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Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to the Distribution List

Ottawa, 16 March 2023

Our reference:  8661-E17-202202274

BY EMAIL

Distribution List

Subject: Part 1 application for an immediate and comprehensive review of the wholesale roaming tariff rates of the National Wireless Carriers – Process for additional comments and requests for information

On 19 May 2022, the Commission received a joint application from Bragg Communications Inc., carrying on business as Eastlink (Eastlink), Cogeco Communications Inc., on behalf of its subsidiary Cogeco Connexion Inc. (Cogeco), Quebecor Media Inc., on behalf of its subsidiary Videotron Ltd. (Videotron) and Xplornet Communications Inc. and Xplore Mobile Inc. (together, “Xplornet”) (together the Applicants) requesting that the Commission (i) initiate a comprehensive review of the wholesale roaming tariff rates of Bell Mobility Inc. (Bell Mobility), Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Rogers), and Telus Communications Inc. (TELUS) (collectively “the National Wireless Carriers”); (ii) state its intent to consider a mechanism whereby any newly approved wholesale roaming rates will decline on an annual basis thereafter, and (iii)  immediately declare all the wholesale roaming tariff rates of the National Wireless Carriers to be interim rates.

The Commission received interventions from Bell Mobility, the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC), Iristel Inc. (Iristel) on behalf of itself and its affiliate Ice Wireless Inc. (Ice Wireless), the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), Rogers, and TELUS.

On 13 February 2023, Order Issuing a Direction to the CRTC on a Renewed Approach to Telecommunications Policy (the Policy Direction), came into effect.

In order to build the record and enable the Commission to assess the issues parties have raised, including in particular whether the current wholesale roaming tariff rates continue to be just and reasonable, and in light of the Policy Direction, parties are:

In addition, parties are notified that the responses to the Commission’s 19 August 2022 requests for information regarding wireless and roaming agreements for wholesale telecommunications services (related to Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2022-337) will form part of the record of this proceeding.

Process

Parties are reminded that any claims for confidentiality must be made in accordance with the requirements set out in the CRTC Rules of Practice and Procedure, including, for example, the requirement to file abridged versions of documents.

All documents must be received, and not merely sent, by the dates indicated.

Sincerely, 

Original signed by

Philippe Kent 
Director, Telecommunications Services Policy 

c.c.:     Jeremy Lendvay, CRTC, jeremy.lendvay@crtc.gc.ca
Julian Brainerd, CRTC, julian.brainerd@crtc.gc.ca
William Lloyd, CRTC, william.lloyd@crtc.gc.ca

Attachments (2)

Distribution List

Applicants and intervenors

bell.regulatory@bell.ca
mtl.telecomregulatory@cogeco.com
regaffairs@quebecor.com
regulatory.affairs@telus.com
regulatory.matters@corp.eastlink.ca
regulatory@cnoc.ca
regulatory@icewireless.com
regulatory@rci.rogers.com
regulatory@tacitlaw.com
xplornet.legal@corp.xplornet.com
ysai@piac.ca

Registered wireless carriers

a.lawrence@hay.net
accounting@wtccommunications.ca
alex.shantz@cwct.ca
clayton@mnsi.net
david.lewis@terrestar.ca
don.falle@orionwireless.ca
earl@finishline.ca
eric@ambra.co
geoff@brooketel.coop
hal.hallsson@valleyfiber.ca
jfredette@cooptel.coop
kgugan@corp.fibernetics.ca
lhallahan@mornington.ca
martha.facey@execulinktelecom.com
mscott@vocom.com
neil@muskoka.com
reglementaire@sogetel.com
regulatory.finance@sjrb.ca
regulatory@gosfieldtel.ca
regulatory@hurontel.on.ca
regulatory@quadro.net
regulatory@ssimicro.com
regulatory@tccmail.ca
regulatory@wightman.ca
roxanne.desroches@cochranetel.ca
sharon.bell@brucetelecom.com
stephen.scofich@tbaytel.com
steve@wtccommunications.ca
stuwilson850@gmail.com
tjwbeach@ontarioeast.net

  1. All parties may comment on the following:
    1. In TRP 2021-130 the Commission mandated the provision of wholesale MVNO access by Bell, Rogers, TELUS, and SaskTel (the incumbents). The Commission determined that parties should enter into commercial negotiations to set rates, with final offer arbitration (FOA) by the Commission available as a recourse in the event negotiations were to fail.Footnote1
      1. Provide your views on whether the Commission should adopt a similar rate-setting approach for wholesale roaming, including seamless handoff where it is available, where parties engage in a commercial negotiation process, with FOA by the Commission if necessary. If your views are different for rates associated with the implementation of seamless handoff, provide a detailed explanation as to why, and what other rate setting approach would be appropriate for that additional functionality. In providing your views, comment on how the preferred approach is consistent with the Policy Direction.
      2. If the Commission were to determine that parties should enter into commercial negotiations to set rates for wholesale roaming with recourse to FOA, provide your views, with supporting rationale, on i) whether the Commission should also maintain a cost-based tariffed rate as a backstop; and ii) under what conditions rate renegotiations should occur, and at what frequency, if any.
  2. Parties are to respond to the following requests for information:

