Telecom - Procedural Letter addressed to Stan Thompson (Northwestel Inc.)

Ottawa, 8 July 2022

Our reference: 8646-N1-202108175

BY EMAIL

Stan Thompson
Chief Financial Officer & Vice-President
Northwestel Inc. (Northwestel)
3rd Floor, 301 Lambert Street
Whitehorse, Yukon - Y1A 4Y4
regulatoryaffairs@nwtel.ca

RE:  Part 1 application filed by Northwestel Inc. dated 6 December 2021

Stan Thompson:

Pursuant to section 37 of the Telecommunications Act,attached is a request for information (RFI) regarding the above-noted Part 1 application, Application to modify Tariff Filing Process for Retail Internet Services.

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 as to why the designated information is confidential and why its disclosure would not be in the public interest, including why the specific direct harm that would be likely to result from the disclosure would outweigh the public interest in disclosure. Furthermore, 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.

Northwestel’s response to this request must be filed with the Commission by 18 July 2022. Parties to this proceeding may file comments strictly limited to the information provided in response to this RFI by 25 July 2022, and Northwestel may then file their reply to the comments by 2 August 2022.

A copy of this letter will be placed on the public record of this proceeding.

Sincerely,

Original signed by

Celia Millay for
Lisanne Legros
Director, Telecommunications Networks Policy
Telecommunication Sector

c.c.: Nicolas Gatto, CRTC, nicolas.gatto@crtc.gc.ca
Simon Wozny, CRTC, simon.wozny@crtc.gc.ca
Salahuddin Rafiquddin, salahuddin.rafiquddin@crtc.gc.ca

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Attach (1)

Request for Information – Northwestel

1. Comment on the appropriateness of the Commission approving the relief^Footnote1 requested in Northwestel’s Part 1 application with changes, as set out below:
   1. For Northwestel’s DSL residential Internet services, the relief would apply in its entirety;
   2. For Northwestel’s Cable residential Internet services, the relief would apply except that increasing the speeds or usage cap allowances of existing services, or introducing new packages, would still require a supporting cost study. However, Northwestel would be permitted to decrease the rate for any existing service without a supporting cost study, as long as the new rate is still above the price floor established by the cost study that was most recently submitted with respect to that service; and,
   3. For Northwestel’s FTTP residential Internet services, the relief would apply except that increasing the speeds or usage cap allowances of existing services, or introducing new packages, would still require a supporting cost study. However, Northwestel would be permitted to decrease the rate for any existing service without a supporting cost study as long as the new rate is at most 20% below the price floor established by the cost study that was most recently submitted with respect to that service. Further, new services (or existing services with increased speeds or usage cap allowances) submitted with supporting cost studies could be provided at rates below the price floor as long as they are at most 20% below the price floor established for that service.

2. Under a scenario in which the Commission were to issue a decision on Northwestel’s Part 1 application approving the relief requested, with the changes described above, comment on whether Northwestel would still be prepared to provide a discount to Wholesale Connect in the manner described in Northwestel’s response to the RFI issued on 10 May 2022.

Date modified:

2022-07-08