Letter

Our File Number: 8623-C12-06/06

Ottawa, 17 May 2006

To: Distribution List (attached)

By Telecopier

Re: Show cause relating to the publication of certain information in the CRTC’s 2006 Monitoring Report

The purpose of this letter is to initiate a show cause process relating to the publication of certain information in the Commission’s 2006 Monitoring Report on the Canadian telecommunications industry, which is anticipated to be published in July 2006. The information appearing in this report is compiled from data from various sources, including data filed in confidence, pursuant to section 39 of the Telecommunications Act, by parties as part of the Commission’s data collection process. In order to streamline the process leading to the publication of the 2006 Monitoring Report, the show cause process, relating to the publication of information associated with data filed in confidence, is being limited to address only certain specific matters.

In Telecom Decision CRTC 2006-15, Forbearance from the Regulation of Retail Local Exchange Services, 6 April 2006, the Commission announced that it would publish the local market share percentages for each Local Forbearance Region (LFR) in its 2006 Monitoring Report and in subsequent years. Given the Commission’s determination, the disclosure of this information is not subject to the present show cause process.

Most of the information to be published in the Commission’s 2006 Monitoring Report will be presented on an aggregate basis in the same format as in previous monitoring reports. Given that parties have, in previous years, been given the opportunity to show cause why the Commission should not publish this information and the fact that it was determined, after careful consideration of the submissions filed, that the public interest in disclosing this information outweighed any specific direct harm that may result from such disclosure, parties are hereby advised that the Commission will proceed with the publication of the information in the same format as in previous years, unless parties can demonstrate exceptional circumstances with respect to specific direct harm that justify a departure from these previous determinations. Parties wishing to make submissions on this matter are requested to do so by 29 May 2006.

In light of the above, the show cause process relating to the disclosure of information in the 2006 Monitoring Report is being limited to address only those matters that have not been the subject of previous determinations. Accordingly, parties are hereby requested to show cause, by 29 May 2006, why the Commission should not publish the following information:

• Percentage of the number of subscribers that subscribe to service bundles that have two or more services as submitted on Form 296 – Bundled Residential Telecommunications Services of the Commission’s data collection process.
• Percentage of the number of households by province that have access to, one wireless service provider, two wireless service providers and three or more wireless service providers.

All submissions must be actually received by 29 May 2006, not merely sent by this date.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Delaney,
Director, Industry Analysis and Regulation
Telecommunications

Distribution List:

Aliant Telecom Inc.
Bell Canada
Bell Mobility
Bragg Communications Incorporated
Cogeco Cable Canada inc.
Futureway Communications Inc.
MTS Allsream Inc.
Navigata Communications Inc.
Northern Telephone Limited
Primus Telecommunications Canada
Rogers Cable Inc.
Rogers Wireless
Saskatchewan Telecommunications
Shaw Telecom Inc.
Teleglobe Canada ULC
TELUS Corporation Inc.
Vidéotron Télécom Ltée