RFIs directed to Bragg Communications/Eastlink/Amtelecom Limited Partnership/People’s Tel Limited Partnership; Brooke Telecom Co-Operative LTD; Bruce Telecom Ontario Inc.; City West Cable and Telephone Corp.; Cochrane Telecom Services; Cogeco; Cooptel Coop de Telecommunication; Core Broadband; Ecotel Inc.; Execulink Telecom Inc.; Fibernetics Corporation; Shaw Telecom Inc./Freedom Mobile Inc.; Gosfield North Communications Co-Op Ltd; Hay Communications Co-Operative Ltd; Huron Telecommunications Co-Operative Ltd; Iristel; Lansdown Rural Telephone Co/Nexicom Inc.; Mornington Communications Co-op Ltd; North Frontenac Telephone Co, North Renfrew Telephone Co Ltd; Orion Wireless Partnership (WCS); Quadro Communications Co-Operative Inc.; Roxborough Telephone Co Ltd; SaskTel; Sogetel Inc./Sogetel Mobilité Inc.; SSI Micro Ltd; TBayTel; Terrestar Solutions Inc.; Thomas Communications Ltd; Tuckersmith Communications Co-Operative Ltd; Valley Fiber Ltd; Vidéotron; Vocom International Telecommunication Inc.; Wightman Telecom Ltd; WTC Communications

  1. Indicate whether your company currently provides retail mobile wireless services in Canada.
  2. Have you entered into any domestic roaming agreements with wireless carriers other than the NWCs? If so, provide a list of these agreements and for each one indicate:
    1. the roaming partner;
    2. the date the agreement was executed;
    3. the term of the agreement; and
    4. the wholesale rates for voice, text, and data, and any specific terms and conditions (e.g. whether the roaming arrangement includes seamless handoff) that are relevant to the rate.
  3. Provide total domestic roaming charges you paid to each NWC for each of the years 2018 to 2022, split by voice, text, and data.

RFIs directed to Bell Mobility, Rogers, and TELUS

  1. Provide, for each year from 2018 to 2022:
    1. Any new negotiated wholesale roaming agreements with Canadian wireless carriers (excluding other NWCs and their affiliates), beyond those filed in response to the 19 August 2022 Commission RFIs, which include rates (for voice, text, and data respectively) that are different from those found in your wholesale roaming tariff.
    2. For each agreement provided in a. above, specify the wholesale roaming rate negotiated for voice, text, and data respectively, and specify any unique terms and conditions (e.g. whether the roaming arrangement includes seamless handoff) that are relevant to the rate offered.
  2. Provide the following (separately for your company’s main brand and each of your flanker/affiliate brands):
    1. Total retail revenues from the provision of mobile wireless data services in Canada to Canadian subscribers for each of the years 2018 to 2022. In responding to this question please be consistent with the methodology used to calculate the roaming cap as set out in section 27.1 (2) of the Telecommunications Act for the roaming cap for wireless data, (which was in effect from 2014-06-19 to 2015-06-30).
    2. The total number of gigabytes used/consumed by your retail mobile wireless subscribers for each of the years 2018-2022.
    3. The total number of voice minutes used by your retail mobile wireless subscribers for each of the years 2018 to 2022. Provide the approximate percentage of total network usage attributed to mobile wireless voice calls for each of those years.
    4. The total number of text messages sent by your retail mobile wireless subscribers for each of the years 2018 to 2022. Provide the approximate percentage of total network usage attributed to mobile wireless text messages for each of those years.
  3. Provide, for each of the years 2018 to 2022, total revenues from wholesale domestic roaming services, split by voice, text, and data.

The following registered wireless carriers are made parties to the proceeding:

Amtelecom Limited Partnership/People’s Tel Limited Partnership
Brooke Telecom Co-Operative LTD
Bruce Telecom Ontario Inc.
City West Cable and Telephone Corp.
Cochrane Telecom Services
Cooptel Coop de Telecommunication
Core Broadband
Ecotel Inc.
Execulink Telecom Inc.
Fibernetics Corporation
Shaw Telecom Inc./Freedom Mobile Inc.
Gosfield North Communications Co-Op Ltd
Hay Communications Co-Operative Ltd
Huron Telecommunications Co-Operative Ltd
Lansdown Rural Telephone Co/Nexicom Inc.
Mornington Communications Co-op Ltd
North Frontenac Telephone Co
North Renfrew Telephone Co Ltd
Orion Wireless Partnership (WCS)
Quadro Communications Co-Operative Inc
Roxborough Telephone Co Ltd
SaskTel
Sogetel Inc./Sogetel Mobilité Inc.
SSI Micro Ltd
TBayTel
Terrestar Solutions Inc.
Thomas Communications Ltd
Tuckersmith Communications Co-Operative Ltd
Valley Fiber Ltd
Vocom International Telecommunication Inc.
Wightman Telecom Ltd
WTC Communications

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