ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2014-420

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Ottawa, 8 August 2014

File number: 8740-C133‑201400853

Câblevision du Nord de Québec inc. – Revisions to the Third-Party Internet Access service

1. The Commission received an application from Câblevision du Nord de Québec inc. (CVQ), dated 29 January 2014, in which the company proposed revisions to item 200 – Third-Party Internet Access (TPIA) of its General Tariff, with an effective date of 1 April 2014.
2. CVQ’s TPIA service enables competing Internet service providers to offer high‑speed Internet service using CVQ’s infrastructure. The monthly rates of CVQ’s basic modem service vary according to speed. CVQ currently offers various speeds: 5 megabits per second (Mbps), 8 Mbps, 12 Mbps, 30 Mbps, and 100 Mbps.
3. In its application, CVQ proposed to raise the 8-Mbps speed to 10 Mbps, without raising the associated monthly rate. CVQ also proposed to add a 20-Mbps option at the same monthly rate as that of Cogeco Cable Inc. (Cogeco) for the same speed.
4. In Telecom Order 2014‑51, the Commission approved CVQ’s application on an interim basis, with an effective date of 1 April 2014.
5. The Commission did not receive any interventions regarding CVQ’s application. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 28 February 2014, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca or by using the file number provided above.
6. Unlike large incumbent cable carriers such as Cogeco, Rogers Communications Partnership, Shaw Cablesystems G.P., and Videotron G.P., small incumbent cable carriers such as CVQ are not required to provide TPIA services. However, when the small incumbent cable carriers choose to do so, they are subject to the rules for approval of telecommunications service rates.
7. In Telecom Decision 99‑8, the small incumbent cable carriers that do not have the resources necessary to conduct Phase II cost studies were given a certain amount of leeway in the justification of their high-speed access service rates. Specifically, the Commission authorized them to justify these rates (i) using a costing methodology not based on Phase II costing, or (ii) using rates approved for large incumbent cable carriers.
8. The speeds and rates in effect for CVQ’s TPIA service reflect those approved for a large incumbent cable carrier, i.e. Cogeco. The revisions proposed by CVQ also reflect the speeds and rates in effect for Cogeco. Specifically, the rate proposed by CVQ for its 10-Mbps service speed was approved on a final basis for Cogeco, while the rate proposed by CVQ for its 20-Mbps service speed was approved on an interim basis for Cogeco.
9. CVQ is a small incumbent cable carrier, and its application complies with the regulatory framework applicable to these types of carriers. In this context, the Commission considers that CVQ’s application is reasonable and acceptable.
10. In light of the different approval statuses of Cogeco’s rates for the 10-Mbps (final) and 20-Mbps (interim) service speeds, and of the fact that Cogeco’s interim rate is currently being reviewed by the Commission, the Commission approves on a final basis CVQ’s application for the 10-Mbps service speed only. CVQ’s application for the 20-Mbps service speed remains approved on an interim basis until further notice.

Secretary General

Related documents

• Telecom Order CRTC 2014‑51, 10 February 2014
• Regulation under the Telecommunications Act of cable carriers’ access services, Telecom Decision CRTC 99‑8, 6 July 1999

Date modified:

2014-08-08