ARCHIVED - Telecom Commission Letter adressed to Distribution List

Ottawa, 24 February 2017

Our references: 8740-B2-201606873
8740-C6-201606831
8740-M59-201606980
8740-R28-201606808
8740-S22-201606823
8740-S9-201606790
8740-T66-201606815
8740-V3-201606849
8740-E17-201610262

BY EMAIL

To Distribution List:

Re: Extension Request Associated with the Implementation of Telecom Order CRTC 2016-396

The Commission is in receipt of a letter filed on 21 February 2017 by Bell Canada requesting extensions of various filing dates set out by the Commission for filing cost studies (and related interrogatory responses) associated with Bell Canada Tariff Notices (TN) 7504 and 7522 as well as Bell Mobility TN 1B and 2.  Bell Canada specifically requested:

• An extension for the cost data filings (and interrogatory responses) related to Bell Canada TN 7504 (banded non-legacy aggregated wholesale high-speed access (HSA) service^{Footnote 1} and the monthly capacity rate per 100 megabits per second service^{Footnote 2}) from 27 February 2017 to 13 March 2017 (a two week extension);
• A new filing date for the cost data filings related to Bell Canada TN 7522 (disaggregated wholesale HSA service monthly capacity rate per 50 megabits per second^{Footnote 3} and disaggregated HSA service fibre to the premises (FTTP) access^{Footnote 4}) of 4 April 2017; and
• An extension for the filings (and interrogatory responses) related to Bell Mobility TN 1B and TN 2 (GSM-based wholesale roaming services^{Footnote 5}) from 20 March 2017 to 17 April 2017 (a four week extension).

Bell Canada also requested that these extensions, along with related procedural dates be extended to all of the parties that are required to file responses to requests for information on the impacted dates in the applicable proceedings.

This letter addresses the request for a new filing date of 13 March 2017 for the aggregated wholesale HSA service (item a). The requests related to the disaggregated wholesale HSA service proceeding (item b) and the wireless roaming proceeding (item c) are addressed in separate letters.

In Telecom Order 2016-396^{Footnote 6} and Telecom Order 2016-448^{Footnote 7}, the Commission revised the proposed rates filed by the wholesale HSA service providers. The Commission expressed concern that certain wholesale HSA service providers did not provide sufficient costing details in their studies, did not conduct their cost studies in accordance with Phase II costing principles, as detailed in their Regulatory Economic Studies Manuals (the Manual), and/or did not justify any departures from the principles and methodologies set out in the Manual and past Commission determinations. Revised rates were approved on an interim basis.

On 16 December 2016, Commission staff provided direction to the wholesale HSA service providers to file revised cost studies and respond to requests for information that will allow the Commission to generate a fulsome record. The timelines identified in the letter considered the current regulatory workload of the wholesale HSA service providers.

The Commission is in receipt of letters dated 22 February 2017 from Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (RCCI) and 23 February 2017 from Quebecor Media Inc., on behalf of Videotron G.P. (Videotron), Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc. (CNOC), and TELUS Communications Company (TCC). RCCI, TCC, and Videotron indicated that they did not object to Bell Canada’s extension request, as an extension would provide all parties with additional time to ensure the quality of their submissions. CNOC submitted that it does not oppose the proposed extensions under the condition that  the Commission make its consent to the extension conditional on a commitment from Bell Canada and other parties to file cost studies and costing data in response to interrogatory responses in full compliance with all Commission disclosure and information guidelines. In particular, CNOC expects full compliance with the Commission’s disclosure rules and requirements and the Commission staff letters dated 13 September 2013^{Footnote 8} and 16 December 2016^{Footnote 9}.

Commission staff has considered Bell Canada’s extension request in relation to the scope of work requested in the 16 December 2016 letter.  It is Commission staff’s view that the extension request will provide a more fulsome record; however, Commission staff considers it necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the interest in timely disposition of the relevant tariff notices and the desirability of solid evidence to support the regulatory filings. Accordingly, Commission staff considers that a one-week extension is appropriate and amends the timelines as follows:

• Responses to Commission staff requests for information are to be filed with the Commission and served on all other parties by 6 March 2017.
• Any requests for public disclosure of information designated confidential by the wholesale HSA service providers are to be made by 20 March 2017.
• The wholesale HSA service providers are to file their responses to requests for public disclosure, serving copies on all other parties, by 30 March 2017.

It is Commission staff’s intention to provide further process information either when disposing of requests for disclosure further to the process set out above or shortly thereafter by separate letter. The wholesale HSA service providers are reminded that their responses are to follow the Commission’s disclosure guidelines^{Footnote 10}.

Please contact Doug Thurston (doug.thurston@crtc.gc.ca) at (819) 997-4579 or me (lyne.renaud@crtc.gc.ca) at (819) 953-5414 should you have any questions in regard to this letter.

 Sincerely,

Original signed by Doug Thurston for

Lyne Renaud
Director, Competitor Services and Costing Implementation
Telecommunications Sector

Doug Thurston, CRTC, doug.thurston@crtc.gc.ca;
Ramin Adim, CRTC, ramin.adim@crtc.gc.ca;
Bell Canada:  bell.regulatory@bell.ca;
MTS Inc.: regulatory@mts.ca;
Zayo Canada Inc.: regulatory@zayo.com;
Saskatchewan Telecommunications: document.control@sasktel.com;
TELUS Communications: regulatory.affairs@telus.com;
Cogeco Cable Inc.: telecom.regulatory@cogeco.com;
Quebecor Media Inc. (Videotron): regaffairs@quebecor.com;
Rogers Communications Partnership: barry.choi@rci.rogers.com; david.watt@rci.rogers.com; nathan.jarrett@rci.rogers.com; rwi_gr@rci.rogers.com;
Shaw Cablesystems G.P.: Regulatory@sjrb.ca;
CNOC Regulatory: regulatory@cnoc.ca ;
TekSavvy Solutions Inc.: regulatory@teksavvy.com;
Vaxination Informatique: jfmezei@vaxination.ca;
VMedia Inc.: george.burger@vmedia.ca;
Steve Sorochan: steve.sorochan@gov.yk.ca;
Darren Parberry: metisbus@yahoo.ca;
Marcus Schultze: marcus.p.schultze@gmail.com;
Kathleen Turnsek: regulatory@vianet.ca;
Eastlink: Regulatory.Matters@corp.eastlink.ca;
Tacit Law: ctacit@tacitlaw.com;
Distributel Communications Limited: regulatory@distributel.ca;

Date modified:

2017-02-24