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Ottawa, June 18, 2014

Our reference: 8740-B54-201403419, 8740-B2-201403402

BY EMAIL

Ms. Suzanne Morin
Bell Aliant
General Counsel - Regulatory & Privacy Chief
Floor 19, 160 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K2P 2C4
bell.regulatory@bell.ca

Mr. Philippe Gauvin
Bell Canada
Senior Counsel - Regulatory Law & Policy
Floor 19, 160 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario  K2P 2C4
bell.regulatory@bell.ca

RE:  Bell Aliant Tariff Notice 481 and Bell Canada Tariff
Notice 7427 – Requests for disclosure of information designated as confidential

Dear Madam/Sir:

This letter addresses requests for disclosure of information designated as confidential regarding the updated cost studies associated with Tariff Notices 481 and 7427 filed by Bell Aliant and Bell Canada (the Bell companies).

On 23 May 2014, Allstream Inc. (Allstream) filed an intervention and requested the following information filed in confidence by the Bell companies in their cost studies be disclosed:

  1. The mix of fibre, 2-wire and 4-wire copper configurations for which the Bell companies have claimed confidentiality in Appendices 1c) and 2c) of the Attachment to the Bell companies’ cost studies.
  2. The percentage of DS-1 accesses which require copper conditioning and the cost of conditioning by band provided in Appendix 1c).

On 5 June 2014, the Bell companies responded to the above request.

Requests for disclosure of information designated as confidential are addressed in light of sections 38 and 39 of the Telecommunications Act (the Act) and sections 30 and following of the CRTC Rules of Practice and Procedure. In evaluating a request, an assessment is made as to whether the information falls into a category of information that can be designated confidential pursuant to section 39 of the Act. An assessment is then made as to whether there is any specific direct harm likely to result from the disclosure of the information in question and whether  any such harm outweighs the public interest in disclosure. In making this evaluation, a number of factors are taken into consideration, including the degree of competition and the importance of the information for the purpose of obtaining a fuller record. The factors are discussed in more detail in Procedures for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure in Commission proceedings, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961, 23 December 2010, as amended by Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961-1, 26 October 2012.

Having regard to all of the considerations set out above, the Bell companies are to place on the public record the information in their cost studies that has been designated as  confidential, to the extent set out in Attachment 1. In each case where full or partial disclosure is to occur, it is considered that the specific direct harm, if any, likely to be caused by disclosure would not outweigh the public interest in disclosure.

The Bell companies are to file on the public record the information to be provided pursuant to this letter as set out in Attachment 1 by 25 June 2014, serving a copy on all parties by the same date. Copies of the documents should also be sent to trichur.krishnan@crtc.gc.ca

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Lyne Renaud
Director, Competitor Services & Costing
Telecommunications Sector

c.c.: Thurston, Doug CRTC, 819-934-6378, doug.thurston@crtc.gc.ca
iworkstation@mtsallstream.com;
regulatory@primustel.ca;
regulatory@cnoc.ca

Attach. (1)

ATTACHMENT

Disclosure of Information Designated as Confidential

The Bell companies are to disclose the following information filed in confidence with the Commission, to the extent set out below. 

Attachment to the economic study titled Appendix 1c

Bell Canada – Assumptions for CDN DS-1

  1. Percent Copper versus Fibre for CDN access, for copper and fibre by band
  2. Copper (2 wire versus 4 wire) for copper CDN access, for 2-wire and 4-wire by band

Bell Aliant Central – Assumptions for CDN DS-1

  1. Percent Copper versus Fibre for CDN access, for copper and fibre by band
  2. Copper (2 wire versus 4 wire) for copper CDN access, for 2-wire and 4-wire by band

Bell Canada – Assumptions for CDN DS-1

  1. Copper Conditioning percent per CDN access (Copper & Fibre), provide for the total of all bands, the percentage of accesses requiring conditioning 

Attachment to the economic study titled Appendix 2c)

Bell Canada – Assumptions for CDN DS-0

  1. Percent Copper versus Fibre for CDN access, for copper and fibre by band
  2. Copper (2 wire versus 4 wire) for copper CDN access, for 2-wire and 4-wire by band

Bell Aliant Central – Assumptions for CDN DS-0

  1. Percent Copper versus Fibre for CDN access, for copper and fibre by band
  2. Copper (2 wire versus 4 wire) for copper CDN access, for 2-wire and 4-wire by band
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