CRTC Telecommunications Industry Data Collection
Introduction - 2006
2005 | 2004 |
2003 |
2002
News
On 23 December 2005 it was announced that in order to help users with the 2006 data collection the Commission will be holding several information sessions to explain the system and help telecommunications entities. The following sessions will be held in Ottawa/Gatineau, Toronto, Halifax/Dartmouth, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal:
Ottawa/Gatineau - 20 January 2006
from 9:30 to 11:30 am – “Wellington” room
Holiday Inn Plaza la Chaudière, 2 rue Montcalm, Gatineau
Toronto - 23 January 2006
from 9:30 to 11:30 am – “Chesterton” room – 3rd floor
Delta Chelsea, 33 Gerrard St. West
Halifax/Dartmouth - 24 January 2006
from 1:30 to 3:30 pm – “Suite 1410”
CRTC, 99 Wyse Road, Dartmouth
Vancouver - 7 February 2006
from 1:30 to 3:30 pm – “Summervell” room
Delta Vancouver Suites, 550 West Hastings St.
Calgary –10 February 2006
from 9:30 to 11:30 am – “Kananaskis” room
Delta Bow Valley, 209 – 4th Ave. S.E.
Montreal –15 and 16 February 2006 (english and french)
“Bonsecours” room
15 February from 1:30 to 3:30 – in french
16 February from 9:30 to 11:30 – in english
Delta Centre Ville, 777 University Street
12 July 2006 -
Letter - Show cause - Publishing of certain information filed in confidence
17 May 2006 -
Letter - Show cause relating to the publication of certain information in the
CRTC's 2006 Monitoring Report
31 January 2006 - Letter - Simplified Registration Form
5 January 2006 - Please be advised that the Data Collection System (DCS) is currently off-line. It will be re-launched on 16th January 2006 to collect data for the period ended 31 December 2005.
23 December 2005 -
Letter setting out the 2006 Data Collection process.
23 December 2005 -
Letter - Telecommunications Industry Data Collection - Information Sessions
Background
In response to the Governor in Council direction to the CRTC issued 26 June 2000, which required the CRTC to issue annual reports on the status of competition in the Canadian telecommunications markets and on the deployment/accessibility of advanced telecommunications infrastructure and services in each of the next 5 years starting in 2001, the CRTC started to survey the telecommunications industry and issue annual monitoring reports to the Governor in Council.
These reports have evolved to become a key component of the CRTC’s ongoing monitoring plan and an authoritative source of information on the Canadian telecommunications industry for use by all stakeholders. In Monitoring the Canadian telecommunications industry, Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2005-15, 18 October 2005, the CRTC notified the industry that it found the reports useful in meeting its obligations under the Telecommunications Act and it would therefore continue with its monitoring activities and the issuance of monitoring reports.
To reduce the regulatory burden on the industry, the CRTC issued Telecom Circular CRTC 2003-1, 11 December 2003 (Telecom Circular 2003-1) that provided notification of administrative changes to better coordinate and streamline a number of activities that it undertakes in order to regulate and monitor the Canadian telecommunications industry.
Accordingly, the telecommunications industry is surveyed annually and, as described in Telecom Circular 2003-1, the telecommunications entities are required to provide certain information related to:
- maintaining and updating telecommunications entity registration lists;
- supporting the annual filing requirements and renewing of international licences;
- telecommunications fees;
- the revenue-based contribution regime; and
- the preparation of the annual industry monitoring report
Telecom Circular 2003-1 also introduced a web-based Data Collection System (DCS). The DCS employs a secure, encrypted connection between the entity submitting data and the Commission thereby improving and simplifying the accuracy and timeliness of the data collection process. A second change required each reporting entity to nominate a Response Manager who became the single-point-of-contact for the Commission and who was responsible for managing the form completion process.
Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-4, 9 February 2005 (Telecom Circular 2005-4) updated Telecom Circular 2003-1 with notice of further administrative and procedural changes designed to streamline the reporting requirements, specifically:
- stratification of the telecommunications industry into two broad groups;
- introduction of the use of the Government of Canada epass security package;
- method of declaration of confidential data;
- reinforcement of the importance of entity registration lists; and
- management of compliance statements and affidavits.
The most significant of the changes was designed to reduce the reporting burden on smaller companies by stratifying the telecommunications industry into two broad groups, distinguished by their operational activities. The Commission notified all registered entities of their classification by postal mail in February 2005.
Updates to the CRTC Telecommunications Industry Data Collection web pages will be posted occasionally, often in response to questions posed by respondents. Notification of updates can be provided via e-mail by registering for this service on the “Contact” link.
Overview
As stated in Telecom Circular 2005-1, a number of changes to the reporting process were implemented in 2005. The industry stratification represented the greatest change to the reporting process, as many individual entities now enjoy a simplified data submission procedure.
Group 1
This group is made up of telecommunications entities that meet one or more of the following criterion:
- they have significant Canadian telecommunications revenues;
- they file a CRTC telecommunications tariff;
- they hold a basic international telecommunications licence (BITS);
- they are affiliated to entities with consolidated telecommunications revenues in excess of $10 million;
- they are subject to any other electronic data collection forms in the Commission's web-based Data Collection System (DCS).
As they did last year, this group is required to submit their Registration form (previously referred to as a reporting entity form (REP)) and detailed operational data forms using the web-based DCS. Samples of these forms can be viewed in mid January 2006 by clicking on the “Forms” link located on the side navigation bar.
As this system is used for the acquisition of confidential company information, the application must be carefully managed, both by the entity and the Commission, to maintain the security of data submitted. A key player in this is the Response Manager, who is the sole person responsible for accessing the DCS and submitting data on behalf of each individual entity.
In addition to the administrative and procedural changes introduced in Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-1, a number of changes were made to the web-based system in 2005. Detailed user instructions can be found by clicking on the “User Manual” link located at the DCS Welcome page.
Government of Canada epass – In 2005, 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.
An epass username and password is required to access the DCS thus, all Group 1 Response Managers and Form Respondents are required to hold a valid epass. If you were a response manager or form respondent last year and you accessed DCS, your user ID and password are still valid.
If you have forgotten your user ID or password, or you do not have a user ID and password, please contact us and we will provide you with the epass activation code. Use this code the first time you log on to enable access to DCS which will be accessible starting 16 January 2006. Then, from the DCS logon page, you can either register for a new epass or use an existing one. Details of the epass registration process can be found at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/file.htm.
Anyone with possession of the epass username and password will have the means to view the entity's data. It is therefore up to the entity to ensure the epass is managed responsibly. If the entity has any reason to believe that the security of the epass has been compromised, please contact the Commission and the entity's account will be suspended until new contact details can be implemented.
Reporting Milestones - The data reporting and collection process for Group 1 entities has been advanced by one month. As in previous years, the submission of data will be undertaken in two steps as shown in the following milestones:
| 16 January 2006 |
Accessibility of pre-populated web-based Registration form used to identify and update entity contact information. |
| 30 January 2006 |
Submission of web-based Registration form to the CRTC.
Detailed telecommunications sector data collection forms will be made accessible based largely on the responses provided on the Registration form. |
| 31 March 2006 |
Submission of all DCS forms: telecommunications fees forms, contribution regime forms and all monitoring forms. |
Group 2
This group is made up of those entities that do not meet at least one Group 1 inclusion criterion. Specifically, this group consists of smaller entities that do not file CRTC telecommunications tariffs nor participate in certain telecommunications processes (contribution, telecommunications fess, etc.). Group 2 entities will follow a simplified data collection methodology by completing their reporting requirements using the simplified paper Registration form.
Samples of the paper-based Registration forms used by Group 2 entities can be found by clicking on the “Forms” link located on side navigation bar.
