ARCHIVED - Letter

Ottawa, 7 February 2014

File No.: 8650-C12-201310060

DELIVERED BY EMAIL

TO: Distribution list

Re: Telecom Notice of Consultation 2013-337 - Fact-finding process on the role of payphones in the Canadian communications system – Further requests for information

In Telecom Notice of Consultation 2013-337 ^{Footnote 1} , the Commission initiated a proceeding to collect information on the use of payphones by Canadians. As part of this consultation, the Commission also requested operating and costing data from the ILECs made party to this proceeding in a letter dated 16 July 2013.
Appendix A contains requests for information addressed to the parties listed in Telecom Notice of Consultation 2013-337.
Appendix B contains further requests for information addressed to Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, Bell Canada, Northwestel Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications, and Télébec, Limited Partnership.
Appendix C contains further requests for information addressed to TELUS Communications Company.
Appendix D contains further requests for information addressed to MTS Inc.
Responses to these interrogatories are to be filed with the Commission by 19 February 2013. These responses are to be received, and not merely sent, by this date.
Sincerely,

Original signed by

Nanao Kachi
Director, Social and Consumer Policy

cc : Adam Mills, CRTC, adam.mills@crtc.gc.ca;
Soniya Mukhedkar, CRTC, soniya.mukhedkar@crtc.gc.ca

Distribution list

ILECs made party to the proceeding
Amtelecom Limited Partnership Stacey.Langley@corp.eastlink.ca
Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership regulatory@bell.aliant.ca;
Bell Canada bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Ltd. jim@brooketel.ca
Bruce Telecom regulatory@brucetelecom.com
CityWest Telephone Corporation heather.bishop@cwct.ca
Cochrane Telecom Services admin@cochranetel.ca;
CoopTel pallard@cooptel.qc.ca
Dryden Municipal Telephone System Stace.gander@bell.ca
Execulink Telecom Inc. jonathan.scott@execulink.com
Gosfield North Communications Co-operative Limited gosfield@gosfieldtel.com
Hay Communications Co-operative Limited a.schneider@hay.net
Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Limited- grubb@hurontel.on.ca
KMTS mjboivin@telebec.com
La Cie de Téléphone de Courcelles Inc. jpatry@telcourcelles.qc.ca
La Compagnie de Téléphone de Lambton Inc. infotel@sogetel.net
La Compagnie de Téléphone de St-Victor telvic@telvic.net
La Compagnie de Téléphone Upton Inc. j-fmathieu@telupton.qc.ca
Lansdowne Rural Telephone Co. Ltd. wagrier@1000island.net
Le Téléphone de St-Éphrem inc. telstep@telstep.net
Mornington Communications Co-operative Limited rbanks@mornington.ca
MTS Inc. iworkstation@mtsallstream.com
Nexicom Telecommunications Inc., jdowns@nexicomgroup.net
Nexicom Telephones Inc. pdowns@nexicom.net; pdowns@nexicomgroup.net
North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Ltd. Fmantell6229@rogers.com
NorthernTel, Limited Partnership mjboivin@telebec.com
Northwestel Inc. regulatoryaffairs@nwtel.ca
NRTC Communications moverton@nrtco.net
Ontera tracy.cant@ontera.ca
People’s Tel Limited Partnership Stacey.Langley@corp.eastlink.ca
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc. barry.stone@quadro.net
Roxborough Telephone Company Limited roxboro@ontarioeast.net
Saskatchewan Telecommunications document.control@sasktel.com
Sogetel inc. sophie.houde@sogetel.com
TBayTel rob.olenick@tbaytel.com
Télébec, Limited Partnership mjboivin@telebec.com
Téléphone Guèvremont inc. gcordeau@maskatel.qc.ca
Téléphone Milot inc. paul.frappier@telmilot.com
TELUS Communications Company regulatory.affairs@telus.com
Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Limited regulatory@tcc.on.ca
Wightman Telecom Ltd. kgugan@wightman.ca
WTC Communications steve@wtccommunications.ca

Appendix A

Requests for information addressed to parties listed in Appendix A of
Telecom Notice of Consultation 2013-337

301.) In CRTC TRP 2013-708, the Commission placed a moratorium applicable to all ILECs on the removal of the last payphone in a community.
a) Provide the total number of “communities” as defined in CRTC TD 2004-47, paragraph 61 (i.e., the total number of wire centers), per province, in which your company provides payphone service as of 31 December 2013.
b) Provide a list of municipalities, per province, in which your company provides payphone service as of 31 December 2013.
c) Provide a list of reserves^{Footnote 2} , per province, to which your company provides payphone service as of 31 December 2013.

302.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC)16Jul13-101 TNC 2013-337 associated with payphone removals in high-costing serving areas (HCSAs) and non-HCSAs, for each of the years 2008-2016.
a) Provide the total number of payphones located in HCSAs and the total number of payphones located in non-HCSAs, for each of the years 2008-2016.

