ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8638-C12-200410465 - 8740-T42-200411182 - 8740-T46-200411192 - Bell Canada – Follow-up Items to Decision 2004-46: Trunking Arrangements for the interchange of traffic at the point of interconnection between local exchange carriers - TELUS Communication Inc. letter dated 23 November 2004, Re: Telecom Decision CRTC 2004-46:   Former TCI Tariff Notice N0. 538 and TCBC Tariff Notice No. 4219

Letter

Ottawa, 14 December 2004

File Nos.: 8643-C25-01/99, 8643-C12-07/01 and Bell Canada Tariff Notice 6597
8638-C12-200410465 - 8740-T42-200411182 - 8740-T46-200411190

To: Attached Distribution List

Re: Bell Canada - Follow-up Items to Decision 2004-46: Trunking Arrangements for the interchange of traffic at the point of interconnection between local exchange carriers,

The Commission received letters from Bell Canada and TELUS Communications Inc. (TCI) on 22 November 2004 and 23 November 2004, respectively, requesting that the Commission delay the dates for the filing of cost studies, comments, and reply comments related to Trunking arrangements for the interchange of traffic and the point of interconnection between local exchange carriers , Telecom Decision CRTC 2004-46, 14 July 2004, (Decision 2004-46).

Bell Canada noted that MTS Allstream Inc. (MTS Allstream), Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel), and Aliant Telecom Inc. (Aliant Telecom) had not filed cost studies for interconnection rates based on local interconnection regions (LIRs), as directed by the Commission in Decision 2004-46.

In their letter, Bell Canada proposed that the Commission issue a process that would enable all parties to file comments and replies on the same date, thus avoiding multiple filing dates for comments and replies, and enabling efficient resource utilization by all parties.

By contrast, TCI requested that the normal reply period for tariff applications of ten days be extended to thirty days. In their letter, TCI noted that several interventions had been filed as responses to former TCI Tariff Notice (TN) No. 538 and TCBC TN No. 4219 that were filed by TCI on 12 October 2004 , in response to Decision 2004-46.

TCI further noted that the intervenors had raised issues that were outside of the scope of TNs 538 and 4219, and as such, TCI required a reply period that was longer than the established ten-day reply period used for regular tariff applications.

Commission staff notes that, in their follow-up comments to Decision 2004-46, Shaw Communications Inc., Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association, and Xit telecom Inc. requested that each ILEC file tariff notices for their revised local network interconnection proposals. These parties further requested the opportunity to file comments once these tariff notices were filed.

With respect to the requirements for SaskTel, Aliant Telecom, and MTS Allstream, Commission staff notes the following:

• SaskTel informed the Commission that it intended to file cost studies ninety days after Commission approval of SaskTel's proposed LIRs.

• Aliant Telecom informed the Commission that it intended to file costs studies by the end of 2004.
• MTS Allstream informed the Commission that, in its view, no modifications to its existing interconnection regime were required.

Process for SaskTel and Aliant

In light of the delays requested by SaskTel and Aliant Telecom to file cost studies, Commission staff therefore sets out the following process:  

Process for Bell Canada

Commission staff also sets out the following process to permit Bell Canada to file proposed tariff pages and to allow parties to comment:

Process for TCI and MTS Allstream

Commission staff also sets out the following process:

A copy of each submission, comments, and reply comments filed in accordance with the above process must be served on all other parties by the applicable filing date.   Where a document is to be filed or served by a specific date, the document must actually be received, and not merely sent, by that date.

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

Yvan Davidson

Senior Manager,

Date modified: 2004-12-14