ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2011-513
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Ottawa, 19 August 2011
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership and Bell Canada – Integrated Voice Messaging Service and Home Phone Lite Package
File numbers: Bell Aliant Tariff Notice 371 and Bell Canada Tariff Notice 7313
1. The Commission received applications by Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership and Bell Canada (collectively, the Bell companies), dated 6 June 2011, in which the Bell companies proposed changes to their respective General Tariff items 2025 – Integrated Voice Messaging Service (IVMS) and 2231 – Home Phone Lite Package to indicate that the services and features described in those tariff items are provided subject to the availability of suitable facilities.
2. The Bell companies submitted that these changes are required because they are migrating their voice mail system to a new Internet Protocol (IP)-based voice messaging platform that does not support the provision of voice mail service to a small number of remote customers. They also submitted that when their voice mail network structure is migrated to the new platform, it will not be possible to continue providing voice mail service to these customers.
3. The Bell companies indicated that this technical restriction associated with their new IP-based voice messaging platform will affect 107 customers. They also indicated that they have informed these customers of the changes and have provided each of them with a $10 gift card that may be used towards the purchase of an answering machine. Further, the Bell companies submitted that there are various alternatives to voice mail services available, such as telephone answering devices, answering services, and wireless voice mail, as recognized by the Commission in Forbearance from the regulation of retail voice mail services provided by the incumbent local exchange carriers, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-777, 20 October 2010 (Telecom Regulatory Policy 2010-777).
4. The Commission approved the Bell companies’ applications on an interim basis, effective 21 June 2011.
5. The Commission received no comments regarding the Bell companies’ applications. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 4 July 2011, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Public Proceedings” or by using the file numbers provided above.
6. The Commission notes that the Bell companies have not yet implemented the forbearance determinations set out in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2010-777 for their residential voice mail services. Therefore, the Commission continues to regulate these services.
7. The Commission also notes that if the Bell companies had already included the proposed provisions in their tariffs, as is commonly the case with telecommunications companies, or if they had already implemented the Commission’s determinations in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2010-777, they could have proceeded to migrate their voice mail system to a new IP-based voice messaging platform without filing applications for approval. In either case, the 107 customers referred to in the current applications would no longer be receiving voice mail service from the companies when the migration of the Bell companies’ voice mail system to the new IP-based voice messaging platform is completed.
8. In light of the above, the Commission considers it appropriate to grant the Bell companies’ request and approves on a final basis the applications.
Secretary General
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