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ARCHIVED - Public Notice CRTC 2000-67

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Public Notice CRTC 2000-67

Ottawa, 18 May 2000

Comments solicited for solution to telephone number exhaust in Ontario

Reference: 8698-C12-07/00
This public notice seeks input to help identify solutions to the exhaust of numbering resources in the 905 area code. Based on current projections, this area code will exhaust by mid-2001; therefore timing of relief is a significant issue. A sub-committee of the CRTC Industry Steering Committee has recommended that a "distributed overlay" area code should be used within the region. Parties wishing to comment on this and other proposals contained in this public notice are asked to respond by 8 June 2000.

1.

In August 1999, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) Canada, in its role as the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA), announced that area code 905 was projected to exhaust by the first quarter of 2004. The CNA called for the establishment of a Numbering Plan Area (NPA or area code) relief planning committee to develop a relief plan. The CNA also prepared and distributed an initial planning document identifying a number of alternatives that may be considered by the affected parties when planning for area code relief.

2.

On 3 December 1999, the Commission released Telecom Public Notice CRTC 99-24, announcing the establishment of the NPA 905 Relief Planning Committee as an ad hoc committee of the CRTC Industry Steering Committee (CISC). The public notice invited interested parties to participate in meetings to develop recommendations for an area code exhaust solution. In addition, the Commission distributed an information bulletin to municipal governments located within the 905 area code.

3.

At the same time, the CNA initiated a special NPA 905 Central Office Code Utilization Survey (COCUS). COCUS sought input from all service providers in the 905 area code regarding the actual number of central office (CO) codes assigned to each carrier, as well as their five-year forecast. A special COCUS involves collecting the data at the exchange level, in lieu of the area code level. All inputs were verified by the CNA and the aggregate results were utilized by the ad hoc committee in the analysis of alternatives and to project the overall exhaust date of the area code.

4.

Following a series of meetings, the committee recommended acceptance of the distributed overlay model.

5.

On 7 March 2000, the CNA advised the Commission and the ad hoc committee that, based on the results of the Special COCUS, NPA 905 is projected to exhaust by August 2001. The CNA also declared that area code 905 was in a "jeopardy condition".

6.

A jeopardy condition is declared when there are insufficient numbering resources available to last until the scheduled relief date. In this case, no relief plan had yet been recommended or approved. However, the advancement of exhaust was such that it would have preceded any relief date that could have been planned.

7.

By letter dated 24 March 2000, Bell Canada filed an application (Reference: 8698-B2-01/00) requesting, among other things, that the Commission issue a final order modifying, as required, and approving, the results of the COCUS. Bell Canada stated that it has serious concerns about the accuracy of the COCUS results. In addition, Bell Canada requested that, should the Commission determine that an industry consensus position existed, it should render a final order approving the technical solution recommended by the industry, simultaneously with approval of the COCUS.

8.

In a letter dated 14 April 2000, Bell Canada was informed, among other things, that, consistent with the practice established in Public Notice CRTC 2000-36 for NPA 604, public input would be sought on the technical solution for relief for NPA 905, and that the timing of the determination of a technical solution would take into consideration Bell Canada's concerns regarding the urgency of relief.

9.

On 28 March 2000, the CISC NPA 905 Ad Hoc Committee reached consensus on using the overlay method for relief. The committee did not address the timing of relief.

10.

The consensus position of the NPA Relief Planning Committee with regard to the technical solution was confirmed by the CISC on 13 April 2000.

The NPA Relief Planning Committee considered the following five relief options:

Municipality split

11.

This option would transfer municipalities south of the Regional Municipality of Peel to the new NPA, with the Regional Municipality of Peel and the remaining municipalities retaining NPA 905. It would require a change in telephone number (area code) for approximately 1.5 million subscribers. Implementation of 10-digit local dialing would be required on local calls between subscribers in the old and new area codes. Based on the Special COCUS, NPA 905 would last until 2006 and the new NPA until 2010 at which time additional area code relief would be required.

Municipality and exchange split

12.

Municipalities south of the Peel Regional Municipality plus four exchanges south of Highway 401, namely Clarkson, Cooksville, Port Credit and Streetsville, would retain NPA 905. The balance of the exchanges in Peel and the other municipalities in the remainder of the existing coverage area would transfer to the new NPA. This option would require a change in telephone number (area code) for approximately 1.5 million subscribers. Implementation of 10-digit local dialing would be required on local calls between subscribers in the old and new area codes. Based on the Special COCUS, NPA 905 would last until 2007 and the new NPA until 2008 at which time additional area code relief would be required.

