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Ottawa, 27 January 2012

File No.: 8650-B54-201200469

BY E-MAIL

Mr. John Lawford
Counsel 
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
jlawford@piac.ca

Mr. Denis E. Henry
Vice President – Legal, Regulatory and Government Affairs
& Chief of Privacy
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership
160 Elgin Street, 19th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2C4
regulatory@bell.aliant.ca

Mr. Mirko Bibic
Senior Vice President
Bell Canada

bell.regulatory@bell.ca

Re: Part 1 Application – Request to grant flexibility to increase pay telephone rates

Dear Sirs:

The Commission received an application from Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, Bell Canada and Télébec, Société en commandite (collectively, the Companies) dated 17 January 2012. The Companies requested that the Commission grant them the flexibility to increase their pay telephone (payphone) rates up to a maximum of $1.00 for each originating local cash call and to increase the rate up to a maximum of $2.00 for each originating local non-cash call.

The Commission is in receipt of a letter dated 19 January 2012 from the Public Interest Advocacy Society and Canada Without Poverty (PIAC) regarding the Companies’ application. In its letter, PIAC stated that, among other things, it expected to introduce evidence of payphone use by the public, in particular those persons living on low income. However, PIAC stated that commissioning and compiling this information would take more time than is allotted by the intervention process. PIAC requested that the process be turned into a Notice of Consultation, with new timelines that include longer timeframes, in order to allow for adequate public participation with respect to this issue.

The Commission is also in receipt of a letter, dated 24 January 2012, from TELUS Communications Company (TCC). In response to PIAC’s request, TCC stated that an expanded process to deal with the application could be established by the Commission by including additional procedural steps.

Commission staff has carefully considered PIAC’s request, and considers it appropriate to extend the comment period for this application. Accordingly, parties may file comments with the Commission and serve such comments on the applicants, by 30 March 2012.

Following the close of the comment period, the Commission will determine what further process is required.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

John Macri
Director, Telecommunications Policy

cc : Distribution list (see attachment)
Adam Mills, CRTC adam.mills@crtc.gc.ca

Distribution List:

iworkstation@mtsallstream.comregulatory.affairs@telus.comRegulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.caregulatoryaffairs@nwtel.cactacit@tacitlaw.comghariton@sympatico.caregaffairs@quebecor.comdmckeown@viewcom.cabrovet@cognitionllp.comabriggs@cogeco.cacataylor@cyberus.calefebvre@rogers.comcrtc@mhgoldberg.comjeffrey.fan@ubs.comdavid.watt@rci.rogers.compiac@piac.cabefro@pilc.mb.caandre.labrie@mcccf.gouv.qc.castinsond@comnet.caRCI.Regulatory@rci.rogers.comdma2@telusplanet.netbywil@pilc.mb.ca rob.olenick@tbaytel.com cedwards@ccsa.cable.catelecom.regulatory@cogeco.comduchesne@consommateur.qc.casupport@bcpiac.commgm@stephenjohnsonca.comBrand.Inlow@calgary.ca

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