8660 - Reports on Quality of Service Indicators and Reporting Letters

Each federally regulated telephone company submits a quarterly report to the Commission on 16 indicators.  The service level of each indicator is measured against a prescribed standard that must be met.  If a standard is not met, the telephone companies are required to report to the Commission on why the standard was not met and provide a remedy.

These standards, originally developed in 1982, ensure that telephone consumers receive an acceptable level of service from their telephone company.  These standards make it easier for the Commission to identify service quality problems as they arise and it enables the Commission to work with the telephone companies to implement corrective measures, where necessary.  The telephone companies identify service quality issues through self-reporting and subcriber complaints.

Aliant Telecom Inc.

• 2005/03/31 - Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-20, Finalization of quality of service rate rebate plan for competitors. The Commission finalizes the quality of service (Q of S) rebate plan for competitors. Under the plan, the incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) – the large telephone companies – must meet 14 quality of service indicators, such as clearing service repair calls within 24 hours, or they will have to pay a rebate to competitors who have purchased ILEC services. If an ILEC fails to meet any of the 14 competitor Q of S indicators, the competitor is eligible for a rebate. The size of the rebate due to the competitor depends on the number of indicators that are missed. If all 14 indicators are missed, the competitor is eligible to receive a rebate from the ILEC amounting to 5% of all its one time and monthly charges. Failure to meet some of the indicators will still generate a rebate equal to a portion of the 5% maximum, according to how many indicators are missed. The new list of indicators also applies to the provision of Competitor Digital Network (CDN) services. The previous rebate regime used six Q of S indicators, four of which could generate a rebate. The decision also establishes terms and conditions concerning reporting, auditing and when payments are due. Complete information on the rebate plan and the Q of S indicators is contained in the decision. Reference: 8660-C12-200315095

• 2005/03/24 - Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-17, Retail quality of service rate adjustment plan and related issues. The Commission finalizes the retail quality of service (Q of S) rate adjustment plan for the large incumbent local exchange carriers and explains how and when telephone subscribers will be credited on their telephone bills when their telephone companies provide sub-standard service on any of 13 retail Q of S indicators. Customer credits payable under the rate adjustment plan must be implemented by 30 June of each year to customers of record as of 31 May. No changes are made to the 13 Q of S indicators used in the interim Q of S rate adjustment plan and the Total Maximum Adjustment Value continues to be set at 5% of local service revenues. The standard adjustment table used to calculate the rate adjustment for each Q of S indicator is simplified. In addition, a requirement for a rate adjustment is added in the event that a Q of S indicator is missed for 5 or more months in a year, but is above the average minimum required performance level for the year. An audit mechanism is established and reporting requirements are also defined. Reference: 8660-C12-200303751.

• 2003/10/30 - Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-72 Finalization of interim competition-related Quality of Service indicators and standards. The Commission resolves several issues regarding the definition and implementation of certain competition-related Quality of Service (Q of S) indicators and gives final approval to ten Q of S indicators which were analyzed and reported on in report BPRE030a of the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) Business Process Working Group (BPWG), filed with the Commission on 2 December 2002 (the BPWG Report). Reference: 8621-C12-01/00, 8638-C12-48/01 and 8660-C12-06/01
• 2003/03/27 - Telecom Public Notice 2003-3 - Retail quality of service rate adjustment plan and related issues -  Reference: 8678-C12-11/01, 8660-C12-05/00, 8660-C12-06/01 and 8660-C12-200303751
• 2001/10/05 - Telecom Decision 2001-636 - Subject: CISC recommended competition-related Quality of Service indicators – Follow up to Decisions CRTC 2001-217 and 2001-366. Reference: 8660-C12-05/00
• 2001/06/29 - Telecom Decision 2001-375 - Subject: Commission decision regarding show cause, application to review and vary and application to stay, for indicators 1.5 and 2.5 in Decision CRTC 2001-217 - CRTC creates new quality of service indicators for telephone companies
• 2000/01/20 - News Release - CRTC Revamps Service Standards for Telephone Companies
• 2000/01/20 - Telecom Decision CRTC 2000-24 - Final standards for quality of service indicators for use in telephone company regulation and other related matters
• 1997/07/24 - Telecom Decision CRTC 97-16 - Quality of Service Indicators for use in Telephone Company Regulation