ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter Addressed to Scott Mitchell (Cochrane Telecom Services)

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Ottawa, 20 August 2015

Our reference:  8740-C1-201507831

By Email

Mr. Scott Mitchell
General Manager
Cochrane Telecom Services
153 6th Avenue, Box 640
Cochrane, Ontario  P0L 1C0
customercare@cochranetel.ca

RE:  Tariff Notices 71 and 74 – Centrex Basic Services

Dear Sir:

The purpose of this letter is to establish additional process for the above-noted tariff notices (TNs).

On 31 July 2015, the Commission received an application by Cochrane Telecom Services (Cochrane), under TN 74, in which the company proposed to change the rate for Centrex Basic – Town & Rural in Section 210, item 2, of its General Tariff and requested ratification of the rate charged since 13 February 2015.

In its application, Cochrane submitted that it had filed tariff pages with the Commission as part of the proceeding associated with TN 70/70A that mistakenly reflected a lower rate for Centrex Basic Service than that previously approved by the Commission. 

Cochrane also noted that, subsequently in TN 71, it had merged this mistakenly lowered Basic Centrex Service rate with the Touch-Tone service rate.  Cochrane requested that the Commission approve a rate change that would, in effect, correct the inadvertent lowering of the Basic Centrex Service rate at issue.

Commission staff notes that Cochrane submitted TN 71 as a Group A application on the basis that it included “light housekeeping” changes. Group A applications are forborne from approval; however, the Commission retains its remedial powers over such applications.

Staff considers that a proposal to combine the two rate elements at issue in TN 71 should have been filed as a Group B application because it does not meet the criteria for a Group A application as described in Approval processes for tariff applications and intercarrier agreements, Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-455, 5 July 2010.

As a result, the proposal to combine the Centrex Basic Service rate with the Touch-Tone rate will be considered in the context of the current TN 74 application and interested parties will have

the opportunity to comment on that proposal as well as on the proposed rate change and ratification request.

Accordingly, Commission staff requests that Cochrane respond to the attached questions by 27 August 2015. Interested parties may submit interventions regarding TN 74, as revised by this letter, by 3 September 2015 and Cochrane may provide a reply by 8 September 2015.
Sincerely,

Original signed by Robert Martin for

Michel Murray
Director, Dispute Resolution and Regulatory Implementation
Telecommunications Sector

c.c.:  Louise Robichaud, Cochrane Telecom Services, Louise.robichaud@cochranetel.ca
Joanne Baldassi, CRTC, 819-997-3498, joanne.baldassi@crtc.gc.ca

Attach. (1)

Request for information

  1. In TN 71, Cochrane combined its Touch-Tone rate with its Centrex Basic rate and included a combined rate for Centrex Basic − Town & Rural service of $41.96 on its proposed tariff page (Section 210, item 2).

    Commission staff notes that the correct proposed combined rate for Centrex Basic-Town & Rural service, including Touch-Tone service, would have been $42.56, or the total of the previous rate of $40.56 (as approved in Telecom Order 2008-200) plus $2 for Touch-Tone service. Identify whether or not any customers were charged the lower rate of $41.96 subsequent to the effective date of TN 71 – that is, 29 June 2015.

  2. In TN 70 and TN 70A, the rate for Centrex Basic − Town & Rural was incorrectly shown as $39.96.

    Commission staff notes that the correct rate for Centrex Basic and Centrex Basic – Rural (S.H.) service, excluding Touch-Tone service, should have been $40.56. Identify whether or not any customers were charged the lower rate of $39.96 subsequent to the effective date of TN 70 and TN 70A – that is, 13 February 2015. 

  3. Provide justification for combining the Centrex Basic rate with the Touch-Tone rate as set out in TN 71.
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