Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to Philippe Gauvin (Bell Canada)
Ottawa, 19 January 2023
Our reference: 8740-B2-202209009
BY EMAIL
Philippe Gauvin
Assistant General Counsel
Bell Canada
Floor 19
160 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2C4
bell.regulatory@bell.ca
RE: Bell Canada Tariff Notice 7653 – Withdraw Exchange Radio-Telephone Service and Regional Communication Service
Philippe Gauvin:
On 21 October 2022, the Commission received an application from Bell Canada, under Tariff Notice (TN) 7653 in which the company proposed changes to Bell Canada’s General Tariff CRTC 6716 to withdraw Item 1430 – Exchange Radio-Telephone Service (ERTS) and Item 1435 – Regional Communication Service (RCS).
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.
Bell Canada is requested to provide comprehensive answers, including rationale and any supporting information, to the attached questions by 2 February 2023.
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 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.
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 all subsequent replies 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.: Emily Fraser, CRTC, (873)-353-6549, emily.fraser@crtc.gc.ca
Attach. (1)
Request for Information
Bell Canada is proposing to withdraw General Tariff CRTC 6716 Item 1430 – Exchange Radio-Telephone Service (ERTS) and Item 1435 – Regional Communication Service (RCS). It is proposing to implement the same transition plan that the Commission approved for the withdrawal of ERTS in Telecom Order 2016-239.Footnote1 Accordingly, it is proposing to reimburse its residential customers up to $1,200 per radio channel if they migrate to satellite service, and up to $1,000 per radio channel if they migrate to cellular service.
On 16 December 2022, Bell Canada submitted Reply Comments responding to four customers who contacted the company directly.
- Explain, with supporting rationale, how the amounts indicated above for reimbursing residential customers were determined and why these amounts would be appropriate.
- Given that the application used to support the company’s proposed payment amounts was approved more than six years ago, should the payment amounts be increased? If not, explain why not.
- Provide, with customer names and identifiable information omitted, the comments that the company received from customers via email regarding this application.
- Date modified: