ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-299

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Ottawa, 5 May 2011

Call for comments on access to inside wire in commercial and institutional properties

The Commission calls for comments on the advisability of amending the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to permit access to inside wire owned by broadcasting distribution undertakings that is located in commercial and institutional properties.

The deadline for submitting interventions is 3 June 2011. The deadline for submitting replies is 13 June 2011.

Introduction

1.      In a letter dated 26 October 2010, Bell TV (Bell) requested that the Commission amend the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations (the Regulations). The proposed amendments would expand the application of the rules regarding access to inside wire to include access by subscribers and by competing broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) to the inside wiring owned by BDU licensees that is located in commercial and institutional properties. These properties include long-term care establishments, prisons, student residences, military bases, restaurants, hotels and motels, hospitals and work camps.

2.      In Competitive access to inside wire in commercial and institutional properties, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2006-68, 29 May 2006, the Commission concluded that mandating access to such wiring was not warranted at that time. Bell requested that the Commission re-examine the issue in light of changes to the marketplace since 2006 and the benefits that would accrue to subscribers, end-users and BDUs under Bell’s proposal.

3.      Among other things, Bell proposed:

• that any BDU be afforded unfettered access to the inside wire owned by any other BDU in commercial and institutional buildings in order to facilitate greater competition in the distribution sector;

• that the Regulations be amended to enable the competition that Bell seeks; and

• that any BDU whose commercial inside wire is accessed by any other BDU be compensated by a monthly payment of $0.52 per end-user or commercial unit so that the incumbent BDU may recover its installation cost, if it has not already done so.

Procedure

4.      The new Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure, SOR/2010-277 (the Rules of Procedure), set out, among other things, the rules for filing, content, format and service of interventions, as well as the procedure for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure. and Accordingly, the procedure set out below must be read in conjunction with the Rules of Procedure and its accompanying documents, which can be found on the Commission’s website under “CRTC Rules of Practice and Procedure.”

5.      The Commission invites interventions that address the proposal by Bell set out above. The deadline for filing interventions is 3 June 2011. Parties may file with the Commission, by 13 June 2011 replies to any of the interventions submitted.The Commission will only accept submissions that it receives on or before those dates. It cannot be held responsible for postal delays and will not notify a party whose submission is received after the deadline date. The submission will not be considered by the Commission and will not be part of the public file.

6.      Interveners are permitted to coordinate, organize and file, in a single submission, interventions of other interested persons who share their position but who do not wish to appear at the hearing as a “Joint Supporting Intervention.” More information on how to do so and a template for the covering letter to be filed by the parties can be found in Changes to certain practices for filing interventions – Expansion of filing practices to include the filing of joint supporting comments for broadcasting policy proceedings, Broadcasting Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-28-1, 10 December 2010.

7.      Interested persons must file their submissions to the Secretary General of the Commission in only one of the following formats:

by using the
[Intervention/comment/answer form]

or

by mail to
CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2

or

by fax at
819-994-0218

8.      Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary.

9.      Each paragraph of the submission should be numbered. In addition, where the submission is filed by electronic means, the line ***End of document*** should be entered following the last paragraph of the document, as an indication that the document has not been altered during electronic transmission.

Important notice

10.  All information that parties provide as part of this public process, except information designated confidential, whether sent by postal mail, facsimile, e-mail or through the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website. This information includes personal information, such as full names, e-mail addresses, postal/street addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers, and any other personal information parties provide.

11.  The personal information that parties provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the Commission, or for a use consistent with that purpose.

12.  Documents received electronically or otherwise will be put on the Commission’s website in their entirety exactly as received, including any personal information contained therein, in the official language and format in which they are received. Documents not received electronically will be available in PDF format.

13.  The information that parties provide to the Commission as part of this public process is entered into an unsearchable database dedicated to this specific public process. This database is accessible only from the web page of this particular public process. As a result, a general search of the Commission’s website with the help of either its own search engine or a third-party search engine will not provide access to the information that was provided as part of this public process.

14.  The Commission encourages parties and interested persons to monitor the record of the proceeding, available on the Commission’s website, for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their submissions.

Examination of documents

15.  A list of all interventions and replies will also be available on the Commission’s website. The list is accessible by selecting “View all proceedings open for comment” from the “Public Proceedings” section of the Commission’s website and clicking on the “Interventions/Answers” link associated with this notice.

16.  The public may examine public interventions and related documents at the following Commission offices during normal business hours.

Location of Commission offices

Toll-free telephone: 1-877-249-2782
Toll-free TDD: 1-877-909-2782

Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage, Room 206
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 4B1
Tel.: 819-997-2429
Fax: 819-994-0218

Regional offices

Metropolitan Place
99 Wyse Road
Suite 1410
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B3A 4S5
Tel.: 902-426-7997
Fax: 902-426-2721

205 Viger Avenue West
Suite 504
Montréal, Quebec
H2Z 1G2
Tel.: 514-283-6607

55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1M2
Tel.: 416-952-9096

Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 2B3
Tel.: 204-983-6306
Fax: 204-983-6317

2220 – 12^th Avenue
Suite 620
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 0M8
Tel.: 306-780-3422

10405 Jasper Avenue
Suite 520
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 3N4
Tel.: 780-495-3224

858 Beatty Street
Suite 290
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6B 1C1
Tel.: 604-666-2111
Fax: 604-666-8322

Secretary General

Date modified:

2011-05-05