ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter - 8661-C12-200716699

Letter

Ottawa, 21 December 2007

Our File:   8661-C12-200716699
Reference:  8662-Y6-200717507 - 8661-Y6-200717530

By E-mail

To: Distibution List

Re: Part VII Applications by Yak Communications (Canada) Corp. and the implementation of Long Distance Network Access Charge by TELUS Communications Company

By letter dated 20 November 2007 , Commission staff addressed questions to TELUS Communications Company (TELUS) with regards to its recently implemented Network Access Charge of $2.95 per month. On 28 November 2007 , TELUS provided responses to these questions. These responses are available on the Commission's website at www.crtc.gc.ca under "Public Proceedings."

On 3 December 2007, Yak Communications (Canada) Corp. (Yak) filed an application under Part VII of the CRTC Telecommunications Rules of Procedure (the Rules), requesting that the Commission review and vary Review of the regulatory constraints that apply to the basic toll schedules , Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-56, 23 July 2007, and amended by Telecom Decision 2007-56-1, 14 August 2007 (Decision 2007-56). In support of its application, Yak noted that TELUS had begun applying a monthly Network Access Charge of $2.95 to its basic toll service customers.

On the same day, Yak filed another application under Part VII of the Rules requesting, among other things, that the Commission declare TELUS' Long Distance Network Access Charge an illegal local rate increase.

Given the related nature of Yak's applications, it is appropriate and more efficient to address the issues identified in those applications in a single proceeding. Therefore, the files associated with the above-noted applications are being combined into a single file with a revised process. TELUS responses to Commission staff questions will form part of the record of this joint proceeding. Commission staff notes that to date, the Commission has received approximately 600 complaints about the $2.95 per month Network Access Charge.

In Service standards for the disposition of telecommunications applications , Telecom Circular CRTC 2006-11, 7 December 2006 , the Commission stated that it would categorize Part VII applications into two types: Type 1 applications that generally do not involve multiple parties or raise significant policy issues, and Type 2 applications that do involve multiple parties and/or raise significant policy issues.

The Commission has also adopted the following service standards for Part VII applications:

•  Type 1 Part VII applications - 90 percent of determinations to be issued on an interim or final basis within four months of the close-of-records; and

•  Type 2 Part VII applications - 85 percent of determinations to be issued on an interim or final basis within eight months of the close-of-record.

Commission staff has assessed the above applications and considers them to be Type 2 applications.

Process

Parties to the proceeding that led to Telecom Decision 2007-56 are made parties to this proceeding.

Accordingly, a revised process is provided below.

a) All parties may file with the Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, comments with regard to Yak's applications and TELUS responses of 28 November 2007 by 18 January 2008 .

b) All parties may file reply arguments with the Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, by 1 February 2008 .

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

John Traversyz
A/ Associate Executive Director, Telecommunications

cc:   Joseph Cabrera, CRTC (819) 934-6352, joseph.cabrera@crtc.gc.ca

Distribution list:

simon@globalive.com ; piac@piac.ca ; amedeo.bernardi@ontera.ca ; regulatory.affairs@telus.com ; regmat@ntl.sympatico.ca ; document.control@sasktel.sk.ca ; benrovet@rogers.com ; regulatory@bell.aliant.ca ; louise.begin@sogetel.com ; iworkstation@mtsallstream.com ; bell.regulatory@bell.ca ; andre.labrie@mcc.gouv.qc.ca ; crtc@rwg.ca ; vandeaf@telus.net ; gordonp@lao.on.ca ; dmckeown@viewcom.ca ; regulatory@lya.com ; stinsond@comnet.ca ; lefebvre@rogers.com ; duchesne@consommateur.qc.ca ; ctacit@tacitlaw.com ; jroots@cad.ca ; regaffairs@quebecor.com ; regulatory@primustel.ca