ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter - 8663-C12-200614439

Letter

File Number: 8663-C12-200614439

Ottawa, 3 October 2007

By Electronic mail

To: Interested Parties List - PN 2006-14

Re: Review of regulatory framework for wholesale services and definition of essential service - Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2006-14

This is further to the procedures set out in Review of regulatory framework for wholesale services and definition of essential service, Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2006-14, 9 November 2006, as amended.

Parties to the upcoming public hearing commencing on 9 October 2007 are advised that the Panel intends to focus on the approach and structure set out in the attachment.   The attachment reorganizes the possible regulatory framework for wholesale services put forward in the Commission's interrogatory ________(CRTC)19July07-1005 that was addressed to parties 19 July 2007.

At the hearing, parties and the Commission may address all relevant issues raised by Public Notice 2006-14.   Where appropriate, parties are asked to structure their questions, answers and final submissions (oral and written) along the lines set out in the attachment.   The Commission's questions at the hearing may also be structured along these lines.

Yours sincerely,

(Original signed by)

Robert G. Martin
Senior Manager, Essential Services
Telecommunications
Tel:   819-953-3361
email:   robert.martin@crtc.gc.ca

Attachment

ATTACHMENT

1. Essential:
   Would include functionalities that meet the criteria of the Commission's definition of essential facility and would continue to be made available to competitors via mandatory unbundling and mandated pricing (such as basic subscriber listing information).
   
   
2. Conditional Essential :
   Would include functionalities that would meet the criteria of the Commission's definition of essential facility, conditional on specific circumstances (such as unbundled local loops in exchanges where wire-line competitors are not yet present).   These functionalities would be made available to competitors via mandatory unbundling and mandated pricing until the specific circumstances were no longer in effect.
   
   
3. Non-Essential services subject to phase out :
   Would include functionalities that would not meet the criteria of the Commission's definition of essential facility, and mandatory unbundling would be phased out over a specified transition period.   Provisions would be made to enable annual price increases during the transition period in order to provide incentives for investment in, and construction of, competing telecommunications network facilities.   Provisions would also be made for a carrier, at the end of the transition period and at its discretion, to: i) continue to offer the service pursuant to a tariff; ii) file an application for forbearance; or iii) file an application to withdraw the service.
   
   
4. Conditional Mandated Non-Essential :
   Would include functionalities that would not meet the criteria of the Commission's definition of essential facility, but would continue to be made available to competitors via mandatory unbundling and mandated pricing, conditional on specific circumstances (such as unbundled local loops in exchanges where local forbearance has been approved on the basis of mandated access to such loops).   Mandatory unbundling and mandated pricing would continue until the specific circumstances were no longer in effect.
   
   
5. Public Good :
   Would include functionalities that would not meet the criteria of the Commission's definition of essential facility, but there would be general agreement that the functionalities should continue to be made available to competitors via mandatory unbundling for reasons of public benefit (such as access to 9-1-1 call routing services).
   
   
6. Interconnection :
   Would include interconnection and certain services ancillary to interconnection that would continue to be made available via mandatory unbundling and mandated pricing on the same basis as essential facilities (such as direct connection).