CRTC Telecommunications Industry Data Collection
Introduction - 2004
News
13 December 2004 -
Letter - Telecommunications
Industry Data Collection - Information Sessions
25 November 2004 -
News Release - CRTC issues its
2004 Telecom Monitoring Report
4 November 2004 -
Letter - Show cause
- Publishing of certain information filed in confidence
17 September 2004 -
Letter show cause -
Publishing of certain information filed in confidence.
9 March 2004 -
Letter announcing
issuance of data forms
6 February 2004 -
Letter announcing upcoming
information sessions
6 February 2004 -
Letter announcing
the start of the 2004 Data Collection process.
16 January 2004 -
Letter outlining the
new data reporting requirements.
22 December 2003 -
Letter re: Telecom
Circular CRTC 2003-1,
Ottawa , 11 December 2003 .
11 December 2003 -
Telecom Circular CRTC 2003-1
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Overview
In December 2003, the Commission issued Telecom Circular CRTC
2003-1 to provide notice
it would implement administrative changes that the Commission will implement to
better coordinate and streamline a number of activities it undertakes in order to
regulate and monitor the Canadian telecommunications industry. These changes
centre around the Commission's annual collection of telecommunications industry
data used for the annual preparation of the Report to the Governor in
Council: Status of Competition in Canadian Telecommunications Markets -
Deployment/Accessibility of Advanced Telecommunications Infrastructure and
Services.
This annual data collection will also be used to support the Commission's
activities relating to maintaining and updating telecommunications entity
registration lists, international licences, telecommunications fees and the
contribution regime. The annual data collection activity will support annual
filing requirements for international telecommunications licence holders and will
become the vehicle for international licence renewal.
Beginning in 2004 the Commission has introduced a new web-based Data
Collections System (DCS). This web-based application employs a secure, encrypted
connection between the entity submitting data and the Commission to improve and
simplify the accuracy of and timeliness of the data collection process. This new
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, described below, who will be the sole person responsible for submitting
data on behalf of each individual entity.
Paragraphs 20, 21, and 22 of Telecom Circular
2003-1 requested the
submission of information needed for entities to prepare for implementation of
the annual data collection. Each entity involved in one or more of the
aforementioned Commission processes was required to nominate a Response Manager
within its organization to become the single-point-of-contact for the Commission
and be responsible for managing the form completion process on behalf of the
applicable entity. Each entity was to submit, by 14 January 2004 , via email to
telinfo@crtc.gc.ca , identifying the full
legal name of the entity in the "Subject" line of the email message the following
Response Manager information:
Name of Response Manager
Title
Address
Telephone Number
Facsimile Number
Email Address
At the beginning of this year's data collection, each Response Manager that
has already been registered with the Commission by an entity, as outlined above,
will be contacted by phone and given a log-in ID and password, possession of
which will be the only way to access our secure data collection web site. The
operation of our secure web site is predicated on each entity having one, and
only one, Response Manager. It should be noted however that anyone with
possession of the log-in ID and password will have the means to view the entity's
data. It is therefore up to the entity to ensure the log-in ID and password are
managed responsibly. If the entity has any reason to believe that the security of
the log-in ID and password have been compromised, please contact the Commission
and the entity's account will be suspended until new contact details can be
implemented.
Once in the web-site, and after completing a Reporting Entity Profile (REP)
form, explained below, the entity, via the Response Manager, will be informed at
the beginning of March, which detailed Data Forms the entity is required to
complete.
This year's data collection forms are being issued as a
two-step process:
. The first step involves the issuance and completion of a REP form,
which is now available and due for completion by 23 February 2004.
. The second step involves the issuance and completion of detailed Data
Forms. The issuance of these Data Forms will be largely determined by individual
entity responses to the REP forms. It is intended that these Data Forms will be
issued at the beginning of March 2004 with varying completion dates depending on
the particular Commission activity in question. The filing dates are:
- Financial statement forms
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31 March 2004 |
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31 March 2004 |
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31 March 2004 |
- Registration List Contact Information
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30 April 2004 |
- Data for the annual preparation of the Report to
the Governor in Council (Monitoring Report)
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30 April 2004 |
- International licence renewals
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30 April 2004 |
The Reporting Guide outlines who is to respond,
explains how to do so, and provides an overview of all of the forms issued so
far. After reviewing the Reporting Guide, if you are an entity involved in one or
more of the Commission processes mentioned in the Telecom Circular, nominate a
Response Manager via email to
telinfo@crtc.gc.ca by following the procedure outlined above. A set of
frequently asked questions (FAQ) and
glossary of terms are offered on separate Web
pages. Please consult them to address questions you may have, but do not hesitate
to contact us if your questions remain unanswered.
Updates to these Web pages will be posted regularly, often in response to
questions posed by respondents. As well as listing site updates above, we will
also announce them via e-mail. We encourage you to sign up for this service.
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Background
This year's information-gathering process has been modified and updated. 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 three annual reports 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,
.pdf ), and
followed a public process initiated by the CRTC's Public Notice (PN
2000-175 ). The latest
report was issued in November 2003 and a fourth report will result from the 2004
industry monitoring process. Telecommunications reports are also produced by
other Federal Government departments and telecommunications regulators in other
jurisdictions.
International Licences
Commencing with the 2004 data collection process, the filing requirements for
international licences will change to better align with the completion of the
Reporting Entity Profile (REP)/Data Forms. In order to harmonize the data
collection and reporting processes with the licence renewal process, changes will
be required to the licensing cycles. The current five-year, anniversary-based
licensing period that was established in Regulatory regime for the provision of
international telecommunications services, Telecom Decision CRTC
98-17, 1 October 1998,
will, upon the expiration of existing licences, convert to five year licences
with a common expiration date of 30 June. Applications for initial licences will
be processed in accordance with the existing regime, renewable on a five-year
basis as described above. It should be noted that all other conditions of licence
such as the requirement to submit financial and ownership information on an
annual basis will remain in place. Assuming the conditions of licence have been
met, a request for a licence renewal will be subject to an expeditious approval
process.
Contribution Regime
By 31 March of each year, all telecommunications service providers are
required to file annual contribution reports with the Commission. Commencing in
2004, entities that have completed their annual REP form will be required to
access the contribution related input forms (e.g., the annual reporting,
inter-carrier payment and non-contribution-eligible revenue forms) through the
new web-based platform. Entities that have not completed their annual REP 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
Persuant to the Telecommunications Fees Regulations , Canadian companies that
file tariffs with the Commission are required to pay telecommunications fees.
Beginning in 2004, an initial screening of these entities will be identified
through the annually submitted REP form. It will therefore be critical that all
information provided on the REP form and any other forms be complete and
accurate. Supporting documentation such as ownership and 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 will be required to
confirm their entity and contact information on an annual basis via the REP form.
Through the web-based platform, entities will be able to 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 REP 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: 2005-02-08 |
