ARCHIVED -  Telecom Public Notice CRTC 99-22

Telecom Public Notice

Ottawa, 4 October 1999

Telecom Public Notice CRTC 99-22

SaskTel - Application for Transition to Federal Regulation

File No.: 8663-S22-01/99

Summary

On 21 September 1999, Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel), on behalf of itself and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Company (Holdco), filed an application regarding the proposed transition of their telecommunications operations to federal regulation. The Commission hereby initiates a proceeding to consider the company's application.

Introduction

1.In accordance with Order in Council P.C. 1998-1890, both SaskTel and Holdco will come under federal jurisdiction as at 30 June 2000. By letter dated 21 September 1999, SaskTel, on behalf of itself and Holdco, filed an application regarding the proposed transition of their telecommunications operations to federal regulation.

2.In its application, SaskTel requested, effective 30 June 2000, forbearance pursuant to section 34 of the Telecommunications Act from regulation of the sale, lease and maintenance of Terminal Equipment, Toll and Toll-free services, Inter-Exchange Private Line and Packet Data services, retail end-user Internet services, Public Switched Mobile Voice services and Other Mobile Wireless services and Wireless services offered by SaskTel Mobility, an operating division of Holdco. SaskTel submitted that it would be appropriate for the Commission to grant forbearance to SaskTel and Holdco for those services and classes of services forborne for other federally-regulated carriers.

3.SaskTel also requested final approval of the rates and conditions in effect on 30 June 2000 for services where tariffs are required.

4.SaskTel proposed a transitional regulatory framework for the period 30 June 2000 to 31 December 2001. In particular, SaskTel proposed that the Commission incorporate the full review of SaskTel's regulatory framework into the forthcoming price cap review.

5.SaskTel also proposed, during this transition period, a form of price regulation, whereby the company commits to not increase rates for any of its Utility services above the rates in effect on 30 June 2000.

6.The Commission hereby initiates a proceeding and seeks comments regarding the above-noted application. The Commission expects, in its decision regarding this application, to direct the company to file for approval the rates and conditions referred to in paragraph 3 above.

Procedure

7.SaskTel is made a party to this proceeding. Other parties wishing to participate in this proceeding must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by writing the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, fax: 819-953-0795, by 21 October 1999. Parties are to indicate in the notice their Internet email addresses, if available. If parties do not have access to the Internet, they are to indicate in their notice if they wish to receive disk versions of the hard copy files. The Commission will issue a complete listing of parties and their mailing addresses (including e-mail addresses, if available), identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions.

8.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 Secretary General by 17 January 2000. A copy of your comments should be sent to SaskTel.

9.Parties may address interrogatories to SaskTel. Any such interrogatories must be filed with the Commission with a copy served on SaskTel by 21 October 1999.

10.Responses to interrogatories addressed pursuant to paragraph 9 are to be filed with the Commission with a copy served on all other parties by 19 November 1999.

11.Requests by parties for further responses to their interrogatories addressed pursuant to paragraph 10, 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 with a copy served on SaskTel by 26 November 1999.

12.Responses to requests for further responses to interrogatories and for public disclosure must be filed with the Commission with a copy served on the party making the request by 3 December 1999.

13.The Commission will issue a determination with respect to requests for disclosure and 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 with a copy served on all parties to the proceeding by 22 December 1999.

14.Final arguments from parties are to be filed with the Commission with a copy served on all other parties by 17 January 2000.

15.Reply arguments from parties are to be filed with the Commission with a copy served on all other parties by 1 February 2000.

16.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.

17.The record of this proceeding may be examined upon request at any of SaskTel's business offices or at the Commission's offices at the following locations:

Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage
Room G-5
Hull, Quebec K1A 0N2

Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B3

CRTC Documentation Centre
Cornwall Professional Building
2125, 11th Avenue
Room 103
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3X3

18.SaskTel's mailing address to be used in connection with this proceeding is:

Document Control
SaskTel Regulatory Affairs
2121 Saskatchewan Drive
12th Floor
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 3Y2
Fax: (306) 565-6216

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

Secretary General

This document is available in alternative format upon request and may also be viewed at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca.