ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8622-O28-01/02 - Part VII - Ontario Sewerand Watermain Construction Association complaint on enforceable standards forutility locate requests

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Letter

Our file: 8622-028-01/02

Ottawa, 15 October 2002

BY FAX

Mr. David E. Palmer
Director, regulatory matters
Bell Canada
105 Hôtel-de-Ville
6^th Floor
Hull, Québec
J8X 4H7

Re: Part VII - Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association complaint on enforceable standards for utility locate requests

Please find enclosed interrogatories in the above noted matter. In view of the fact that the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA) requested that all telephone and cable system operators be subject to mandatory locate requests pursuant to section 32(b) of the Telecommunications Act, interrogatories are being sent for response to the OSWCA, Bell Canada, registered interested parties (including the Canadian Cable Television Association), and to those Ontario independent carriers who chose not to register as interested parties but whom the OSWCA has sought to bind with the Commission's decision (see attachment).

Responses to these interrogatories are to be filed with the Commission and served on the OSWCA, registered interested parties and the Ontario independent carriers no later than 4 November 2002. Parties may file comment on the responses, serving a copy on the other parties, by 19 November 2002. Parties may file their reply, serving a copy on the other parties, by 29 November 2002.

Where a document is to be filed or served by a specific date, the document must be actually received, and not merely sent, by that date.

Yours truly,

Paul Godin
Director - Competition and Technology Directorate

Registered Interested Parties

AT&T Canada Corp. 112 Kent Street 14th Floor Ottawa, ON K1P 5P2	Ms. Teresa Griffin-Muir Vice President, Regulatory Affairs Tel (613) 239-1877 Fax (613) 239-1879 iworkstation@attcanada.com
Bell Canada 105, rue Hôtel-de-Ville 6ième étage Hull, QC J8X 4H7	Mr. David E Palmer Director, Regulatory Matters Tel (819) 773-6030 Fax (819) 770-7638 bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) 1010-360 Albert Street Suite 1010 Ottawa, ON K1R 7X7	Ms. Lori Assheton-Smith Senior Vice President, General Counsel Tel (613) 232-2631 Fax (613) 232-2137 regulatory@ccta.com
Futureway Communications Inc. 45 Vogell Road 8th floor Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P6	Mr. Jonathan Holmes Manager, Regulatory Affairs Tel (905) 326-1007 Fax (905) 326-5030 regulatory@futureway.ca
Group Telecom 270 Albert Street Suite 1200 Ottawa, ON K1P 5G8	Mr. Norm Peacey Regulatory Affairs Tel (613) 482-3614 Fax (613) 482-3590 npeacey@gt.ca
Northern Telephone Limited Partnership 25 Paget Street P.O. Box 4000 New Liskeard, ON P0J 1P0	Ms. Molly Slywchuk Manager, Regulatory Affairs Tel (705) 647-3433 Fax (705) 647-3420 regmat@ntl.sympatico.ca
Rogers Cable Inc. 333 Bloor Street East 9th Floor Toronto, ON M4W 1G9	Mr. John T Armstrong Director, Municipal and Industry Relations Tel (416) 935-4808 Fax (416) 935-4655 jarmstro@rci.rogers.com
Shaw Cablesystems GP 100 Wellington Street West Suite 2140 Toronto, ON M5K 1J5	Mr. Peter R Nielsen Vice President, Government and Industry Relations Tel (416) 642-7412 Fax (416) 642-7415 peter.nielsen@SJRB.CA
TELUS Communications Inc.(TCI) 10020 - 100 Street 31st Floor Edmonton, AB T5J 0N5	Mr. Willie Grieve Vice-President, Government and Regulatory Affairs Tel (780) 493-6590 Fax (780) 493-6519 willie.grieve@telus.com
The Corporation of the City of Thunder Bay 1046 Lithium Drive Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6G3	Mr. David Wilkie Regulatory Analyst Tel (807) 684-2728 Fax (807) 623-5324 dwilkie@tbaytel.com
Vidéotron Télécom Ltée 800, de Maisonneuve Est Bureau 301 Montréal, QC H2L 4L8	M. Michel Messier Conseiller principal Tel (514) 380-4792 Fax (514) 380-9527 regaffairs@vtl.com
Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association c/o Frank J. E. Zechner Barrister & Solicitor 24 Beresford Ave. Toronto, Ontario M6S 3A8	M. Frank Z. E. Zechner Barrister & Solicitor Tel (416) 760-8840 Fax (416) 760-7838 frank.zechner@sympatico.ca

ONTARIO INDEPENDENT CARRIERS

Amtelecom Communications 18 Sydenham Street E. P.O. Box 1800 Aylmer, ON N5H 3E7	Mr. Michael J. Andrews President Tel (519) 773-1237 Fax (519) 765-3217 mandrews@amtelecom.ca
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Limited P.O. Box 40 16 Park Street Inwood, ON N0N 1K0	Mr. Ed Chapman General Manager Tel (519) 844-2160 Fax (519) 844-2077 brooke@brktel.on.ca
Bruce Municipal Telephone System R.R. # 3 Box 80 Tiverton, ON N0G 2T0	Mr. William D. Sipprell Director of Finance & Regulatory Affairs Tel (519) 368-1225 Fax (519) 368-1258 regulr@bmts.com
Cochrane Public Utilities Commission 153 Sixth Avenue P.O. Box 640 Cochrane, ON P0L 1C0	Mr. Ross Peever General Manager Tel (705) 272-4232 Fax (705) 272-3015 pucnet@puc.net
Dryden Municipal Telephone System 30 Van Horne Avenue Dryden, ON P8N 2A7	Mr. Ivan Probizanski Manager Tel (807) 223-1101 Fax (807) 223-1109 ivprob@dryden.lakeheadu.ca
Execulink Telecom Inc. 619 Main Street N. P.O. Box 33 Burgessville, ON N0J 1C0	Mr. Keith Stevens Tel (519) 456-7890 Fax (519) 456-7278 kstevens@execulink.com
Gosfield North Communications Co-operative Limited P.O. Box 130 128 Talon Street West Cottam, ON N0R 1B0	Mr. Ken Bissonette General Manager Tel (519) 839-4734 Fax (519) 839-5505 gosfield@gosfieldtel.com
Hay Communications Co-operative Limited P.O. Box 99 Zurich, ON N0M 2T0	Mr. Bill Wagner Tel (519) 236-4333 Fax (519) 236-7776 hay@hay.net
Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Limited P.O. Box 220 60 Queen Street Ripley, ON N0G 2R0	Mr. Glen R. Grubb General Manager & Secretary Tel (519) 395-2625 Fax (519) 395-3738 grubb@hurontel.on.ca
Kenora Municipal Telephone System 110 Matheson Street South Kenora, ON P9N 1T8	Mr. Dennis McCaffrey General Manager Tel (807) 467-2070 Fax (807) 467-2066 dmccaffrey@kenora.com
Lansdowne Rural Telephone Co. Ltd. P.O. Box 9 Landsdowne, ON K0E 1L0	Mr. William Grier General Manager Tel (613) 659-2222 Fax (613) 659-2226 wagrier@1000island.net
Mornington Communications Co-operative Limited P.O. Box 70 Milverton, ON N0K 1M0	Mr. Richard Banks General Manager/Secretary Treasurer Tel (519) 595-8331 Fax (519) 595-4142 rbanks@perth.net
Nexicom Telecommunications Inc. 5160 Explorer Drive Suite 5 Mississauga, ON L4W 4T7	Mr. Paul R. Downs President and General Manager Tel (905) 282-0771 Fax (905) 282-1675 pdowns@nexicom.net
Nexicom Telephones Inc. 5160 Explorer Drive Suite 5 Mississauga, ON L4W 4T7	Mr. Paul R. Downs President & General Manager Tel (905) 282-0771 Fax (613) 282-1675 pdowns@nexicom.net
North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Ltd. 146 Foundry Street Baden, ON N0B 1G0	Ms. Enid E. Schmidt President Tel (519) 634-5242 Fax (519) 634-5736 nfrontenac@kw.igs.net
North Renfrew Telephone Co. Ltd. P.O. Box 70 4 Stewart Street Beachburg, ON K0J 1C0	Mr. Steve Lynn General Manager Tel (613) 638-2988 Fax (613) 582-7039 steve@kingston.net
O.N. Telcom 555 Oak Street East North Bay, ON P1B 8L3	Mr. Kelly O'Gorman Manger, Rates & Regulatory Matters Tel (705) 472-4500 ext. 358 Fax (705) 472-6765 kelly.ogorman@ontelcom.ca
People's Telephone Company of Forest Inc. 42 Broadway Street P.O. Box 700 Forest, ON N0N 1J0	Ms. Susan M. Smith Administration Manager Tel (519) 786-2351 Fax (519) 899-2099 ssmith@xcelco.on.ca
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc. P.O. Box 101 1845 Road 164 Kirkton, ON N0K 1K0	Mr. Tim DeWeerd General Manager & Secretary-Treasurer Tel (519) 229-8933 Fax (519) 229-8998 tdeweerd@quadro.net
Roxborough Telephone Company Limited P.O. Box 190 1745 McLean Road Moose Creek, ON K0C 1W0	Mr. Tim Beach Tel (613) 538-2800 Fax (613) 538-2700 roxboro@ontarioeast.net
Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Limited General Delivery Kippen, ON N0M 2E0	Ms. Sharon Chuter Secretary-Treasurer Tel (519) 263-2211 Fax (519) 263-5000 sachuter@tcc.on.ca
Westport Telephone Company Limited P.O. Box 580 28 Main Street Westport, ON K0G 1X0	Mr. Stephen Lynn Vice-President, General Manager Tel (613) 273-2121 Fax (613) 273-2323 steve@kingston.net
Wightman Telecom Limited (Formerly Wightman Telephone Limited) 100 Elora St. N. P.O. Box 70 Clifford, ON N0G 1M0	Mr. Paul Wightman President Tel (519) 327-8012 Fax (519) 327-8010 pwightman@wightman.ca;

