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Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-4
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Ottawa, 9 February 2005 |
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Telecommunications industry data collection: updating of CRTC
registration lists, telecommunications fees, Canadian revenue-based
contribution regime, international licences and monitoring of the
Canadian telecommunications industry
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Purpose of this circular
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1. |
The purpose of this circular is to provide
notification of administrative changes that the Commission is implementing
to better coordinate and streamline a number of activities it undertakes
in order to regulate and monitor the Canadian telecommunications industry.
These administrative changes complement Telecom Circular CRTC 2003-1,
11 December 2003 (Circular 2003-1)
and focus on the Commission's annual collection of telecommunications
industry data, details of which can be found on the Commission's website
at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/dcs/eng/2005/index.htm. |
2. |
This annual telecommunications industry
data collection supports the Commission's activities relating to: |
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- maintaining and updating telecommunications entity registration
lists;
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- supporting the annual filing requirements and renewing of
international licences;
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- setting telecommunications fees;
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- administering the revenue-based contribution regime; and
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- preparing the annual Report to the Governor in Council:
Status of Competition in Canadian Telecommunications Markets -
Deployment/Accessibility of Advanced Telecommunications
Infrastructure and Services.
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Annual collection of telecommunications industry data
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3. |
Each year, the telecommunications industry
is surveyed and is required to provide information. In order to reduce
the reporting burden on smaller entities the Commission has stratified
the industry into two broad groups for the 2005 data collection to
simplify the data collection for most of the smaller entities. |
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Group 1 entities
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4. |
This group is made up of telecommunications
entities that meet any one of the following criterion: |
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- they have significant Canadian telecommunications revenues;
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- they file a CRTC telecommunications tariff;
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- they hold a basic international telecommunications licence
(BITS);
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- they are in a related group that has total telecommunications
revenues in excess of $10 million;
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- they are subject to any other electronic data collection forms in
the Commission's web-based Data Collection System (DCS).
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5. |
For Group 1 entities data will be collected
by the DCS. This year, in order to increase security, the Commission has
introduced the Government of Canada's epass security package, a unique
electronic credential (username/password) that is used to communicate
securely with on-line Government services. |
6. |
All Group 1 Response Managers (as defined
in Circular 2003-1) and Form Respondents
will be required to apply for an epass in order to access the DCS.
Details of how to apply for an epass can be found at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/file.htm. |
7. |
The data collection process for Group 1
entities is the same as last year and will be undertaken as a two-step
process. |
8. |
Step 1 - The Commission will issue a
Reporting Entity Profile (REP) form to be completed in February 2005.
The REP form is used to identify and update entity contact details and
background information. |
9. |
Step 2 - Upon receipt of the completed
REP form by the Commission, detailed telecommunications sector data
collection forms (data forms) will be issued, largely based upon the
response to the REP form. All data forms issued to entities must be
submitted in two stages, one by 31 March 2005 and the other
by 30 April 2005. Full details on submission dates can be
found at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/dcs/eng/2005/index.htm. |
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Group 2 entities
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10. |
This group consists of smaller entities
that do not file CRTC telecommunications tariffs nor participate in
certain telecommunications processes (telecommunications fees,
international licence holders, etc.). |
11. |
In February 2005 a pre-populated simplified
REP form will be mailed to entities in Group 2. The simplified REP form
must be completed and returned to the CRTC by 31 March 2005. |
12. |
Group 1 and Group 2 entities will be advised
whether they are to complete the REP form or simplified REP form by postal
mail. Sample copies of the REP, data and simplified REP forms will
be available in early February 2005 on the CRTC's website at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/dcs/eng/2005/form.htm. |
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Confidentiality of data
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13. |
Entities submitting data as part of the annual
telecommunications industry data collection are currently required
to make a claim for confidentiality for their data except for data
filed under the contribution regime which is already filed in confidence
pursuant to paragraph 103 of Changes to the contribution regime,
Decision CRTC 2000-745,
30 November 2000. |
14. |
Beginning with the 2005 data collection,
most data forms in the DCS will be filed, in confidence, with the
Commission. Such forms will be marked "Filed in Confidence".
Certain forms, for example, data required to be published on the CRTC's
website for telecommunications registration lists, will not
automatically be considered to have been filed in confidence. In the
absence of the text "Filed in Confidence" on any DCS form,
confidentiality for the form in question must be specifically claimed in
the form's Notes text box. |
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Maintaining and updating entity registration lists
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15. |
The Commission currently maintains a number
of lists of telecommunications entities that have registered with
it pursuant to various Commission decisions. These lists are widely
used by the public, third party administrators, the Commission and
the industry. These lists can be accessed via the Commission's website
at: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/lists.htm. |
16. |
These registration lists contain personal
contact information of individuals and Canadian carriers provided in the
course of the Commission's registration activities. The Commission
hereby notes its intent to continue to compile this information in
publicly available lists on the CRTC website. |
17. |
As noted in Circular 2003-1,
entities should be aware that failure to complete and submit forms
on a timely basis, will result in the removal of their information
from the Commission's registration lists. Once an entity's information
is removed from the registration lists, there could be consequences
such as the inability to access competitor services and their associated
rates, to negotiate or renew interconnection agreements, to secure
numbering resources, etc. Entities that have been removed from the
registration lists may be reinstated once the completed form(s) have
been provided to the Commission. |
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Affidavits
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18. |
In the case of the Canadian revenue-based
contribution regime, all telecommunications service providers, or groups
of related service providers, are required to file an annual compliance
statement attesting to the accuracy of their submission. In the case of
international licence holders certain information must be filed annually
by affidavit. |
19. |
Where compliance statements or affidavits
are required to be submitted electronically as part of the web-based DCS,
entities are to submit scanned copies of their compliance statement or
affidavit. The original of the compliance statement or affidavit is to
be kept at the entity's premises and made available to the CRTC on
request. |
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Secretary General |
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This document is available in
alternative format upon request and may also be examined at
the following Internet site:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca |