ARCHIVED - Order CRTC 2000-809
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Order CRTC 2000-809 |
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| Ottawa, 30 August 2000 | |
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Bell Canada free local directory assistance calls from payphones retained Tariff Notice 6482 |
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| The Commission denies Bell Canada's request to begin charging for local directory assistance calls made from the company's payphones. | |
Public policy considerations |
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1. |
Telecom Order CRTC 99-741, dated 29 July 1999, denied a part of Bell Canada's Tariff Notice (TN) 6276 in which the company proposed to remove a number of exemptions from local directory assistance (LDA) charges including the exemption from LDA charges for calls originating from the company's public and semi-public payphones. |
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2. |
Paragraphs 14 and 15 of Order 99-741 state: |
| Although competition in the provision of directory services would be facilitated if the exemptions were removed, the Commission notes that the exemptions currently in place have generally been implemented for sound public policy reasons, and the Commission notes that most exemptions are consistent among the former Stentor member telephone companies. | |
| The Commission finds that Bell has not adequately addressed the public policy implications of its request and has not provided any compelling rationale for removing those exemptions and exceptions currently in place which are based on public policy considerations. | |
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3. |
In TN 6482, Bell Canada proposed to remove the exemptions from charges for LDA calls originating from the company's payphones. Bell Canada commented on: |
| a) the public policy issues associated with LDA calling from payphones in the competitive payphone environment; and | |
| b) the necessity to charge for LDA calls originating at the company's payphones in today's environment. | |
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4. |
Bell Canada submitted that the public policy issues concerning payphones have related to the use of payphones by the public for basic access and emergency purposes. Bell Canada noted that people who use payphones do so as a matter of convenience or emergency, not as a substitute for basic telephone service. Bell Canada also noted that its proposal would not change any of the emergency calling capabilities of the company's payphones. |
Competitive issues vs. consumer issues |
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5. |
In arriving at its conclusions in Order 99-741, the Commission stated in paragraph 13 that consideration of Bell Canada's application involved balancing the reasons underlying an exemption against the efficiency and consumer choice benefits to be derived through the development of competitive markets in the provision of directory assistance. |
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6. |
With respect to the current application, the Commission is not satisfied with the rationale provided by Bell Canada for removing this exemption. |
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7. |
In light of the above, the Commission denies Bell Canada TN 6482. |
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8. |
Bell Canada filed this application on 31 May 2000 to revise Item 85 of its General Tariff. |
| Secretary General | |
| This document is available in alternative format upon request and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca |
Date Modified: 2000-08-30
- Date modified: