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ARCHIVED - Public Notice CRTC 2000-107

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Public Notice CRTC 2000-107

Ottawa, 20 July 2000

O.N. Tel – Implementation of toll competition and related matters

Reference: 8622-C12-10/00 and Tariff Notices 57 and 57A
This public notice initiates a proceeding to consider the appropriate terms and conditions to implement long distance competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory.
O.N. Tel offers toll services to its local exchange customers as well as in the local exchanges served by Northern Telephone Limited and the Cochrane Public Utilities Commission.

1.

In Regulatory framework – Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, Telecom Decision CRTC 98-14, dated 1 September 1998, the Commission found, among other things, that:

a) toll competition is in the public interest in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory; and

b) while the terms and conditions of competition should be the same throughout Canada, in the case of O.N. Tel, modifications may be required to reflect the uniqueness of O.N. Tel's operating environment.

2.

The Commission stated that it would initiate a proceeding to examine the specific terms and conditions of implementing long distance competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory. Such a proceeding would take into account the determinations in the proceeding that eventually led to Telephone service to high-cost serving areas, Telecom Decision CRTC 99-16, dated 19 October 1999.

3.

The Commission hereby initiates a proceeding to establish the terms and conditions of toll competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory and to deal with related matters.

4.

In addition, this proceeding will consider O.N. Tel's Tariff Notices 57 and 57A, filed on 12 March 1999 and 29 April 1999 respectively, relating to establishing switching and aggregation rates in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory. The Tariff Notices and the record of the proceeding to examine Tariff Notices 57 and 57A are hereby made part of the record of this proceeding.

Terms and conditions for toll competition

5.

In their comments, parties are invited to address, among other things, the appropriate terms and conditions to introduce sustainable toll competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory, including:

i) contribution requirement:

  • calculation of contribution requirements for O.N. Tel's Utility segment for each of the years 2000 and 2001;
  • the appropriateness of any further rate rebalancing in O.N. Tel's territory; and
  • the impact of the determinations in the Review of contribution collection mechanism and other related matters, Telecom Public Notice (PN) CRTC 99-6, dated 1 March 1999, proceeding for 2002 and beyond.

ii) equal access:

  • location of equal access (local or toll switch);
  • recovery of start-up costs of providing equal access;
  • calculation of rates; and
  • primary interexchange carrier/customer account record exchange issues.

iii) switching and aggregation:

  • calculation of rates; and
  • disposition of O.N. Tel's Tariff Notices 57 and 57A.

iv) traffic settlement issues:

  • terms, conditions and routing of long distance traffic between O.N. Tel, Northern and Bell Canada with the introduction of long distance competition.

Uneconomic toll

6.

In a letter decision dated 23 May 2000, the Commission concluded that the issue of uneconomic toll would be dealt with in the proceeding to implement toll competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory.

7.

Therefore, the Commission seeks comments on the issue of uneconomic toll, including, among other things:
  • definition of uneconomic toll;
  • the costs of uneconomic toll and the methodology for quantifying such costs; and
  • the appropriateness of compensating the toll carrier for such costs and what form such compensation should take.

Regulatory framework

8.

The Commission seeks comments on the appropriateness of the current regulatory framework for O.N. Tel as set out in Decision 98-14.

Expanded local free calling areas

9.

In Northern Telephone Limited - Service improvement plan program, Order CRTC 2000-162, dated 29 February 2000, the Commission indicated that it would address the issue of expanded free calling areas in the proceeding to establish the terms and conditions of toll competition in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory.

10.

The Commission seeks comments with regard to the expansion of local free calling areas including, among other things:
  • identification of the criteria governing the expansion by the independent telephone companies of their local free calling areas in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory; and
  • the appropriateness of compensating the toll provider for lost toll revenues.

Other matters

11.

The Commission seeks comments, among other things, on the other matters noted below:

i) determinations to be made in the proceeding initiated by PN 99-6 that may have an impact on the proposals of parties in this proceeding.

In their comments, and where appropriate in their responses to supplemental interrogatories, parties will have an opportunity to provide their views on how determinations made in the proceeding initiated by PN 99-6 will affect the implementation of toll competition in O.N. Tel's operating territory.

ii) toll carrier of last resort:
  • the obligation to provide toll services in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory.

iii) regulatory framework for prospective competitors:

  • the appropriateness of establishing a new regulatory framework or additional competitive safeguards for the provision of toll services by incumbent local exchange carriers that currently do not provide toll service in O.N. Tel's toll operating territory.

Procedure

12.

O.N. Tel, Northern, Cochrane Public Utilities Commission and Bell Canada are made parties to this proceeding.

13.

Other interested parties wishing to participate in this proceeding must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, fax: (819) 953-0795, by 25 August 2000. Interested parties are to indicate in the notice, their email address, where available. If interested 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, as soon as possible after the registration date, a complete list of interested parties and their mailing address (including their email address, if available), identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions.

14.

Any person who wishes to file only written comments in this proceeding, without receiving copies of the various submissions, may do so by writing to the Commission at the address noted in paragraph 13 by 16 February 2001.

15.

Parties are to file with the Commission, serving copies on all other interested parties, by 2 October 2000, their submissions addressing, among other things, the relevant matters set out in paragraphs 5 to 11 above.

16.

Interrogatories to any party that filed a submission must be filed with the Commission and served on the relevant interested party by 25 October 2000.

17.

Written responses to interrogatories are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 20 November 2000.

18.

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 in each case the reasons for disclosure, are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 27 November 2000.

19.

Written responses to requests for further information and public disclosure filed pursuant to paragraph 18 are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 4 December 2000.

20.

Requests for further information and public disclosure will be dealt with as soon as possible. It is expected that any information to be provided be filed with the Commission, and served on interested parties, by 12 December 2000.

21.

Supplemental interrogatories to any party that filed submissions are to be filed with the Commission, and served on the relevant party, by 15 December 2000.

22.

Written responses to the supplemental interrogatories are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 19 January 2001.

23.

Requests by parties for further responses to their supplemental 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 in each case the reasons for disclosure, are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all parties, by 26 January 2001.

24.

Written responses to requests for further information and public disclosure filed pursuant to paragraph 23 are to be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 2 February 2001.

25.

Requests for additional information and public disclosure will be dealt with as soon as possible. It is expected that any information to be provided be filed with the Commission, and served on all interested parties, by 13 February 2001.

26.

Parties are to file comments with the Commission, serving copies on all parties, by 16 February 2001.

27.

Parties may file reply comments with the Commission, serving a copy on all parties, by 1 March 2001.

28.

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.

29.

Parties wishing to file an electronic version of their comments can do so by email or on diskette. The Commission email address is procedure@crtc.gc.ca.

30.

The electronic version should be in the HTML format. As an alternative, those making submissions may use "Microsoft Word" for text and "Microsoft Excel" for spreadsheets.

31.

Please number each paragraph of your submission. In addition, please enter the line ***End of document*** following the last paragraph. This will help the Commission verify that the document has not been damaged during transmission.

32.

The Commission will make submissions filed in electronic form available on its web site at www.crtc.gc.ca in the official language and format in which they are submitted. This will make it easier for members of the public to consult the documents.

33.

The Commission also encourages interested parties to monitor the public examination file (and/or the Commissions web site) for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their submissions.

34.

Submissions may be examined or will be made available promptly upon request at the following Commission offices during normal business hours:
Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage,
Room G-5
Hull, Quebec K1A 0N2
Tel: (819) 997-2429 - TDD: 994-0423
Fax: (819) 994-0218
55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2
Tel: (416) 952-9096
Fax: (416) 954-6343
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
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