ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8678-C12-11/01 & 8624-B20-01/00 - Public Notice CRTC 2001-37 - Price cap review and related issues - Requestsfor disclosure and for further responses to interrogatories

Letter

Our file: 8678-C12-11/01 and 8624-B20-01/00

Ottawa, 8 August 2001

To: Interested Parties

Re: Public Notice CRTC 2001-37 - Price cap review and related issues - Requests for disclosure and for further responses to interrogatories

This letter deals with requests for further responses to interrogatories and for disclosure of information filed under claim of confidence by a number of parties to the above-noted proceeding.

Requests were received from Action Réseau Consommateur and the National Anti-Poverty Organization (ARC et al), AT&T Canada Corp. and AT&T Canada Telecom Services Company (collectively, AT&T Canada), City of Calgary (Calgary), Call-Net Enterprises Inc. (Call-Net), Distributel Communications Ltd. (Distributel), GT Group Telecom Services Corp. (Group Telecom), and Rogers Wireless Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. (collectively, RCI).

Responses to these requests were received from Aliant Telecom Inc. (Aliant), Bell Canada (Bell), MTS Communications Inc. (MTS), and Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) (collectively, the Companies), and TELUS Communications Inc. (TELUS).

Requests for public disclosure are addressed in Part I below and in Attachment 1 to this letter, while requests for further responses are addressed in Part II and Attachment 2. Part III deals with other matters considered as part of this process.

Unless otherwise expressly indicated, relevant parties are to file with the Commission all information to be provided pursuant to this letter by Monday, 13 August 2001, serving copies on all interested parties by the same date. This material should be received, and not merely sent, by that date.

This letter reflects the Commission's objective of ensuring that all parties have the benefit of the maximum amount of information placed on the public record at the earliest appropriate stage, in order to facilitate a more efficient and effective proceeding.

Part I - Requests for Public Disclosure

Requests for disclosure of information for which confidentiality has been claimed are assessed in light of sections 38 and 39 of the Telecommunications Act and section 19 of the CRTC Telecommunications Rules of Procedure (the Rules). In the case of each request, the public interest in disclosure is weighed against the specific direct harm, if any, likely to result from disclosure. In doing so, a number of factors are taken into account, including the following.

The degree of competition that exists in a particular market is an important consideration in assessing requests for disclosure. All things being equal, the greater the degree of competition in a particular market, the greater the specific harm that could be expected to result from disclosure.

Another factor in assessing the extent of harm is the expected usefulness of the information at issue to parties in furthering their competitive position. In this regard, an important consideration is the degree to which the information at issue is disaggregated. Generally speaking, the more aggregated the information, the less the likelihood that harm will flow from its disclosure.

The expectation that specific direct harm might result from disclosure is not, by itself, sufficient to justify maintaining a claim of confidentiality. In certain circumstances, substantial harm from disclosure may still be outweighed by the public interest in disclosure.

Finally, the treatment of confidentiality requests should not be taken as an indication of the manner in which such matters would be dealt with in the future, in different circumstances.

Having regard to the considerations set out above, the information subject to a claim of confidence in the interrogatories listed in Attachment 1 is to be placed on the public record of this proceeding. In each case where full or partial disclosure is to occur, it is considered that the specific direct harm likely to be caused by disclosure would not outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

Accordingly, unless otherwise expressly indicated in Attachment 1, the party in question is to place on the public record all of the information listed in Attachment 1 that was subject to a claim of confidentiality.

Part II - Requests for Further Responses

With regard to requests for further responses, the requirements of subsection 18(2) of the Rules apply. The general principles enunciated by the Commission in past proceedings include the following considerations.

The major consideration is the relevance of the information requested to the matter at issue.

The availability of the information requested is also a factor, which is balanced against the relevance of the information. If the provision of the information sought would require an effort disproportionate to the probative value of the information itself, further responses will not be required.

Another factor considered is the extent to which an interrogatory answer is responsive to the interrogatory as it was originally asked. Generally, parties are not required to provide further responses to requests for further information from a party that did not ask the original interrogatory.

Having regard to all of the above considerations, the parties in question are to provide further responses to the extent set out in Attachment 2 to this letter. Unless otherwise indicated, these responses are to be provided on the public record.

Part III - Other Matters

It is noted that a number of supplemental interrogatories have been issued today under separate cover.

With respect to interrogatories ___(CRTC)26Jun01-1504, the Companies are to provide a full response to parts b) iii) to viii) and to part c). TELUS is to provide a full response to parts b) and c), basing its response on the assumption that the aggregated indicators would apply to the subset of services under TELUS' proposal. These responses are to be provided, on the public record, by 31 August 2001.

The base residential primary exchange service (PES) costs to be used in the subsidy calculations are those determined in the proceeding leading to Restructured bands, revised loop rates and related issues, Decision CRTC 2001-238, 27 April 2001. These costs were amended in Decision CRTC 2001-238-2 issued 7 August 2001. The Companies and TELUS are to revise all applicable submissions and interrogatory responses, by 13 August 2001, to reflect the amended costs specified in Decision 2001-238-2. Accordingly, requests for disclosure of calculations based on other estimates of PES costs have been dismissed as this information is not relevant.

Parties are reminded that, as required by section 19(3) of the Rules, when filing information in confidence with the Commission an abridged version must be placed on the public record. Where parties feel that an abridged version would not be justified, this is to be specifically addressed with reasons provided.

