ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter Addressed to Mr. Gary Malkowski
(VP Stakeholder & Employer Relations)  

Ottawa, 1 September 2016

Our reference: 8663-C12-2015030186 and 4754-535

DELIVERED BY EMAIL

Mr. Gary Malkowski
VP Stakeholder & Employer Relations  
271 Spadina Road
Toronto, ON
M5R 2V3
Email: gmalkowski@chs.ca

RE:     Application for costs award with respect to the participation of the Canadian Hearing Society in Telecom Notice of Consultation 2015-134, Review of basic telecommunications services

Dear Mr. Malkowski,

On 3 May 2016, the Commission received an application for costs from the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) with respect to its participation in Telecom Notice of Consultation 2015-134, Review of basic telecommunications services (the hearing).

The purpose of this letter is to request additional information from CHS regarding its application for costs.

1. Costs Criteria

Pursuant to section 68 of theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Rules of Procedure), when assessing costs applications, the Commission considers whether the applicant had, or was representative of a group or class of subscribers that had an interest in the outcome of the proceeding; the extent to which the applicant assisted the Commission in developing a better understanding of the matters considered; and whether the applicant participated in the proceeding in a responsible way.

Accordingly, Commission staff requests that CHS elaborate how it has met these criteria for a final award of costs.

2. Telecom Information Bulletin 2016-188

On 17 May 2016, the Commission issued Telecom Information Bulletin 2016-188, Guidance for costs award applicants regarding representation of a group or a class of subscribers. In this information bulletin, the Commission provided guidance on the type of information that will generally assist it in its consideration of the eligibility criterion applicable to costs applicants who submit that they represent a group or a class of subscribers with an interest in the outcome of the proceeding. This is set out as one of the three criteria for an award of final costs in section 68 of the Rules of Procedure.

In light of the general guidance set out within this information bulletin, Commission staff requests that CHS make submissions that clearly and specifically identify and describe the group it purports to represent. CHS must also explain the methods by which it represents the group or class of subscribers and how it determined that the positions put forward in the hearing reflect the interests of that group or class.

3. HST Calculation and Fee Rebate

The Commission’s Guidelines for the Assessment of Costs (the Guidelines) explain that a costs applicant shall indicate in the required Forms whether or not it is entitled to a rebate in connection with the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), a provincial sales tax (PST), a Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), or any other applicable tax, as well as the extent of the rebate and the basis of its eligibility.

Commission staff notes that in its application for costs dated 3 May 2016, CHS claimed both a GST (50%) and HST (82%) rebate, but did not calculate the allowable rebate or deduct it from the fees and disbursements claimed. In addition, the applicant calculated its fees and disbursements using a 15% HST in Form III - Summary of Consultant and Analyst Fees.

In its Reply dated 5 August 2016, CHS submitted adjustments and corrections to the total hours it claimed in its 3 May 2016 costs application. It is unclear whether the fees and disbursements claimed in this Reply include HST or the allowable rebate.

Commission staff requests that CHS (1) explain whether it pays HST for its in-house consultants’ fees and disbursements, and (2) resubmit the following forms to reflect the correct HST percentage and calculate the allowable tax rebate claimed for its fees and disbursements, if applicable: Form III – Summary of Consultant and Analyst Fees; Exhibit A – Summary Statement of Disbursements; and Form V – Summary of Fees and Disbursements.  
Filing Information with the Commission

The requested information is to be filed with the Commission by 12 September 2016 (10 days). Any other interested party may file a response by 19 September 2016 (5 days). CHS may reply to any comments no later than 26 September 2016 (5 days). All filings are to be provided to all persons copied within this letter.

A copy of this letter and all related correspondence will be added to the public record of the proceeding.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at (613) 697-4027 or megan.maloney@crtc.gc.ca.

In the meantime, the Commission is currently continuing its review of this costs application.

