ARCHIVED - Letter

Our file No.: 8680-A5-201109637

Ottawa, 5 July 2011

Serge Désy
President and CEO
Association des Compagnies de Téléphone du Québec
2750 Chemin Vallée
Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, Quebec
J0K 1V0
sdesy@actq.qc.ca

Jonathan Holmes
Executive Director
Ontario Telecommunications Association
29 Peevers Cres.
Newmarket, Ontario
L3Y 7T5
jonathan.holmes@ota.on.ca

Re: Application by l’Association des Compagnies de Téléphone du Québec inc. (ACTQ) and the Ontario Telecommunications Association (OTA) to stay certain portions of Telecom Regulatory Policy 2011-291 and to defer the Telecom Notice of Consultation 2011-348 process 

Dear Mr. Désy and Mr. Holmes,

The Commission received a joint submission by the ACTQ and the OTA (collectively, ACTQ/OTA), dated 24 June 2011, on behalf of 29 small incumbent local exchange carriers (small ILECs). In their submission, ACTQ/OTA indicated that they would be filing an application to review and vary Telecom Regulatory Policy 2011-291 (TRP 2011-291).

ACTQ/OTA requested that the Commission stay, on an urgent and expedited basis, the implementation of the determinations and directives contained in certain portions of TRP 2011-291. ACTQ/OTA also requested that the Commission issue forthwith an expedited public process to determine the stay application on an urgent basis, separate and apart from any process that may subsequently be put in place in response to the forthcoming review and vary application.

In addition, ACTQ/OTA requested the Commission to defer the process currently in place for Telecom Notice of Consultation 2011-348 (TNC 2011-348), until the Commission issues its determinations on the stay application and the forthcoming review and vary application.

With respect to the stay application, ACTQ/OTA argued that irreparable harm would occur if local competition were introduced in their members’ territories under the terms and conditions established in TRP 2011-291. However, the process with respect to applications to implement local competition in some small ILEC territories has just begun, and the Commission will not issue its decisions on those applications before it issues its decision on the forthcoming ACTQ/OTA review and vary application. As such, the Commission finds that the ACTQ/OTA stay application is premature and does not need to be addressed. In view of the above, the Commission is returning the stay application with this letter.

Notwithstanding the above, the Commission notes the concerns raised by ACTQ/OTA with respect to the financial impact of certain portions of TRP 2011-291. Furthermore, the Commission acknowledges that there is a potential overlap of issues between TNC 2011-348 and the issues raised by ACTQ/OTA with respect to TRP 2011-291, especially the small ILEC subsidy. Hence, the Commission’s determinations on the forthcoming ACTQ/OTA review and vary application may have an impact on the submissions of parties in the TNC 2011-348 proceeding.

The Commission considers that deferring the process established in TNC 2011-348 would be more efficient and effective than continuing with the original process, as all parties would have the benefit of a more complete record prior to filing submissions. The Commission therefore finds it appropriate in these circumstances to defer the process associated with TNC 2011-348, until it issues its determinations on the forthcoming ACTQ/OTA review and vary application.

A modification to TNC 2011-348 has been issued today to suspend that proceeding.

The Commission will establish a process for the ACTQ/OTA review and vary application after it has received the application.

Sincerely,

Original signed by:

Robert A. Morin
Secretary General

Distribution list

Parties, Obligation to Serve and Other Matters, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2010-43, 28 January 2010 (as amended):

david.watt@rci.rogers.com;  Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca;  grubb@hurontel.on.ca;  wagrier@1000island.net;  rbanks@mornington.ca;  steve@wtccommunications.ca;  roxboro@ontarioeast.net;  sachuter@tcc.on.ca;  jpatry@telcourcelles.qc.ca;  nantel@tellambton.net;  telstep@telstep.net;  pdowns@nexicom.net;  pwightman@wightman.ca;  a.schneider@hay.net;  vp.finances@sogetel.com;  regulatoryaffairs@nwtel.ca;  j-fmathieu@telupton.qc.ca;  gcordeau@maskatel.qc.ca ;  lisa.marogna@cwct.ca;  nfrontenac@kw.igs.net;  rob.olenick@tbaytel.com ;  tracy.cant@ontera.ca;  regulatory@execulink.com;  telvic@telvic.net;  dreynard@kmts.biz;  scoffey@dryden.ca;  m.baron@brktel.on.ca;  reglementa@telebec.com;  pallard@cooptel.qc.ca;  Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca;  nicolet@puc.net;  jdowns@nexicomgroup.net;  Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca;  regulatory@brucetelecom.com;  dave.baxter@quadro.net;  regulatory@bell.aliant.ca;  bell.regulatory@bell.ca ;  iworkstation@mtsallstream.com;  michel.messier@cogeco.com ;  document.control@sasktel.sk.ca;  Regulatory@sjrb.ca;  regulatory.affairs@telus.com;  regaffairs@quebecor.com;  reglementa@telebec.com;  angusoliver320@gmail.com;  dmckeown@viewcom.ca;  cataylor@cyberus.ca;  henryvlug@telus.net;  whitehead@johnstonbuchan.com;  anderson@sfu.ca;  eric@rothschildco.com;  crtc@mhgoldberg.com;  babramson@mccarthy.ca;  abriggs@cogeco.ca;  regulatory@fibernetics.ca;  dave.ehman@axia.com;  lmilton@fasken.com;  david.kidd@blakes.com;  sdesy@actq.qc.ca;  LBC_Consulting@live.ca;  cedwards@ccsa.cable.ca;  regulatory@lya.com;  blackwell@giganomics.ca;  andre.labrie@mcccf.gouv.qc.ca;  jonathan.holmes@ota.on.ca;  regaffairs@quebecor.com;  steve.rose@gov.yk.ca;  jwhite@cep.ca;  bmilligan@mediac.ca;  cjprudham@barrettxplore.com;  ldunbar@fasken.com;  telecom@gov.bc.ca;  linda_maljan@gov.nt.ca;  rebecca.mustard@townofws.ca;  ptemple@pelmorex.com;  reglementation@xittel.net ;  mario.mota@cftpa.ca;  mastin@cftpa.ca;  douellette@cablovision.com;  bruno.orsini@inukshuk.ca;  stephen.scofich@tbaytel.com;  regulatory@bcba.ca;  jderwinsky@galaxybroadband.ca;  bwalden@tnt21.com;  duncan@cimamusic.ca;  tisrael@cippic.ca;  regulatory@teksavvy.com;  regulatory@ssimicro.com;  sramchandar@gobcn.ca;  regulatory@primustel.ca;  mlynn@omniglobe.com;  sdrouin@adisq.com;  piac@piac.ca;  jhpratt@msn.com;  hemond@consommateur.qc.ca;  documentcontrol@cwta.ca ;  George.doubt@twu-stt.ca;  ctacit@tacitlaw.com;  gosfield@gosfieldtel.com;  choquette@comgate.com;  sbray@deloitte.ca;  rroy@telwarwick.qc.ca;  paul.frappier@telmilot.com;  tellambton@tellambton.net;

APPENDIX  

ACTQ member companies
CoopTel
La Compagnie de Téléphone de Courcelles inc.
La Compagnie de Téléphone de Lambton inc.
La Compagnie de Téléphone de St- Victor
La Compagnie de Téléphone Upton inc.
Le Téléphone de St- Ephrem inc.
Sogetel inc.
Téléphone Guèvremont inc.
Téléphone Milot inc.

OTA member companies
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Limited
Bruce Telecom
Cochrane Telecom Services
Dryden Municipal Telephone System
Execulink Telecom Inc.
Gosfield North Communications Co-operative Limited
Hay Communications Co-operative Limited
Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Limited
The Lansdowne Rural Telephone Company Limited
Mornington Communications Co-operative Limited
Nexicom Telecommunications Inc.
Nexicom Telephones Inc.
North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Limited
North Renfrew Telephone Company Limited
Ontera
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc.
Roxborough Telephone Company Limited
Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Limited
Westport Telephone Company Limited
Wightman Telecom Limited

See the appendix to this letter for a list of those companies.

Obligation to serve and other matters, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-291, 3 May 2011, as amended by Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2011-291-1, 12 May 2011

Review of regulatory framework for the small incumbent local exchange carriers and related matters, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-348, 26 May 2011

Review of regulatory framework for the small incumbent local exchange carriers and related matters, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2011-348-1, 5 July 2011

Date modified:

2011-07-05