ARCHIVED - Telecom Order CRTC 2014-67

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Ottawa, 17 February 2014

TELUS Communications Company – Withdrawal of Individual Line Service

File number: TCC Tariff Notice 465

1. The Commission received an application from TELUS Communications Company (TCC), dated 21 November 2013, in which the company proposed to withdraw item 202 – Individual Line Service (ILS) from its General Tariff.

2. TCC stated that, from 1986 to 1990, it undertook a program to convert all multi-party lines in Alberta to individual lines. ILS was destandardized in 2010^{Footnote 1} and, as a result, the service is no longer being offered to new customers. After the program was completed in 1991, and until ILS was destandardized in 2010, customers in Alberta could obtain service in areas where TCC did not have facilities via the ILS tariff.

3. TCC noted that customers who obtained ILS through this program were given three payment options for an ILS surcharge: (i) a one-time payment of $560, (ii) $5 per month for 20 years, or (iii) $18 per month for three years.

4. TCC noted that most customers who chose either the 20-year or the 3-year payment options have completed their ILS surcharge payments. However, TCC noted that a few customers subscribing under either of these two payment options are still making payments because they have not had continuous service from TCC at their service location over their chosen payment period.

5. TCC submitted that the withdrawal of ILS would not affect the service provided to customers in any way, and that the only impact on customers still making ILS surcharge payments would be that they would not make any further ILS surcharge payments after the proposed effective date of 28 February 2014.

6. TCC argued that the additional administrative and training costs the company incurs by retaining ILS far outweigh the revenues from the few customers still making ILS surcharge payments. To avoid confusion among these customers, the company did not provide them with prior notice of its proposal to withdraw the service. Instead, it proposed to inform them of the service withdrawal via a targeted bill message following the Commission’s approval of the withdrawal.

7. The Commission did not receive any interventions with respect to TCC’s application. The public record of this proceeding, which closed on 31 January 2014, is available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca under “Public Proceedings” or by using the file number provided above.

Commission’s analysis and determinations

8. The Commission notes that applications for destandardization and/or withdrawal of tariffed services would typically include a copy of the notice sent to affected customers, and that the company should send the notice on the date it files its application.

9. However, in light of the fact that the only impact on existing ILS customers will be that their ILS surcharge payments will end earlier than anticipated, the Commission considers that TCC’s proposal to not inform customers until after the company’s application is approved is reasonable.

10. The Commission considers that TCC has complied with the other requirements set out in Telecom Decision 2008-22, in which the Commission revised its procedures for applications dealing with the destandardization and/or withdrawal of tariffed services.

11. Accordingly, the Commission approves TCC’s application.

Secretary General

Related documents

• TELUS Communications Company – Construction charges tariff for Alberta and British Columbia, Telecom Order CRTC 2010-75, 11 February 2010
• Mandatory customer contract renewal notification and requirements for service destandardization/withdrawal, Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-22, 6 March 2008

Date modified:

2014-02-17