Yours Sincerely,

originally signed by

Megan Maloney
Legal Counsel
cc: Distribution List

Distribution List

Incumbent local exchange carriers
9315-1884 Québec inc. (formerly Courcelles and Lambton) jpatry@telcourcelles.qc.ca,  infotel@sogetel.net  
Association des Compagnies de Téléphone du Québec, sdesy@actq.qc.ca  
Amtelecom Telco GP Inc., regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca  
Bell CanadaFootnote3, bell.regulatory@bell.ca  
Brooke Telecom Co-operative Ltd, jim@brooketel.ca  
Bruce Telecom, regulatory@brucetelecom.com  
The Canadian Independent Telephone Company – Joint Task Force (CITC-JTF), jonathan.holmes@itpa.ca  
CityWest Telephone Corporation, heather.bishop@cwct.ca  
Cochrane Telecom Services, Louise.robichaud@cochranetel.ca  
CoopTel, pallard@cooptel.coop  
DMTS, reglementa@telebec.com  
Execulink Telecom Inc., jonathan.scott@execulink.com  
Groupe Maskatel LP, claporte@maskatel.qc.ca  
Gosfield North Communication Co-operative Limited, regulatory@gosfieldtel.ca 
Hay Communications Co-operative Limited, a.schneider@hay.net   
Huron Telecommunications Co-operative Limited, regulatory@hurontel.on.ca   
La Compagnie de téléphone de St-Victor, telvic@telvic.net  
La Compagnie de téléphone Upton inc., j-fmathieu@telupton.qc.ca  
Lansdowne Rural Telephone Company Ltd, wagrier@1000island.net  
Mornington Communications Co-operative Limited, rbanks@mornington.ca  
MTS Inc., iworkstation@mtsallstream.com, regulatory@mts.ca 
Nexicom Telecommunications Inc., pdowns@nexicomgroup.net  
Nexicom Telephones Inc., pdowns@nexicomgroup.net   
North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Ltd, Fmantell6229@rogers.com  
NRTC Communications, steve@wtccommunications.ca  
People's Tel Limited Partnership, regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca 
Quadro Communications Co-operative Inc., barry.stone@quadro.net 
Roxborough Telephone Company Limited, timbeach@ontarioeast.net 
Saskatchewan Telecommunications, document.control@sasktel.sk.ca 
Sogetel inc., sophie.houde@sogetel.com 
TBayTel, rob.olenick@tbaytel.com 
Téléphone de St-Éphrem inc., telstep@telstep.net 
Téléphone Milot Inc., paul.frappier@sogetel.com 
TELUS Communications Company, regulatory.affairs@telus.com 
Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative Limited, regulatory@tccmail.ca 
Wightman Telecom Ltd, kgugan@wightman.ca 
WTC Communications, carlo.dondero@wtccommunications.ca

Other telecommunications service providers
Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc, regulatory@cnoc.ca  
Axia SuperNet Ltd./Axia Connect Ltd, nicole.springer@axia.com, art.price@axia.com 
Bragg Communications Incorporated (EastLink), regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca  
Cogeco Cable Canada LP, telecom.regulatory@cogeco.com 
Ice Wireless Inc., regulatory@icewireless.ca  
Iristel Inc., regulatory@iristel.com  
Québecor Média inc., regaffairs@quebecor.com  
Rogers Communications Partnership, rwi_gr@rci.rogers.com  
Shaw Cablesystems G.P., regulatory@sjrb.ca  
SSi Micro Ltd, regulatory@ssimicro.com  
TekSavvy Solutions Inc., regulatory@teksavvy.com  
Telesat Canada, iscott@telesat.com  
Wind Mobile Corp., lgoetz@windmobile.ca  
Xplornet Communications Inc., cj.prudham@corp.xplornet.com  
Yak Communications (Canada) Corp., yakregulatory@globalive.com 