Reporting Milestones - The data reporting process for Group 2 entities is as shown in the following milestones:
| 17 February 2006 |
Postal mailing of pre-populated simplified registration forms to Response Managers of record. |
| 31 March 2006 |
Return of Group 2 simplified Registration forms to the CRTC. |
Unless a Group 2 entity’s 2005 business activities and results warrants a reclassification as a Group 1 entity, this will complete the annual reporting requirements for 2006.
Activities
In addition to the information collected on the Data Forms for the Monitoring process, Contribution, Telecommunications Fees, International Licences and CRTC registration lists, the Commission may be conducting consumer surveys.
Monitoring
The CRTC has released the fifth and final report on the status of competition in Canadian telecommunications markets. These reports were issued in response to a governmental Order-in-Council (P.C. 2000-1053), and followed a public process initiated by the CRTC's Public Notice (PN 2000-175). The latest report was issued in October 2005 . Although the Commission has issued its fifth an final report to the Governor in Council, the Commission will, as announced in Monitoring the Canadian telecommunications industry, Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2005-15, 18 October 2005, continue with its monitoring activities and issuance of annual reports.
Telecommunications reports are also produced by other Federal Government departments and telecommunications regulators in other jurisdictions.
International Licences
In Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-8, dated 23 June 2005, the Commission has streamlined and amended the Conditions of Licence. The Commission has retained the obligation for BITS licensees to file information through the annual telecommunications industry data collection process set out in Circular 2003-1, as amended in 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, Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-4, 9 February 2005 (Circular 2005-4). Accordingly, the Commission, as a reminder to all BITS licensees, has included a reference to this requirement in the existing condition of licence that requires licensees to file any required information in such form as may be prescribed by the Commission.
In its effort to streamline the licensing process, the Commission had considered it appropriate to extend the term of BITS licences to the 10-year maximum allowed under section 16.3(4) of the Act. Accordingly, coincident with the issuance of this Circular, all new licences will generally be issued for a term of up to 10 years, expiring on the 30 June immediately preceding the 10-year maximum allowed under the Act. Applications for initial licences will be processed in accordance with the existing regime, renewable on a 10-year basis as described above. It should be noted that in Conditions of Licence such as the requirement to submit financial on an annual basis still remain in place as set by the 4th condition.
Contribution Regime
By 31 March of each year, all telecommunications service providers are required to file annual contribution reports with the Commission. Since 2004, entities that have completed their annual Registration form have been required to access the contribution related input forms through the web-based platform. Entities that have not completed their annual Registration form can find the contribution related forms on the Commission's website at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/partVII/eng/8638/crtc/ccmrep.htm. Supporting documentation such as financial statements and associated audit report or affidavit will continue to be required and must be filed with the Commission.
Telecommunications Fees
Pursuant to the Telecommunications Fees Regulations, Canadian companies that file tariffs with the Commission are required to pay telecommunications fees. Since 2004, entities provide a statement of their eligible telecommunications operating revenues by submitting DCS data form 701. Supporting documentation such as relevant financial statements will continue to be required and must be filed with the Commission.
Telecommunications Registration Lists
The Commission currently maintains a number of lists of telecommunications companies that have registered with the Commission, pursuant to various Commission decisions.
These lists are widely used by the public, third party administrators, the Commission, and the industry itself. The Commission has maintained registration lists based solely on the information provided by the telecommunications industry. The information on these lists may be inaccurate since the Commission is not always advised when changes to the list(s) are required.
Commencing in 2004, all telecommunications entities are required to confirm their entity and contact information on an annual basis via the Registration form. Through the web-based platform, entities register all of their lines of business at one time. Once the data has been collected, the appropriate registration list(s) will be revised accordingly. Entities should be aware that failure to complete and submit a Registration form, or the detailed information forms, on a timely basis, will result in the removal of their information from the Commission's registration lists.
Date Modified: 2006-07-14 |