Rings around Toronto

13.

NPA 905 exchanges surrounding Toronto (inner ring) would be grouped in the new NPA, with the remainder of the exhanges (outer ring) retaining NPA 905. Exchanges in the inner ring consist of Ajax-Pickering, Aurora, Bethesda, Brampton, Castlemore, Clarkson, Cooksville, Gormley, King City, Kleinburg, Malton, Maple, Markham, Newmarket, Nobleton, Oakridges, Oakville, Port Credit, Richmond Hill, South Pickering, Stouffville, Streetsville, Thornhill, Unionville and Woodbridge. All other exchanges currently located in NPA 905 would retain NPA 905. This option would require a change in telephone number (area code) for approximately 1.6 million subscribers. Implementation of 10-digit local dialing would be required on local calls between subscribers in the old and new area codes. Based on the Special COCUS, NPA 905 would last until 2007 and the new NPA until 2008, at which time additional area code relief would be required.

Distributed overlay

14.

This option would introduce a new area code in the same geographic coverage area as the existing NPA 905. With this relief plan, existing subscribers would not be required to change their area code; however, implementation of 10-digit local dialing would be required on all local calls.

15.

Based on the Special COCUS, the overlay would last until 2008, at which time another overlay NPA would be required. Based on the year 2000 COCUS, the latest NPA 905 forecasts indicate that relief would be required in 2015 and again in 2020.

Municipality three way split

16.

This option splits the NPA 905 into three geographic areas. Exchanges in the Halton Regional Municipality, Peel Regional Municipality and Simco County would retain NPA 905. Exchanges in Haldimond-Norfolk Regional Municipality, Hamilton-Wentworth Regional Municipality and the Niagara Regional Municipality would be grouped in the first new NPA. The remainder of the exchanges within York Regional Municipality, Durham Regional Municipality and Northumberland County will be grouped in the second new NPA.

17.

Based on the Special COCUS, NPA 905 would last until 2013, the first new NPA until 2017 and the second new NPA until 2012.

18.

On 8 May 2000, the Commission was advised that results of the year 2000 annual COCUS indicate a further advancement of exhaust for NPA 905, which will result in a need to implement a relief solution in the spring of 2001; therefore an expedited comment cycle has been establish to allow the Commission to render a decision on this matter in an expeditious fashion.

Procedure

19.

The Commission seeks input to identify solutions to the exhaust issue from interested parties, in the 905 area code including comments on the consensus report described above.

20.

In their comments, parties may wish to take into account that NPA 416 will also undergo an area code relief in early 2001, when a new area code (NPA 647) will be introduced using the overlay method. Customers in NPA 905 currently dial 10-digits on local calls between 905 and 416, and will also be required to dial 10-digits on local calls between 905 and the new 647 area code and vice versa. This dialing arrangement will be required on all local calls between the relevant area codes, including the new 905 relief area code, regardless of the relief method chosen.

21.

Parties wishing to examine the initial planning documents which include maps reflecting the various options studied, and/or the meeting records of the CISC NPA 905 Ad Hoc Committee can do so by accessing the CNA's website at http://www.cnac.ca/npa_data.htm or by contacting the office of the Canadian Numbering Administrator at (613) 563-7242.

22.

Persons on the list of parties Re: Public Notice 99-24, as revised from time to time, are made interested parties to this proceeding.

23.

Other persons 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 May 2000. Parties are to indicate in the notice their e-mail address, where available. If parties do not have access to the Internet, they are to indicate in their notice whether they wish to receive disk versions or hard copy filings. The Commission will issue, as soon as possible after the registration date, a complete list of parties and their mailing addresses (including e-mail addresses, if available), identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions.

24.

Parties may file comments with the Commission, serving copies on all other parties by 8 June 2000.

25.

Parties may file reply comments with the Commission, serving copies on all other parties by 15 June 2000.

26.

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.

27.

In addition to hard copy filings, parties are encouraged to file with the Commission electronic versions of their submissions 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@crtc.gc.ca. Electronically filed documents can be accessed at the Commission's Internet site at http://www.crtc.gc.ca.

28.

The applications may be examined, or will be made available promptly upon request, at the CRTC offices at the following addresses:
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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