ARCHIVED - Letter
This page has been archived on the Web
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. Archived Decisions, Notices and Orders (DNOs) remain in effect except to the extent they are amended or reversed by the Commission, a court, or the government. The text of archived information has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Changes to DNOs are published as “dashes” to the original DNO number. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats by contacting us.
Ottawa, 8 April 2009
File No.: 8740-A53-200905672
Mr. Denis E. Henry
Vice-President,
Regulatory and Government Affairs and Chief of Privacy
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, LP
160 Elgin Street, 19th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 2C4
regulatory@bell.aliant.ca
RE: Bell Aliant Tariff Notice 340
On 2 April 2009, the Commission received an application by Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership (Bell Aliant), in which Bell Aliant proposed revisions to the former Aliant Telecom General Tariff item 205.2 - Business Single-Line Access Service, item 205.7 - Charitable Access Service, and item 255 - Standard Service Charges, to increase certain rates as part of its 2009 Annual Price Cap filings.
Bell Aliant indicated and certified that this Tariff Notice was a Group A filing, as defined in Approval mechanisms for retail and CLEC tariffs, Telecom Decision 2008-74, 21 August 2008 (Decision 2008-74). Bell Aliant also proposed an effective date of 1 June 2009 for the proposed changes.
Commission staff notes the following concerns with respect to this application.
1) In its application, Bell Aliant indicated that all exchanges within rate band A in its serving territory of Newfoundland and Labrador were forborne from the regulation of business local exchange services and proposed to remove rate band A from Item 205.4 – Business Multi-Line Access Service as it applies to its serving territory of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Commission staff notes that, as identified by letter to TELUS Communications Company (TCC), dated 26 February 2009, removal of a rate band is not included in the criteria for Group A filings indicated in Decision 2008-74. Accordingly, this change does not comply with the definition of a group A filing and is therefore not forborne from approval.
2) Although Bell Aliant removed rate band A in item 205.4 as noted above, it did not remove rate band A from item 205.2.
In Telecom Order 2008-320, 24 November 2008 (Telecom Order 2008-320), the Commission approved on a final basis, Bell Canada, Bell Aliant and TCC's proposals to explicitly set out rates for payphone access line (PAL) service in rate bands where the Commission had forborne from regulating business local exchange service for all exchanges within the rate band, and to specify the PAL service rates at 75 percent of the business rates that were in place just prior to forbearance.
Accordingly, Bell Aliant should remove rate band A from Item 205.2 as it applies to its serving territory of Newfoundland and Labrador and, p ursuant to Telecom Order 2008-320, specify the PAL service rate for this band at 75 percent of the business rate that was in place just prior to forbearance.
In light of the above, Bell Aliant is invited to amend its application to reflect a) that its filing is a Group B application, b) the removal of rate band A from Item 205.2 as it applies to its serving territory of Newfoundland and Labrador, and c) the applicable rate for PAL service in this rate band.
Yours sincerely,
‘Original signed by S. Bédard'
Suzanne Bédard
Senior Manager, Tariffs
Telecommunications
cc: Joe Cabrera, CRTC (819) 934-6352
- Date modified: