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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2007-7-1
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See also: 2007-7
Ottawa, 27 July 2007
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Review of local number portability for voice over Internet Protocol services
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Reference: 8663-C12-200707052
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Introduction
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1.
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In Review of local number portability for voice over Internet Protocol services, Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2007-7, 8 May 2007 (Public Notice 2007-7), the Commission initiated a proceeding regarding the extent to which local number portability (LNP) functionality must be supported for local voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. Specifically, the Commission is considering in this proceeding the support of LNP
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a) for secondary numbers assigned from within the company's operating territory;
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b) for secondary numbers assigned from outside the company's operating territory;
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c) for primary numbers assigned from outside the company's operating territory; and
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d) with respect to the porting-in of telephone numbers.
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The summary text at the beginning of Public Notice 2007-7 specified that the process was to address matters regarding the extent to which LNP functionality must be supported for access-dependent local VoIP services.
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2.
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Since the issuance of Public Notice 2007-7, the Commission has received a number of inquiries as to whether the proceeding also applies to access-independent local VoIP services. The purpose of the present Public Notice, modifying Public Notice 2007-7, is to clarify the scope of this proceeding and provide for consequential process changes.
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Background
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3.
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On 9 November 2006, the Governor in Council issued Order Varying Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-28, P.C. 2006-1314 (the Order in Council). The Order in Council provides that in relation to retail local access-independent VoIP services, the Commission will refrain from exercising its powers and performing its duties under sections 25, 29, and 31, and subsections 27(1), (5), and (6), of the Telecommunications Act (the Act) to the extent that it refrains in relation to retail local telecommunications services provided to end-users by competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) in Local competition, Telecom Decision CRTC 97-8, 1 May 1997 (Decision 97-8) and subsequent determinations.
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4.
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In Decision 97-8, the Commission accorded certain rights, along with accompanying obligations, to local exchange carriers (LECs). Included among the obligations, imposed by a condition contemplated by section 24 of the Act, was the requirement that all LECs, including CLECs, implement LNP. Secondary numbers, as defined within Public Notice 2007-7, were not available within any tariffed offering at that time nor were these numbers commonplace in forborne offerings. This type of phone number has been facilitated by VoIP technologies and is now available from many access-independent VoIP service providers and from Bell Canada as part of both its Bell Digital Voice service and its Business IP [Internet Protocol] Voice Standard service.
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5.
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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 (Decision 2005-28), the Commission made the determination that the Decision 97-8 requirement that all LECs implement LNP would also apply to LECs providing local VoIP services. Secondary numbers were not explicitly addressed in Decision 2005-28; however, in Reconsideration of Regulatory framework for voice communication services using Internet Protocol, Telecom Decision CRTC 2006-53, 1 September 2006 (Decision 2006-53), the Commission denied a request made by Bell Canada for the removal of LNP requirements for secondary numbers.
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6.
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In Bell Digital Voice Service, Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-21, 5 April 2007 and Bell Canada and Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership - Business IP Voice Standard service, Telecom Order CRTC 2007-109, 5 April 2007, the Commission considered that further process was required to address matters regarding the extent to which LNP functionality must be supported for VoIP services.
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Scope of proceeding
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7.
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As the Order in Council specifies that the Commission will refrain from regulating access-independent VoIP providers to the extent that it does in relation to CLECs and as CLECs must implement LNP, then the LNP rules apply to both the access-dependent VoIP providers and the access-independent VoIP providers. Based on the determination in Decision 2006-53 noted above, it follows that CLECs (including access-independent VoIP providers) are also required to provide LNP for secondary numbers.
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8.
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Accordingly, the scope of Public Notice 2007-7 is being widened to include access-independent VoIP services.
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Revised process
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9.
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As the scope of the proceeding has been extended and as other parties may now be interested in this proceeding, the timelines in Public Notice 2007-7 are amended and an additional comment period added by replacing paragraphs 9, 11, and 12, as follows:
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9. Other persons interested in participating in this proceeding (including receiving copies of all submissions) must notify the Commission of their intention to do so by filling out the online form, or by writing to the Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, or by faxing at: 819-994-0218 by 10 August 2007 (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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11. The major ILECs are to file, and other parties may file, with the Commission, the evidence that they consider necessary to support their arguments, serving a copy on all other parties, by 25 September 2007. Evidence should be related to the customer demand for, the implementation constraints on, technical issues associated with, and the cost-effectiveness of implementing full LNP capabilities related to VoIP services as well as any other material that parties may wish to refer to in this proceeding.
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12. The major ILECs may file, and other parties may file, comments with the Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, by 25 October 2007. All parties may file reply comments with the Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, by 26 November 2007.
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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: www.crtc.gc.ca
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Date Modified: 2007-07-27