Yours sincerely,

Shirley Soehn
Executive Director, Telecommunications

Attachments

c.c.: Valerie Plaskacz, CRTC, (819) 997-4589

DISCLOSURE OF CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The Companies(CRTC)27Apr01-801

Note that the Companies have agreed to provide, on the public record, the requested information for the years 2000 and 2001

TELUS(CRTC)27Apr01-801

Provide, on the public record, the total competitor service revenues from the Utility segment and from affiliates.

MTS(CRTC)26Jun01-1100

Note that MTS has agreed to provide, on the public record, the total amount unrecovered from capped services, and the amount allocated to and unrecovered from non-capped services.

MTS(CRTC)26Jun01-1201 b)

SaskTel(CRTC)26Jun01-1201 b)

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1201 b)

MTS is to provide, on the public record, the information in its response. SaskTel is to provide, on the public record, the information for 2001. Note that TELUS has agreed to provide the requested information on the public record.

___(CRTC)26Jun01-1202 a)

Aliant, MTS and SaskTel are to provide, on the public record, total company optional service revenues per residence network access service (NAS) for 1998 to 2002. Bell is to provide, on the public record, total company optional service revenues per residence NAS for 2001 and 2002. Note that TELUS has agreed to provide the requested information.

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1202 b), Attachments 1 and 2

Provide the requested information on the public record.

The Companies(CRTC)26Jun01-1302

Provide the requested information on the public record.

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1302, Tables 1, 2 and 3

Provide the requested information on the public record.

MTS(CRTC)26Jun01-1403

Provide the requested information on the public record

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1404, Attachments 1, 2 and 3

Note that TELUS has agreed to provide some of the requested information on the public record.

The Companies(CRTC)26Jun01-1500

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1500

Provide, on the public record, the percentage of customers that make calls rated to the basic toll schedule, and the percentage of toll revenues represented by such calls.

___(CRTC)26Jun01-1701

___(CRTC)26Jun01-1703

Provide the full responses to these interrogatories on the public record.

The Companies(CRTC)26Jun01-1800 b) and c)

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1800 b) and c)

Note that the Companies and TELUS have agreed to provide the requested information on the public record.

TELUS(CRTC)26Jun01-1105

Note that TELUS has agreed to provide the requested information on the public record.

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-208

Provide, on the public record, at the same level of detail as in the response to interrogatory The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-208.

TELUS(GT)26Jun01-12

Provide, on the public record, the requested information for the high-cost bands combined.

FURTHER RESPONSES TO Interrogatories

The Companies(ARCetal)26Jun01-300

Provide responses to parts b), g) and h).

The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-201

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-201

Provide responses to parts a) and b).

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-203

Provide a full response.

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-209

Provide a full response.

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-213

Provide a full response.

The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-402

Aliant is to provide, for the years 1997 to 2000, reconciliations for their Split Rate Base (SRB) Capitalization and SRB Return on Average Common Equity reports.

The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-405

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-405

Note that the Companies agreed to provide the requested information for MTS. TELUS is to provide a response giving the requested information for the years 1998 to 2001.

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-505

TELUS is to provide a response at the same level of detail as in the response to interrogatory The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-505.

The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-506

TELUS(ATT)26Jun01-506

Provide a full response.

The Companies(AT&T)26Jun01-507

Provide responses to parts a) and d).

TELUS(Calgary)26Jun01-23

Provide a response to part d).

TELUS(Calgary)26Jun01-35

Provide a full response.

TELUS(Calgary)26Jun01-41 a)

Note that TELUS has agreed to provide the requested information.

TELUS(Calgary)26Jun01-60

Provide responses to parts b), c) and d).

The Companies(Call-Net)26Jun01-200

TELUS(Call-Net)26Jun01-200

The Companies are to provide, in response to part c), an estimate of the dollar value for the productivity offset for the year 2002. TELUS is to provide responses to parts a) and b) at a similar level of detail as in the Companies' response, and in response to part c), an estimate of the dollar value for the productivity offset for the year 2002.

The Companies(Call-Net)26Jun01-905

Provide responses to parts b), c) and d).

The Companies(Call-Net)26Jun01-907 to -916; -918 to -920; and -923

TELUS(Call-Net)26Jun01-902 to -912; and -914 to -918

Provide a full response.

The Companies(Call-Net)26Jun01-1004; -1007 d); -1008; -1009; and -1013

Provide a full response.

The Companies(Distributel)26Jun01-1

Note that the Companies have agreed to provide the ratios of revenues derived from Bell's provision of Centrex tie trunk terminations to telecommunications service providers to total revenues derived from the provision of Centrex tie trunk terminations to all customers, excluding Enhanced Exchange-Wide Dial.

The Companies(GT)26Jun01-12

Provide response to part a), and to parts b) i), iv), v), ix), xi), xii) and xvi).

TELUS(GT)26Jun01-13

Provide response to part a), and to parts b) i), iv), v), vi), vii), viii)-a, e, f, g, ix), xi), xii) and xiv).

The Companies(GT)26Jun01-24 b) iii)

Provide a full response.

TELUS(RCI)26Jun01-6

Provide a response to part i).

The Companies(RCI)26Jun01-35

Provide a full response.