Appendix B
Requests for information addressed to Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership, Bell Canada, Northwestel Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications, and Télébec, Limited Partnership.

401.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC)16Jul13-201 TNC 2013-337 associated with the toll-free revenues and costs for payphone services^{Footnote 3} .
a) Confirm that the response submitted to the CRTC combines competitor and company demand, revenues and costs (all-carrier approach).
i. If the response to a) above is no, explain why not with supporting rationale.
ii. If the response to a) above is yes, provide a breakdown of the demand forecast for each year of the study period by competitor and company.
b) Confirm the response includes the toll-free revenues (i.e. company demand x compensation per call rate) associated with the company’s demand. If not, explain why not with supporting rationale.
402.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC) 16Jul13-103 TNC 2013-337 Attachment 1 associated with types of payphone calls. Provide the average call duration for each call type (local cash calls, local non-cash calls, non-local cash calls, non-local non-cash calls, 1-800 payphone calls, directory assistance calls, 9-1-1 calls) for each of the years 2008-2013.

Appendix C
Requests for information addressed to TELUS Communications Company

501.) Refer to your company’s response to TELUS(CRTC) 16Jul13-103 TNC 2013-337 Attachment 1 associated with types of payphone calls. Your company has indicated that total payphone call volume is forecasted to decrease over the next two years, however your company has forecasted a notable increase in long-distance coin calls in 2016 when compared with other large ILECs. Please provide rationale as to what may contribute to higher payphone service demand for long-distance coin calls.
502.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC) 16Jul13-103 TNC 2013-337 Attachment 1 associated with types of payphone calls. Provide the average call duration for each call type (local cash calls, local non-cash calls, non-local cash calls, non-local non-cash calls, 1-800 payphone calls, directory assistance calls, 9-1-1 calls) for each of the years 2008-2013.
503.) Refer to Table 3 of Attachment 1 of the company’s response to TELUS(CRTC)16Jul13-201A TNC 2013-337 REVISED, where the company provided a demand forecast for its payphones by province. Further refer to Table 8d – Wholesale Service Component Costs of Appendix 2 of the company’s response to TELUS(CRTC)10 Sep13-201 TNC 2013-337, where the company also provided a demand forecast.
a) Explain why the demand forecasts are not the same.
b) Indicate which demand forecast has been used to calculate costs and revenues in the company’s response to TELUS(CRTC)16 Jul13- 201A Table 1 TNC 2013-337 REVISED.
504.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC)16Jul13-201 associated with the toll-free revenues and costs for payphone services.
a) Confirm that the response submitted to the CRTC combined competitor and company demand, revenues and costs (all-carrier approach).
i. If the response to a) above is no, explain why not with supporting rationale.
ii. If the response to a) above is yes, provide a breakdown of the demand forecast for each year of the study period by competitor and company.
b) Confirm the response includes the toll-free revenues (i.e. company demand x compensation per call rate) associated with the company’s demand. If not, explain why not with supporting rationale.

Appendix D
Requests for information addressed to MTS Inc.

601.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC) 16Jul13-103 TNC 2013-337 Attachment 1 associated with total payphone calls. Your company has reported a notable spike in total call volume for the year 2009 in comparison to all other years. Please provide rationale as to what may have contributed to higher payphone service demand for this year.
602.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC) 16Jul13-103 TNC 2013-337 Attachment 1 associated with types of payphone calls. Provide the average call duration for each call type (local cash calls, local non-cash calls, non-local cash calls, non-local non-cash calls, 1-800 payphone calls, directory assistance calls, 9-1-1 calls) for each of the years 2008-2013.
603.) Refer to your company’s response to (CRTC)16Jul13-201 associated with the toll-free revenues and costs for payphone services.
a) Confirm that the response submitted to the CRTC combined competitor and company demand, revenues and costs (all-carrier approach).
i. If the response to a) above is no, explain why not with supporting rationale.
ii. If the response to a) above is yes, provide a breakdown of the demand forecast for each year of the study period by competitor and company.
b) Confirm the response includes the toll-free revenues (i.e. company demand x compensation per call rate) associated with the company’s demand. If not, explain why not with supporting rationale.
604.) Refer to Page 9 of Attachment 1 of the company’s response to MTS(CRTC)16Jul13-201 TNC 2013-337, where the company stated that the PAL Access costs are based on causal monthly access costs. Refer further to Table 6a - Expenses of Attachment 2 of the same interrogatory response Revised, where the company identified the unit cost ($ per unit per month) of PAL Rental fees.
a) Confirm whether the company used the tariff PAL rate in calculating the “PAL Rental fees” unit cost.
b) If the answer to 3 a) above is no, then describe how the unit costs associated with the “PAL Rental fees” was calculated, with supporting rationale.
c) Provide the demand driver (i.e., call volume, access lines, etc.) used to calculate the “PAL Rental fees” cash flows

Date modified:

2014-02-07