Telecom - Commission letter addressed to Distribution List
Ottawa, 2 July 2020
Our reference: 1011-NOC2019-0057
BY EMAIL
RE: Review of mobile wireless services, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019 57, as amended – request to extend the deadline for final submissions
Dear Madams, Sirs:
On 23 June 2020, the Commission published a revised Notice of Consultation establishing a final comment date for the proceeding of 15 July 2020.
On 25 June 2020, Rogers Communications Inc. filed a request to extend the date for final comments by two weeks. Certain parties, including Bell Mobility, Quebecor Media (Videotron), TbayTel, and the Canadian Internet Policy & Public Interest Clinic and OpenMedia (together, CIPPIC and OpenMedia), supported the request, while other parties such as TELUS Communications Inc., Data On Tap Inc., EMF-OFF!, and SSi Micro Ltd. indicated that they did not oppose the request. The main reasons parties gave in support of an extension included the workload for parties’ regulatory staff, who are working on multiple ongoing proceedings in the face of the COVID-19 situation, as well as the beginning of the summer vacation period.
This proceeding has already been subject to numerous delays for a variety of reasons and there is a strong public interest in closing the record and moving ahead with the decision making process. More than four months have elapsed since the completion of the public hearing, and, despite some minor additions, the record has not substantially changed since that point. This is a significant amount of time even amid the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. Parties have not provided any compelling explanation for why they would have been unable to use this time to at least begin to prepare their final comments. Further, parties have already had a separate opportunity to provide any comments they may have had on the effect of the COVID-19 situation in relation to the issues being examined in this proceeding. Finally, final comments are generally intended to be used to provide a summary of parties’ views on the information already on the record.
Accordingly, the Commission considers that any potential prejudice to parties from adhering to the existing final comment deadline would be outweighed by the public interest in closing the record as scheduled and advancing the proceeding.
In light of the above, the request for an extension is denied.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Claude Doucet
Secretary General
Distribution List: Parties to 2019-57 proceeding
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