Elaborate why, in your view, section 32(b) of the Telecommunications Act does not provide the Commission the legal authority to develop and implement binding standards similar to those imposed on natural gas and electrical power distributors regarding the speed and the quality of information that telecommunications and cable operators provide in response to a locate request.

Comment on whether requiring Canadian carriers to respond to locate requests can be considered a "telecommunications service", pursuant to section 23 of the Telecommunications Act, for which Canadian carriers would be required to file a tariff, in the same way that trench provisioning, for example (Item 160 of Bell Canada's General Tariff), has been accepted as a telecommunications service. Also comment on what such a tariff should contain.

Comment on whether the Commission has the authority to impose standard locate requests to cable operators, pursuant to any other sections of the Telecommunications Act, the Broadcasting Act or any other Act.

Indicate whether a locate request to your company is responded to:

a) By a one-call organisation on behalf of your company;

b) In accordance with your company's established in-house policies or procedures; or

c) Pursuant to an obligation imposed on your company by a municipality, either by requiring your company to be a member of a public utility co-ordinating committee or through an municipal access agreement;

d) Where, if applicable, your company responds to a locate requests in accordance with established in-house policies or procedures, provide the priority levels and corresponding response time used by your company;

e) Where, if applicable, your company responds to a locate requests pursuant to an obligation imposed by a municipality, provide the priority levels and corresponding response time used by your company.

Provide the number of locate requests received by your company for the years 2001 and 2002. Did your company respond fully to all of these? If not, why not?
a) At paragraphs 66 and 67 of its reply of 30 July 2002, the OSWCA asked that the Commission consider the draft Damage Prevention Regulations developed by the National Energy Board (NEB) in dealing with its application. The OSWCA also endorsed "specific elements" of the proposed Damage Prevention Regulations. Provide comments, with reasons, on whether or not the "elements" identified by the OSWCA should be included in standards for telecommunications and cable operators' responses to locate requests;

At paragraph 9 of its reply, the OSWCA stated that telecommunications and cable operators, when responding to locate requests, do not provide sufficiently accurate information, on a horizontal or depth basis. Comment , with details and (if relevant) costs, on whether your company should be required to provide accurate information on a horizontal or depth basis in response to a locate request. Also indicate whether your company requires and/or keeps information on a horizontal and/or depth basis, in the course of its usual business practices, for purposes other than responding to a locate request.

a) Comment on the OSWCA's submission, at paragraph 61 of its reply of 30 July 2002, that, since interested parties are already taking some measures to respond to locate requests, establishing locate response standards will not establish new tasks but merely establish standards for existing tasks in a manner that will balance the interests and concerns of Canadian carriers, the digging community and the public at large;

b) Quantify the costs to your company of implementing and providing each of the elements proposed by the NEB in its Damage Prevention Regulations and endorsed by the OSWCA at paragraph 67 of its Reply of 30 July 2002 (excluding the element identified at 67 (b)). Also quantify the costs of implementing and providing the elements identified in interrogatory 6 (a), above.

a) Indicate whether there is more than one one-call organisation in Ontario;

b) If there is more than one one-call organisation, indicate whether they have an overseeing body and describe the role and duties of the overseeing body;
c) Indicate how one-call organisations operate and whether or, how they co-ordinate locate requests among themselves;
d) In its evidence, Bell Canada stated that Ontario One Call has various committees with specific mandates to review current service levels, to initiate process improvements, and to work on damage prevention strategies Committees. Describe those committees' mandate and indicate how they function. Also explain whether the Ontario One Call organisation has the authority to develop enforceable standards for responses to locate requests.

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ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8622-O28-01/02 - Part VII - Ontario Sewerand Watermain Construction Association complaint on enforceable standards forutility locate requests

This page has been archived on the Web

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