Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-56-1

25. To protect the interests of users, including users in high-cost remote areas, and in light of the Canadian telecommunications policy objectives, the Commission considered it appropriate in Telecom Decision 97-19 to adopt the conditions, as outlined in paragraph 5 above, that apply to the offering or provision of basic toll services for certain ILECs. The same conditions were extended to SaskTel in Decision 2000-150, while three conditions were applied to Ontera in Decision 2001-583. In Order 2000-17, the Commission modified the constraints established in Telecom Decision 97-19 for the ILECs to which they applied, other than Télébec and TCC in its Quebec operating territory.

44. However, the Commission notes that the 50 percent TTY discount is applied in relation to the basic toll schedule, and in order to require all competitive long distance telecommunications service providers to provide such a discount, they would have to offer basic toll service. Yak was the only competitive long distance telecommunications service provider to file comments in this proceeding but provided none related to this issue. Therefore, the Commission finds that it would not be reasonable to extend this requirement to all competitive long distance telecommunications service providers at this time. However, the Commission is of the view that it would be appropriate to consider this issue in respect of the planned proceeding to address unresolved accessibility issues for persons with disabilities that the Commission has identified in the second year of its three-year work plan, 2007 to 2010, dated 24 April 2007.

45. Accordingly, the Commission finds that, for registered or certified hearing- or speech-impaired TTY users, except for the inclusion of the credit card surcharges in the calculation of the average price of calls,

1. the five basic toll constraints established in Telecom Decision 97-19, as modified by Order 2000-17, will continue to apply to Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream, Ontera, Télébec, and TCC in its Alberta and British Columbia operating territories;
2. the five basic toll constraints established in Telecom Decision 97-19 will continue to apply to Télébec and TCC in its Quebec operating territory;
3. the five basic toll constraints established in Telecom Decision 2000-150 will continue to apply to SaskTel; and
4. the three basic toll constraints established in Decision 2001-583 will continue to apply to Ontera.

Until the Commission issues its determination in the proceeding on accessibility issues noted above, it is prepared to consider proposals from these companies, in consultation with the various associations for hearing- and speech-impaired persons, for a mutually acceptable temporary alternative to maintaining the basic toll schedule and the TTY discount for these users.