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ARCHIVED - Order CRTC 2000-673

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Order CRTC 2000-673

Ottawa, 19 July 2000

MTT's and Island Tel's replacement for tariff subscription service approved for Internet delivery

Reference: MTT Tariff Notice 773Island Tel Tariff Notice 538
The Commission approves, with changes, Maritime Tel & Tel Limited's (MTT) and Island Telecom Inc.'s (Island Tel) proposals to replace their tariff subscription service (paper service) with a publicly available, no-charge service available through their Internet site at www.mtt.ca  and www.islandtel.pe.ca , respectively. Among other things, MTT and Island Tel are to provide a "What's New" listing and run both the paper subscription service and the Internet site postings for six months. General guidelines have been set out for publishing tariffs on the Internet.

Free access to tariffs proposed

1. Under Tariff Notice (TN) 773, dated 29 February 2000, MTT proposed to provide the following tariffs on its Internet site as a free subscription service:
General Tariff (CRTC 10001)
Special Facilities Services Tariff (CRTC 10003)
Access Services Tariff (CRTC 10008)
Index of Tariffs (CRTC 10000)
APTC Regional Tariff (CRTC 27750)
2. Under TN 538, dated 29 February 2000, Island Tel proposed to provide the following tariffs on its individual Internet site as a free subscription service:
General Tariff (CRTC 11001)
Special Facilities Services Tariff (CRTC 11003)
Access Services Tariff (CRTC 11008)
Index of Tariffs (CRTC 11000)
APTC Regional Tariff (CRTC 27750)
3. The companies noted that all existing tariff subscription customers are businesses. The companies proposed to provide a rebate proportional to the time remaining on subscriptions as of the availability date of the free, on-line service.
4. MTT and Island Tel are of the view that the requirement under Section 12 of the CRTC Tariff Regulations can be met through the publication of its tariffs on its Internet site. Subsection 12(1) states:

Every regulated company shall publish its tariffs as a subscription service and shall furnish a complete set of its tariffs or part thereof to any interested person on a subscription basis.

Conclusions

5. In Order CRTC 2000-552, dated 16 June 2000, the Commission approved, with changes, Bell Canada's proposal to replace its tariff subscription service with a publicly available, no-charge service available through the company's Internet site. Consistent with that order, the Commission considers that replacing tariff subscription services with Internet services will expand and enhance access to MTT's and Island Tel's tariffs.The Commission considers that it is in the public interest to approve the applications, which meet the requirements of Section 12 of the CRTC Tariff Regulations.
6. The Commission notes that MTT and Island Tel will continue to provide all other tariffs that are not placed on the Internet on a subscription basis, and will continue to provide single copies of up to ten tariff pages at each business office where tariffs are kept on file.

A guideline: Characteristics all Internet tariff sites should include

7. The Commission has set out below the characteristics that all Internet tariff services should provide:
  • web site accessibility that does not require special software downloading by the end-user;
  • clear directions on the company's web site so tariffs are easy to find;
  • easy access by commonly available computer hardware and software;
  • view and print capability including all symbols and information provided on paper tariffs;
  • a search capability over as wide a range of tariffs as feasible in one search request;
  • a "What's New" listing of tariff page changes for the preceding 12 months indicating the tariff type, tariff item description, tariff page number, tariff notice number and approval authority;
  • direct links from index listings and "What's New" listings to tariff pages where feasible; and
  • Internet site address on each index page of the tariffs.

Directives to MTT and Island Tel for posting tariffs on their Internet site

8. In light of the above, the Commission approves MTT's and Island Tel's applications under TN 773 and TN 538, respectively, with the following changes.MTT and Island Tel are directed:
a) that the proposed revisions, with changes, to MTT's General Tariff Item 4 and Island Tel's General Tariff Item 5, are effective 18 August 2000;
b) to run concurrently both its paper subscription service and the Internet tariff postings, for a period of six months from 19 July 2000;
c) to provide the rebates to subscribers when the paper tariff service ends;
d) to notify their tariff subscription customers, within 30 days of the date of this order, of: i) the termination date of the tariff subscription; ii) the six-month overlap and its intent; iii) the provision of rebates; and iv) the requirement to contact the company if there are any problems with the new system;
e) to establish a "What's New" listing of the newly approved tariff pages to be implemented no later than 19 October 2000, updated on a monthly basis and accessible for a minimum of the 12 preceding months;
f) to detail in the "What's New" listing the tariff type, tariff item description, tariff page number, tariff notice number, approval authority and effective date;
g) to continue to provide paper copies of issued tariff pages to the CRTC and to maintain a master copy of their tariffs and a file of cancelled tariff pages;
h) to normally post any newly approved tariff pages by the end of the next business day after approval; and
i) to issue revised tariff pages that reflect these determinations.
Secretary General
This document is available in alternate format upon request and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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