ARCHIVED - Letter

Ottawa, 25 May 2011

Our reference: 8620-A2-200906836

BY EMAIL

Natalie MacDonald
Vice President, Regulatory Matters
Amtelecom Telco GP Inc.
6080 Young Street, Suite 801
Halifax, NS
B3K 5M3
Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca

Re: Local competition and wireless number portability in small ILEC territories

Dear Madam:

In a letter dated 20 May 2011, Rogers Communications (Rogers), on behalf of Rogers Wireless operating as a wireless service provider (WSP), informed the Commission and Amtelecom Telco GP Inc. (Amtelecom) that it is still interested in obtaining number portability (both wireless and intermodal number porting) in Amtelecom’s territory – specifically in the exchange of Aylmer, Ontario.  In its letter, Rogers proposed to reuse its existing interconnection arrangement with Bell Canada in the London, Ontario exchange. This letter was posted on the Commission’s website on 25 May 2011 at the following address:

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2009/8620/a2_200906836.htm

As set out in a Commission staff letter dated 5 May 2011, the following process applies:

Where a CLEC [competitive local exchange carrier] or a WSP reaffirms its interest in pursuing competition or implementing WNP [wireless number portability] in a small ILEC’s territory, the small ILEC in question is to file an updated implementation plan with the Commission, serving a copy to the CLEC and/or WSP, no later than 30 days from the date the CLEC’s or WSP’s letter of confirmation of interest is posted on the Commission’s website.  Each small ILEC’s updated implementation plan plan must contain

• all information required by Revised regulatory framework for the small incumbent local exchange carriers, Telecom Decision CRTC 2006-14, 29 March 2006, and Regulatory framework for the implementation of wireless number portability within the serving territories of the small incumbent local exchange carriers, Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-122, 18 December 2008; and
• detailed information about costs and cost recovery (see Appendix 2 for questions and Appendix 3 for a table to be completed). [These documents are attached to this letter for reference.]

In conjunction with filing its implementation plan, the small ILEC is to file any required tariffs.

Based on the above, Amtelecom must file its implementation plan and other required information with the Commission, serving a copy to Rogers, no later than 24 June 2011.

Amtelecom is to ensure that its implementation plan addresses its proposed arrangements with Rogers and includes any other requirements needed to implement number portability in its territory.  Commission staff reminds Amtelecom that it should begin discussion with Rogers about its requirements as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

‘Original signed by S. Bédard’

Suzanne Bédard
Senior Manger, Tariffs
Telecommunications

cc: Simon-Pierre Olivier, Rogers, rwi_gr@rci.rogers.com
Laurie Ventura, CRTC, (819) 997-4589, laurie.ventura@crtc.gc.ca

Appendix 2
[to 5 May 2011 Commission staff letter]

Small ILECs are to include the following cost and cost recovery elements as part of their implementation plans:

1. The company’s total number of residential and business NAS, as of 1 June 2011.

2. The company’s ownership and affiliate structure, including the total residential and 4.

3. The names of the exchanges where local competition, LNP, and/or WNP will be implemented.

4. A list of all tariffs required by competitors, including:

a) a description of the service;

b) whether it is a new or an existing tariffed service;

c) a description of the required tariff changes, as applicable; and

d) the proposed effective date for the service introduction or tariff changes.

Note: proposed tariffs are to be filed with the implementation plan.

5. The following costing information:

a) Using Table 2 in Appendix 3, provide details of the cost cash flows associated with implementing local competition, LNP, and/or WNP in the company’s operating territory.  The cost cash flows are to be broken down into start-up and ongoing costs, and also expressed as present worth of annual costs (PWAC) and annual equivalent cost (AEC), using a 5-year study period.  Small ILECs with over 3,000 total NAS should also include a sensitivity that reflects a 10-year study period.

Further, provide a breakdown of the start-up and ongoing costs into major capital and expense components.  The response should also provide details on the functionality and activities associated with each of the major components, and the associated costing methodology and all assumptions ‒ including the source and vintage of data used, the cost increase factor(s), expense increase factor(s), and productivity increase factor(s) applied in the study period.

b) Further to the information required in 6. a) above, provide

i) the general cost study parameters and assumptions, such as cost of capital, cost of debt, debt equity ratio, tax rate, labour unit cost(s), and the study period used to derive the costs provided in Table 2; and

ii) details as to the schedule for the various elements of your plan.

6. A plan for cost recovery.  As noted above, residential rates may not increase by more than $4 in any one year.  This amount would include any rate increases to recover exogenous adjustments for local competition and/or WNP costs, as well as any rate increases to recover subsidy lost due to the Commission’s determinations in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2011-291.

Date modified:

2011-05-25