Telecom Commission Letter addressed to Stan Thompson (Northwestel Inc.)
Ottawa, 4 November 2020
Our reference: 8740-N1-202006775
BY E-MAIL
Mr. Stan Thompson
Chief Financial Officer & Vice-President
Northwestel Inc.
P.O. Box 2727
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 4Y4
regulatoryaffairs@nwtel.ca
RE: Northwestel Inc. - Tariff Notice 1099 – General Tariff, Basic Services
Dear Mr. Thompson:
On 14 October 2020, the Commission received an application from Northwestel Inc. (Northwestel) under Tariff Notice 1099. The company proposed changes to General Tariff CRTC 3001, Item 1735 – Terrestrial Internet Services, in order to introduce new Internet packages, including unlimited Internet packages, for residential and business customers in its areas served by fibre-to-the-premises and cable.
Paragraph 28(1) (a) of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure provides that the Commission may require parties to file information or documents where needed.
Northwestel is requested to provide comprehensive answers, including rationale and any supporting information, to the attached questions by 10 November 2020.
As set out in section 39 of the Telecommunications Act and in Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-961, Procedures for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure in Commission proceedings, persons may designate certain information as confidential.
A person designating information as confidential must provide a detailed explanation on why the relevant information qualifies for designation as confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest, including as to how the specific direct harm that would likely result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in disclosure.
urthermore, a person designating information as confidential must either file an abridged version of the document omitting only the information designated as confidential or provide reasons why an abridged version cannot be filed.
Where a document is to be filed or served by a specific date, the document must be actually received, not merely sent, by that date.
The Commission requires the response or other documents to be submitted electronically by using the secured service “My CRTC Account” (Partner Log In or GCKey) and filling the “Telecom Cover page” located on this web page.
A copy of this letter and the subsequent responses will be added to the public record of this proceeding.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Michel Murray
Director, Dispute Resolution & Regulatory Implementation
Telecommunications Sector
c.c: Wendy McClintock, CRTC, 819-639-6211, wendy.mcclintock@crtc.gc.ca
bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Attach. (1)
Requests for Information
At paragraph 3 of its cover letter to Tariff Notice 1099, Northwestel stated the following:
“As this commitment to introduce new unlimited Internet packages was a key component of our bids that the Commission approved in the Broadband Funding Decisions, and particularly in view of the continued impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers in the North, which has led to more people working and learning from home, we are proposing to introduce these new Internet packages without a supporting Phase II cost study effective 2 November 2020.”
Generally when an incumbent local exchange carrier introduces a new service, or files rate reductions to an existing service, the proposed rates must be supported by a cost study and must satisfy a price floor test.Footnote1
- Provide a detailed explanation of how each of the proposed rates for the Internet packages for which Northwestel is seeking approval i) pass the price floor test and ii) should be considered to be just and reasonable.
- Indicate whether Northwestel intends to file cost studies in support of the proposed Internet packages and rates. If so, when does the company intend to file these studies? If not, provide a detailed rationale as to why cost studies will not be filed.
- Date modified: