of 15 July 1998, AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Company (AT&T Canada LDS) (now AT&T Canada Corp.) submitted that TN 86 should be given final approval with two modifications.

4.AT&T Canada LDS requested that the Commission direct TCEI to give customers the choice between maintaining Special Assembly contracts and terminating those contracts and receiving the service on a General Tariff basis with no penalty for terminating the contract.

5.Secondly, AT&T Canada LDS requested the Commission to remove a tariff restriction on aggregating multiple services for assessing applicable discounts from TCEI's proposed tariff. AT&T Canada LDS submitted that this restriction penalizes large customers who subscribe to multiple services for access purposes. AT&T Canada LDS noted that TCEI's proposal to include this restriction is contradictory to changes proposed by other telephone companies, such as BC TEL, to remove such restrictions.

6.In its reply of 27 July 1998, TCEI did not object to AT&T Canada LDS first modification.

7.With respect to the second modification proposed by AT&T Canada LDS, TCEI clarified that in the case of BC TEL, its removal of an aggregation related to Megalink Service and not DNA Service. Second, TCEI noted that its restriction on the aggregation of accesses is consistent with Stentor National Services Tariff Item 301.3 for DNA. Finally, TCEI noted that the restriction reflects the business and cost circumstances specific to TCEI.

8.The Commission notes that the restriction on aggregating multiple services for assessing applicable discounts for TCEI's DNA DS-3 Channelizing Feature matched with that of the Stentor tariff at the time and is consistent with a similar restriction for TCI's DNA service.

9.In light of the foregoing, the Commission orders that:

10.The proposed tariff revisions are approved on a final basis, with TCEI directed to amend its tariff with wording to reflect that customers have the choice between maintaining Special Assembly contracts and terminating those contracts and receiving the service on a General Tariff basis with no penalty for terminating the contract.

Secretary General

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