ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2013-348
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Ottawa, 23 July 2013
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership and Bell Canada – Withdrawal of Bell Digital Voice
File numbers: Bell Aliant Tariff Notice 446 and Bell Canada Tariff Notice 7389
1. The Commission received applications from Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership and Bell Canada (collectively, the Bell companies), dated 17 May 2013, in which the Bell companies proposed to withdraw[1] their respective General Tariff item 7031 – Bell Digital Voice[2].
2. The Bell companies stated that they provide the Bell Digital Voice service through a voice switch that was manufacturer-discontinued on 31 December 2009. In view of the advanced age of the equipment, they anticipate that the frequency and duration of equipment failures is likely to increase in the coming months. The Bell companies expressed concern that they may not be able to restore service in a timely manner following a service outage.
3. The Bell companies also stated that no customers are currently subscribed to Bell Digital Voice, and that the companies do not anticipate any demand for this service in the foreseeable future. As such, the Bell companies have no current or expected future revenues to offset the costs of providing and maintaining the Bell Digital Voice service.
4. The Commission approved the Bell companies’ applications on an interim basis in Telecom Order 2013-268.
5. The Commission received no comments regarding the Bell companies’ applications. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 2 July 2013, 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 considers that in view of the absence of customers for the Bell Digital Voice service, the advanced age of the equipment, and the potential difficulties to maintain the service, the Bell companies’ proposal to withdraw this service is acceptable.
7. The Commission considers that the Bell companies’ proposal to withdraw their Bell Digital Voice service complies with the requirements in Telecom Information Bulletin 2010-455, in which the Commission set out its procedures for dealing with applications to destandardize and/or withdraw tariffed services.[3]
8. In light of the above, the Commission approves on a final basis the Bell companies’ applications.
Secretary General
Related documents
- Telecom Order CRTC 2013-268, 29 May 2013
- Approval processes for tariff applications and intercarrier agreements, Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-455, 5 July 2010
- Mandatory customer contract renewal notification and requirements for service destandardization/withdrawal, Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-22, 6 March 2008
Footnotes:
[1] The Bell companies also proposed minor housekeeping changes to remove references to the Bell Digital Voice service from their General Tariff.
[2] Bell Digital Voice is a voice service that is delivered using Internet protocol technology.
[3] This bulletin reflects the Commission’s related determinations in Telecom Decision 2008-22.
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