ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter - 8740-A53-200615065

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Letter

Ottawa, 24 January 2007

File No.: 8740-A53-200615065

BY E-MAIL

Mr. David J. Hennessey
Manager, Regulatory Matters
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, L.P.
Fort William Building, Floor 5
P.O. Box 2110
St John's, Newfoundland
A1C 5H6  

regulatory@bell.aliant.ca  

Ms. Natalie MacDonald
Director, Regulatory Matters
Eastlink Telephone
6080 Young Street, Suite 801
Halifax , NS
B3K 5M3

Dear Mr. Hennessey and Ms. MacDonald:

Re:   Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, Tariff Notice 218 - Amendments to Centrex Business Service, Business Communications Service and Provincial Centrex Service to allow for contract extensions

The Governor in Council issued a direction, which came into effect on 14 December 2006, to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Order Issuing a Direction to the CRTC on Implementing the Canadian Telecommunications Policy Objectives (the Policy Direction) under the Telecommunications Act (the Act).

The Policy Direction can be found at:

http://www.ic.gc.ca/cmb/welcomeic.nsf/261ce500dfcd7259852564820068dc6d/
85256a5d006b972085257245005c3b13!OpenDocument

The Policy Direction requires that the CRTC take a more market-based approach to implementing the Act.   The Policy Direction applies prospectively to the wide variety of telecommunications-related regulatory issues that the CRTC handles, including matters currently pending before the Commission, subject to the limitations specified in section 11 of the Act.

It is staff's preliminary belief that the Policy Direction will apply to Bell Aliant's Tariff notice 218.   Staff is of the view that for the Commission to make a determination on this application, it should be provided with submissions addressing the Policy Direction.

Accordingly, Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership (Bell Aliant) and Bragg Communications Inc, carrying on business as EastLink (EastLink) may address the Policy Direction in comments to be filed with the Commission and served on the other party to this proceeding by no later than 8 February 2007.   Reply comments are to be served and filed no later than 19 February 2007.

Staff also notes that, further to an extension previously granted, reply comments from Bell Aliant were received on 12 January 2007 regarding pricing equity issues raised by EastLink.   Given this, and in light of the additional process called for in the present letter, the Commission will be unable to dispose of this application within 45 business days of its filing date.   However, the Commission expects to dispose of the application before the end of the second quarter of 2007.

Yours sincerely,

'Original signed by D. Magmanlac' (for)

Suzanne Bédard,
Senior Manager, Tariffs
Telecommunications

cc:    Eric Bowles, CRTC (819) 953-5672, eric.bowles@crtc.gc.ca

Date Modified: 2007-01-24

Date modified: