Telecom - Procedural Letter addressed to Jeffrey Beatty (Deaf Wireless Canada Committee) and Kimberly Wood (Canada Deaf Grassroots Movement)

Ottawa, 27 May 2022

Our reference:  1011-NOC2022-0065

BY EMAIL

Jeffrey Beatty
Technical Consultant
Deaf Wireless Canada Committee
regulatory@deafwireless.ca

Kimberly Wood
Founder
Canada Deaf Grassroots Movement
canadadeafgrassrootsmovement@gmail.com

Re:  Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-65 – Call for comments – Funding next-generation 9-1-1 access services through the National Contribution Fund – request for extension to deadlines

The Commission is in receipt of separate letters from Deaf Wireless Canada Committee (DWCC) and the Canada Deaf Grassroots Movement (CDGM), dated 18 May 2022, in which they submitted that they were unable to submit interventions and replies to Notice of Consultation 2022-65 (NOC 2022-65) Footnote1 by the respective deadlines of 21 April 2022 and 24 May 22, due to their resources being otherwise occupied with concurrent Commission proceedings including Telecom Notices of Consultation 2021-102 Footnote2 and 2021-191. Footnote3

Consequently, the DWCC requested NOC 2022-65 be suspended until after the reply phase for NOC 2021-102 (currently 11 July 2022), whereas the CDGM requested that NOC 2022-65 be re-opened to permit interventions and replies to be filed by 1 June 2022 and 13 June 22 respectively.

While Commission staff acknowledges the importance of gathering a variety of views, including those of accessibility groups, within the context of Commission proceedings, staff is of the view that it is unreasonable to delay this proceeding in favour of another. However, staff considers it appropriate to allow the DWCC and CDGM an opportunity to provide their views on the matters under consideration in NOC 2022-65, as well as to afford all parties time to consider the DWCC and CDGM’s interventions in their replies.

Accordingly, the DWCC and CDGM may file interventions by 3 June 2022. Staff reminds the DWCC and the CDGM that their interventions shall be limited to the matter of whether the provision of next-generation 9-1-1 access services by telecommunication service providers should be funded, in whole or in part, through the National Contribution Fund (see specific questions starting at paragraph 16 of NOC 2022-65). Footnote4 Furthermore, in light of the fact that interventions and replies have already been received, any intervention to be filed by the DWCC and CDGM shall not address any submissions made by other parties to the proceeding.

In addition, the reply deadline for NOC 2022-65 is re-opened with a new deadline of 15 June 2022. Parties who filed reply comments with the Commission prior to receiving this letter may submit an amended reply though any amendments shall be limited to addressing the interventions filed by the DWCC and the CDGM. As well, any reply filed by the DWCC and the CDGM shall be limited to addressing comments made in other parties’ interventions and shall not take into consideration any party’s reply comments.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Michel Murray
Director, Dispute Resolution & Regulatory Implementation
Telecommunications Sector

c.c.:  Étienne Robelin, CRTC, etienne.robelin@crtc.gc.ca

Parties to NOC 2022-65

Date modified: