ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2012-321

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Ottawa, 5 June 2012

Sogetel inc. – Sale of tariffs

File number: Tariff Notice 151

Introduction

1.         The Commission received an application from Sogetel inc. (Sogetel), dated 4 April 2012, in which the company proposed revisions to its General Tariff to introduce item 1.7 – Sale of Sogetel inc.’s tariffs.

2.         Sogetel submitted that it had used the same rates shown in Bell Canada’s General Tariff item 26 – Sale of Bell Canada tariffs, exchange information and directory files. Specifically, Sogetel proposed the following services:

• a rate of $1 per page for the paper version of its entire tariff;
• an annual subscription fee of $5.50 to receive its revised and approved tariff pages for a period of one year;
• single copies of a maximum of 10 pages from one or more of its tariffs, free of charge, to any subscriber who makes a request.

3.         The Commission approved Sogetel’s application on an interim basis on 19 April 2012.

4.         The Commission received comments regarding Sogetel’s application from Quebecor Media Inc., on behalf of its affiliate Videotron G.P. (QMI). The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 6 May 2012, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Public Proceedings” or by using the file number provided above.

Should the Commission approve Sogetel’s proposed tariff revisions?

5.         QMI submitted that, in Telecom Decision 2011-92, the Commission directed all local exchange carriers (LECs) that maintain websites to post their approved access tariffs on their websites. QMI also submitted that this requirement applies to all small incumbent local exchange carriers such as Sogetel. QMI added that the Commission’s approval of Sogetel’s application should be conditional upon Sogetel’s posting of its General Tariff and its Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) Tariff on its website.

6.         In reply, Sogetel submitted that its General Tariff is primarily aimed at its residential and business customers, but it also contains several sections reserved for access services. Sogetel proposed that, if the Commission assigned it an access tariff number, it would withdraw sections related to access services from its General Tariff and post them in the new tariff. Sogetel therefore requested that the Commission approve its tariff application and direct the company to i) transfer its General Tariff sections related to access services to a new access tariff and ii) post the new access tariff on its website.

Commission’s analysis and determinations

7.         The Commission notes that, pursuant to the CRTC Tariff Regulations (the Regulations), a company shall, on request,

a)      produce any tariff on file for inspection;

b)      arrange to provide single copies of up to 10 tariff pages at no charge; and

c)      arrange to provide copies of any other tariff pages at a reasonable charge.

8.      The Commission also notes that the services proposed by Sogetel are assigned to the fourth basket of the price cap framework set out in Telecom Decision 2006-14. In that decision, the Commission determined that rates for services in the fourth basket would be allowed to increase up to any rate approved by the Commission for the same service.

9.      The Commission has reviewed Sogetel’s proposed tariff and considers that it complies with the Regulations and that it meets the pricing constraints set out in Telecom Decision 2006-14 for services in the fourth basket.

10.  The Commission notes that approval of Sogetel’s application to introduce a tariff item related to the sale of its tariffs is not connected with the requirement for the company to post its access tariff on its website.

11.  The Commission notes, however, that in Telecom Decision 2011-92, it directed all LECs that maintain websites to post their approved access tariffs on their websites. The Commission notes that because Sogetel is a LEC, this requirement also applies to it. The Commission notes that this requirement applies only to the company’s access tariff, not its General Tariff.

12.  The Commission considers that Sogetel’s proposal to transfer sections related to access services from its General Tariff to a new access tariff, and to post the new access tariff on its website, to be acceptable and in compliance with Telecom Decision 2011-92.

13.  The Commission also considers that Sogetel Numérique, the Sogetel affiliate that operates as a CLEC, is also subject to the conclusions of Telecom Decision 2011-92.

14.   With regard to Sogetel’s request that the Commission assign it a number for an access tariff, the Commission notes that Sogetel was assigned a block of numbers from CRTC 25130 to CRTC 25139 for its tariffs. The Commission considers that Sogetel can use one of these assigned numbers for its new access tariff.

15.  In light of the above, the Commission approves Sogetel’s application, effective the date of this order.

16.  The Commission directs Sogetel to

• file, for Commission approval, a tariff notice to withdraw sections related to access services from its General Tariff and to transfer them to a new access tariff within 15 days of the date of this order; and
• post the new access tariff on its website once the company has transferred access services to the new tariff.

Secretary General

Related documents

• CISC Business Process Working Group – Non-consensus report BPRE075a regarding fulfillment of Type III and IV CLEC obligations, Telecom Decision CRTC 2011-92, 11 February 2011
• Revised regulatory framework for the small incumbent local exchange carriers, Telecom Decision CRTC 2006-14, 29 March 2006

Date modified:

2012-06-05