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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2006-8
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Ottawa, 9 June 2006
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Rate ranges for services other than voice over Internet protocol services
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Reference: 8661-C12-200606965, Bell Canada Tariff Notices 6946 and 6947, SaskTel Tariff Notice 107
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In this Public Notice, the Commission initiates a proceeding and invites comments on establishing guidelines for dealing with applications requesting approval of rate ranges for services other than voice over Internet protocol services.
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Background
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1.
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The Commission notes that ranges of rates are allowed under section 25 of the Telecommunications Act (the Act). Specifically, subsection 25(1) of the Act states that no Canadian carrier shall provide a telecommunications service except in accordance with a tariff filed with and approved by the Commission that specifies the rate or the maximum or minimum rate, or both, to be charged for the service.
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2.
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The Commission has recently approved ranges of rates for a number of services: Bell Canada's Bell Digital Voice Lite, Bell Digital Voice, and Bell Business IP [Internet protocol] Voice; and Saskatchewan Telecommunications' (SaskTel) SaskTel Centrex IP and WebCall. The Commission notes that these are all voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) services as defined in Regulatory framework for voice communication services using Internet Protocol, Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-28, 12 May 2005, as amended by Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-28-1, 30 June 2005.
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3.
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The Commission has received three applications requesting approval of minimum and maximum rates for certain services other than VoIP services. The three applications are:
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i) SaskTel Tariff Notice 107 (TN 107), an ex parte application, dated 29 March 2006;
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ii) Bell Canada Tariff Notice 6946 (TN 6946), dated 9 May 2006, in which Bell Canada proposed the addition of item 106 - Accelerated Delivery Interval - Market Trial to its General Tariff (GT); and
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iii) Bell Canada Tariff Notice 6947 (TN 6947), dated 11 May 2006, in which Bell Canada proposed revisions to item 2180 - PrimeLine Executive service of its GT.
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4.
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In the Commission's view, there is a need to set clear guidelines regarding the use of rate ranges in order to provide greater clarity and regulatory certainty to the industry, and to assist the Commission in dealing with applications involving rate ranges for services other than VoIP services in a timely fashion. The Commission is of the view that the use of rate ranges by the incumbent local exchange carriers would afford them greater flexibility to respond to competitive situations.
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Call for comments
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5.
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With this Public Notice, the Commission initiates a proceeding to consider the establishment of appropriate guidelines for the filing of applications involving rate ranges for services other than VoIP services. The Commission invites parties to comment on the services or groups of services for which, and the circumstances under which, rate ranges would be appropriate, and on any other regulatory issues related to rate ranges.
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Disposition of SaskTel's and Bell Canada's Tariff Notices
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6.
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Coincident with the release of this Public Notice, the Commission is disposing, on an interim basis, of SaskTel TN 107 and Bell Canada TN 6946. The Commission is deferring consideration of Bell Canada TN 6947. Final disposition of the applications related to SaskTel TN 107 and Bell Canada TN 6947 will occur when the decision resulting from this Public Notice is issued.
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Procedure
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7.
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Bell Canada, Aliant Telecom Inc., MTS Allstream Inc., SaskTel, Société en commandite Télébec, and TELUS Communications Company are made parties to this proceeding.
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8.
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Other parties wishing to participate fully in this proceeding (including receiving copies of all submissions) must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by filling out the on-line form, or by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by faxing at: (819) 994-0218 by 23 June 2006 (the registration date). Parties are to provide their email 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 of hard-copy filings.
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9.
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The Commission will issue on its website, as soon as possible after the registration date, a complete list of interested parties and their mailing addresses (including their email addresses, if available), identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions.
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10.
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Any person who wishes merely to file written comments in this proceeding, without receiving copies of the various submissions, may do so by writing to the Commission by 30 June 2006 at the address or fax number noted above or by filling out the on-line form.
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11.
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The Commission will not formally acknowledge comments. It will, however, fully consider all comments and they will form part of the public record of the proceeding.
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12.
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All parties may file with the Commission their comments on any matter within the scope of this proceeding, serving copies on all other parties, by 14 July 2006. Parties are to include with their comments any evidence they consider necessary to support their arguments. This includes any research studies or other material that parties wish to refer to in this proceeding.
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13.
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All parties may file reply comments with the Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, by 28 July 2006.
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14.
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The Commission expects to issue a decision within 120 days after the record closes.
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15.
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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.
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16.
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Parties can file their submissions electronically or on paper. Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary.
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17.
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Electronic submissions should be in HTML format. As an alternative, those making submissions may use "Microsoft Word" for text and "Microsoft Excel" for spreadsheets.
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18.
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Each paragraph of all submissions should be numbered. 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.
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19.
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The Commission also encourages parties to monitor the record of this proceeding (and/or the Commission's website) for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their submissions.
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Important notice
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20.
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Note that all information that you provide as part of this public process, except information granted confidentiality, whether sent by postal mail, facsimile, email, or through the Commission's website at www.crtc.gc.ca, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission's website. This information includes your personal information, such as your full name, email address, postal/street address, telephone and facsimile number(s), and any other personal information you provide.
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21.
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Documents received electronically or otherwise will be posted on the Commission's website in their entirety exactly as you send them, including any personal information contained therein, in the official language and format in which they are received. Documents not received electronically will be available in PDF format.
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22.
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The personal information you provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which this information was obtained or compiled by the Commission, or for a use consistent with that purpose.
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Location of CRTC offices
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23.
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Submissions may be examined or will be made available promptly upon request at the Commission offices during normal business hours:
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Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage, Room 206
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B1
Tel: (819) 997-2429
Toll free: 1-877-249-2782
TDD: 1-877-909-2782
Fax: (819) 994-0218
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Metropolitan Place
99 Wyse Road, Suite 1410
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3A 4S5
Tel: (902) 426-7997
Fax: (902) 426-2721
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205 Viger Avenue West, Suite 504
Montréal, Quebec H2Z 1G2
Tel: (514) 283-6607
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55 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2
Tel: (416) 952-9096
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Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue, Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B3
Tel: (204) 983-6306 - TDD: 983-8274
Fax: (204) 983-6317
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Cornwall Professional Building
2125 - 11th Avenue, Suite 103
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3X3
Tel: (306) 780-3422
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10405 Jasper Avenue, Suite 520
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3N4
Tel: (780) 495-3224
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580 Hornby Street, Suite 530
Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3B6
Tel: (604) 666-2111 - TDD: 666-0778
Fax: (604) 666-8322
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Secretary General
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This document is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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Date Modified: 2006-06-09