ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2014-649

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Ottawa, 16 December 2014

File number: Tariff Notice 483

TELUS Communications Company - Destandardization of NewsRoute service and introduction of an integrated replacement service

Application

1. The Commission received an application from TELUS Communications Company (TCC), dated 10 September 2014, in which TCC proposed to destandardize item 515 - Occasional Use Broadcast Video Service - NewsRoute, and to introduce a new item 529 - Occasional Use Integrated Broadcast NewsRoute Service^{Footnote 1} in its General Tariff as a replacement service.

2. TCC submitted that the proposed new service would provide a new autosensing feature, which allows the transmission of digital video in different formats over local facilities using different technologies such as Internet and wireless technologies. The company indicated that its proposed new service is intended to be used in conjunction with the Local Broadcast Transmission Local Loop Service, which it proposed to introduce in its Tariff Notice 482.

3. TCC proposed to use rate ranges for certain rate elements under the new service, and proposed that only the maximum rates be publicly specified in its tariff. The company requested that the new service be assigned to the Other Capped Services basket under the Commission’s price cap framework, and provided a price floor test in support of its application.

4. TCC submitted that it had sent a destandardization notification letter to the seven customers that use the existing service, and included a copy of this letter with its application.

5. The Commission received no interventions regarding TCC’s application. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 23 October 2014, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca or by using the file number provided above.

Commission’s analysis and determinations

6. In Telecom Decision 2003-11, the Commission assigned the incumbent local exchange carriers’ (ILECs) existing broadcast video services to the Other Capped Services basket. The Commission therefore considers TCC’s request to assign the proposed service to this same service basket to be appropriate.

7. In Telecom Decision 2007-36, the Commission determined that an ILEC may request the Commission’s approval for a rate range where either the maximum rate or the minimum rate, or both, are publicly specified in the tariff. The Commission therefore considers TCC’s proposal to publicly specify in its tariff only the maximum applicable rates under its proposed service to be appropriate.

8. The Commission notes that the proposed new service passes the price floor test, which is required for the introduction of new retail services and certain rate reductions to existing services, as noted in Telecom Regulatory Policy 2009-80.

9. Regarding TCC’s request to destandardize the existing service, the Commission notes that TCC’s application meets 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.^{Footnote 2} In particular, TCC has (i) informed affected customers of the proposed destandardization, including how they may file comments with the Commission, (ii) enabled existing customers to use the existing service or migrate to the new service, and (iii) offered a reasonable service alternative.  

10. The Commission notes that no comments were received regarding TCC’s application. In addition, the proposed new service reflects the same rating structure as the existing service.

11. In light of all the above, the Commission approves TCC’s application. TCC is to issue revised tariff pages^{Footnote 3} within 10 days of the date of this order.

Secretary General

Related documents

• Approval processes for tariff applications and intercarrier agreements, Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-455, 5 July 2010
• Review of the price floor test and certain wholesale costing methodologies, Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-80, 19 February 2009
• Mandatory customer contract renewal notification and requirements for service destandardization/withdrawal, Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-22, 6 March 2008
• Follow-up to Decision 2006-75 - Range-within-a-range proposal, Telecom Decision CRTC 2007-36, 25 May 2007
• Follow-up to Regulatory framework for second price cap period, Telecom Decision CRTC 2002-34 - Service basket assignment, Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-11, 18 March 2003, as amended by Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-11-1, 23 May 2003

Date modified:

2014-12-16