Others
John Lawford, Counsel for AAC, lawford@piac.ca  
Geoffrey White, Counsel for AAC, gwhite@piac.ca  
Union des consommateurs, slambert-racine@uniondesconsommateurs.ca  
Cybera, robin.winsor@cybera.ca  
Canadian Wireless Internet Service Providers, terry@canwisp.ca  
Canadian Cable Systems Alliance Inc, cedwards@ccsa.cable.ca  
R. Layton, roslyn@layton.dk  
B. Klass and M. Nanni, benjiklass@hotmail.com  
F. McKelvey, fenwick.mckelvey@concordia.ca  
McNally et al. mmcnally@ualberta.ca  
C. Middleton, catherine.middleton@ryerson.ca  
MKO, alfen@legalaid.mb.ca  
CMCRP, dwayne.winseck@carleton.ca  
Cree Nation/ECN, hglustein@rtscanada.ca 
First Mile Connectivity Consortium, rob.mcmahon@unb.ca  
Canadian Hearing Society, sgreeff@chs.ca  
Deaf Wireless Canada Committee, lisa@deafwireless.ca, nicole@deafwireless.ca 
Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada (CAD-ASC), ffolino@cad.ca, jroots@cad.ca  
Media Access Canada, bmilligan@mediac.ca  
Nunavut Broadband Development Corporation, oana@nunavut-broadband.ca, darrell.ohokannoak@nunavut-broadband.ca 
Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties, wyatt.skovron@aamdc.ca  
All Nations Trust Company, ruth-williams@outlook.com  
Canadian Federation of Agriculture, scott@canadian-farmers.ca  
Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, crtc@eorn.ca  
Federation of Canadian Municipalities, drubinstein@fcm.ca  
Northwest Territories Association of Communities, sara@nwtac.com  
OneWeb, Ltd., bb4all@OneWeb.net  
Open Media, regulatory@openmedia.org  
Government of British Columbia, roman.mateyko@gov.bc.ca  
Government of Ontario, Sarah.McQuarrie@ontario.ca  
Government of Yukon, steve.sorochan@gov.yk.ca  
Gouvernement du Québec, andre.labrie@mcc.gouv.qc.ca  
Government of Northwest Territories, linda_maljan@gov.nt.ca 
ADISQ, agendrondeslandes@adisq.com, aprovencher@adisq.com, pleblanc@adisq.com 
British Columbia Broadband Association, regulatory@bcba.ca  
Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, execdir@frpc.net  
Kativik Regional Government, jdumoulin@krg.ca  
Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, snimchuk@gcorp.ca 
Campbell Patterson Communications, campbell@campbellpatterson.com  
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc., alfen@legalaid.mb.ca; ambea@legalaid.mb.ca  
Vaxination Informatique, jfmezei@vaxination.ca  
TCPub Media Inc.. caronf@tcpubmedia.com  
F. McKelvey, fenwick.mckelvey@concordia.ca  
P. Germain, vadapaul@gmail.com  
T. Shepherd, tamara.shepherd@ucalgary.ca  
Government of Nunavut, Regulatory.Affairs@gov.nu.ca  
Northwest Territories Association of Communities, sara@nwtac.com  
R. Adams 
S. Lehmann, susan.lehmann66@gmail.com  
J. Roman, johnphiliproman@gmail.com  
C. Lunau, Milton Councillor, Ward 3 (Nassagaweya), cindy@in.on.ca  
Chambre de commerce de la Ville de Sainte-Adèle, guyvandenhove@gmail.com  
A. Lajoie, Député fédéral de Rimouski-Neigette--Témiscouata--Les Basques, guy.caron@parl.gc.ca 
The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, Canada (“ACORN Canada”), canadaacorn@acorncanada.org  
L. Berthold, Député Mégantic--L'Érable, luc.berthold.c1a@parl.gc.ca  
S. Frankel, Thetis Island Resident's Association, frankel@island.net  
D. Sokolov, daniel@falco.ca  
S. Lowell, iskalowell@gmail.com  
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, lui.greco@cnib.ca  
C. Coyle, coyle.christopher@gmail.com  
J. Rae, thepenguin@rogers.com  
A. Jetté, Maire - St-André d'Argenteuil, ajetteici@gmail.com  
B. Généreux, Député de Montmagny — L'Islet — Kamouraska — Rivière-du-Loup, bernard.genereux.c1a@parl.gc.ca  
Yellow Pages Limited, celine.poitras@blakes.com  
Harewaves Wireless Inc., andrew@harewaves.net  
I. Phillips, netsvancouver@yahoo.com 
D. Graham, Députés de Laurentides--Labelle de Pontiac, david.graham.a1@parl.gc.ca  
F. Brolly, deeerickson38@gmail.com  
B. LaHaise, ben.lahaise@kvack.ca  
Canadian Taxpayers Federation, awudrick@taxapyer.com  
Réseau intégré de communications électroniques des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, info@riceim.ca  
National Capital FreeNet, execdir@ncf.ca  
Chebucto Community Net Society, office@chebucto.ns.ca  
L’organisme de Gestion de l’inforoute régionale de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, dg@girat.org  
M. Gammon, michel.gammon@gmail.com  
i-CANADA, barrygander@yahoo.com  
B. Borley, notimefarms@gmail.com  
Unifor, mike.yam@unifor.org  
Kootenay Boundary Broadband Committee, rob11gay@gmail.com 
La Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, s.quinty@fcfa.ca  
A. Warolin, Préfet - MRC de Témiscamingue, arnaud.warolin@mrctemiscamingue.qc.ca  
Concordia University’s Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, brandiff.caron@concordia.ca  
On Screen Manitoba, nicole@onscreenmanitoba.com  
The Canadian Media Producers Association, jay.thomson@cmpa.ca

Date modified:

2016-07-11