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Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2005-9
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Ottawa, 7 July 2005 |
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Bell Digital Voice Service
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Reference: 8661-C12-200507973
and Bell Canada Tariff Notices 6874,
6874A and 6878 |
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In this Public Notice, the Commission
invites comments on applications received from Bell Canada for the
introduction of Bell Digital Voice service. |
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The applications
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1. |
The Commission received an ex parte
application by Bell Canada, dated 26 May 2005 and amended on 8 June
2005, proposing the introduction of a voice over Internet protocol
(VoIP) service called Bell Digital Voice. The Commission approved
the application on an interim basis, effective 14 June 2005, in Telecom
Order CRTC 2005-223. |
2. |
By way of a letter dated 16 June 2005,
the Commission advised interested parties to Regulatory framework
for voice communication services using Internet Protocol, Telecom
Public Notice CRTC 2004-2, 7 April
2004, that it would provide parties with the opportunity to comment
on Bell Canada's application in the context of a public notice. |
3. |
The Commission received Bell Canada Tariff
Notice 6878, dated 16 June 2005, proposing revisions to
Bell Digital Voice service regarding the provision of 9-1-1 service.
The company also proposed a revision to reflect that per-line call
display blocking was not available at this time. The Commission
approved the application on an interim basis, effective 30 June 2005,
in Telecom Order CRTC 2005-246. |
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Background
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4. |
In Regulatory framework for voice communication
services using Internet Protocol, Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-28,
12 May 2005 (Decision 2005-28),
the Commission set out the details of the appropriate regulatory regime
applicable to the provision of VoIP services, which it defined as
voice communication services using Internet Protocol (IP) that use
telephone numbers that conform to the North American Numbering Plan,
and that provide universal access to and/or from the Public Switched
Telephone Network (PSTN). |
5. |
In Decision 2005-28,
the Commission determined, among other things, that local VoIP services
should be regulated as local exchange services and that the regulatory
framework governing local competition, set out in Local Competition,
Telecom Decision CRTC 97-8,
1 May 1997 and subsequent determinations, applies to local VoIP service
providers, except as otherwise provided in Decision 2005-28.
In particular, the Commission addressed the following matters with
respect to implementation of this regulatory framework: registration
of VoIP resellers, access to numbers and local number portability,
directory listings, equal access, winbacks, access for the disabled,
message relay service, privacy safeguards, tariff filing requirements,
regulation of non-dominant carriers, regulation of VoIP services in
territories where local competition is not permitted, and IP interconnection. |
6. |
In Emergency service obligations for local
VoIP service providers, Telecom Decision CRTC 2005-21,
4 April 2005, the Commission directed Canadian carriers supporting
nomadic local VoIP services or fixed/non-native local VoIP services
to implement an interim solution, within 90 days from the date of
the Decision, which provides a level of 9-1-1 service, in areas where
9-1-1/E9-1-1 service is available from the incumbent local exchange
carrier, that is functionally comparable to Basic 9-1-1 service. |
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Bell Digital Voice service
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7. |
Bell Canada indicated that its Bell Digital
Voice service, available to residential customers in Quebec or Ontario,
allows for real-time two-way conversations via high-speed Internet
service connections, which customers may obtain from any service
provider. Customers may communicate with others who are connected to the
PSTN. For a fixed monthly rate, customers can obtain unlimited local
calling, various calling features and, depending upon the plan selected
by the customer, unlimited provincial, national 1, or North
American (Canada and United States) calling. Bell Canada added that
optional features are also available at monthly rates. In addition,
there is a registration fee which includes the first month of service. |
8. |
With respect to the pricing of Bell Digital
Voice service, Bell Canada filed for the Commission's approval on a
confidential basis, minimum and maximum rates associated with each of
the proposed plans. The company requested that the confidential status
of the minimum and maximum rates be maintained after approval. In
support of its application, the company provided a cost study
demonstrating that the rates corresponding to the lowest point in each
of the ranges satisfied the Commission's imputation test requirements. |
9. |
Bell Canada indicated that for all future
price changes within a range, it would issue new tariff pages on the
effective date and provide, in confidence, copies to the Commission 48
hours in advance. Bell Canada submitted that rates would be applied
equally to all customers. For price decreases, the new rates would be
applied to all customers as of the effective date. Price increases would
become effective immediately for new customers, and the company would
provide existing customers with 30 days notice commencing with bills
issued on the effective date of the increase. |
10. |
With regard to 9-1-1 calls originated by
Bell Digital Voice service customers, Bell Canada indicated that the
caller's location and telephone number are not automatically transmitted
with a 9-1-1 call. The caller must orally provide the information to an
operator answering the call. |
11. |
Bell Canada stated that for calls made
within Ontario and Quebec, an operator will answer the 9-1-1 call,
request the caller's location and emergency service required and route
the call to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) serving the
location provided by the caller. For 9-1-1 calls made from within Canada
but outside Ontario and Quebec, the operator will answer the 9-1-1 call,
request the caller's location and emergency service required and
transfer the call to an operator serving the location provided by the
caller. The operator receiving the transfer will route the call to the
PSAP serving the location provided by the caller. Bell Canada added that
9-1-1 calls made from locations outside of Canada cannot be completed by
the operator. The caller will be told to use an alternate service to
dial 9-1-1. |
12. |
Bell Canada indicated that equal access was
not available with Bell Digital Voice service at the present time. Bell
Canada was of the view that the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee
(CISC) should be mandated to identify issues associated with the
implementation of equal access in relation to VoIP services, and to
report back to the Commission with its conclusions, including possible
solutions and timelines, within a period of 12 months from the time the
Commission would issue directives to CISC. |
13. |
Bell Canada identified that its Bell
Digital Voice service currently supports the following privacy
safeguards: delivery of the privacy indicator when invoked by an
end-customer, provision of automated universal per-call blocking of
calling line identification, disallowance of Call Return to a blocked
number, and enforcement of the Commission's restrictions on Automatic
Dialling-Announcing Devices, Automatic Dialling Devices and unsolicited
facsimiles. |
14. |
Bell Canada indicated that its Bell Digital
Voice service offers both primary and secondary numbers from a range of
NPA-NXXs across Canada, and allows customers to make and receive calls
as if they were physically located in the exchanges associated with
their telephone numbers. |
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Call for comments
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15. |
The Commission invites parties to provide
comments on any aspect of Bell Canada's proposed Bell Digital Voice
service. |
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Procedure
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16. |
Bell Canada is made a party to this
proceeding. |
17. |
Other parties wishing to participate fully
in this proceeding must notify the Commission of their intention to do
so, by 15 July 2005. They should contact the Secretary General by
mail at CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0N2, by fax at (819) 994-0218 or by
email at procedure@crtc.gc.ca.
They are to indicate in the notice their e-mail address where available.
If parties do not have access to the Internet, they are to indicate in
their notice whether they wish to receive disk versions of hard copy
filings. |
18. |
The Commission will issue, as soon as
possible after the registration date, a complete list of parties and
their mailing address (including their e-mail address, if available),
identifying those parties who wish to receive disk versions. |
19. |
Any party who wishes merely to file written
comments, without receiving copies of the various submissions, may do so
by writing to the Commission at the address noted above by
29 July 2005. |
20. |
Parties may address interrogatories to Bell
Canada. Any such interrogatories must be filed with the Commission and
served on the company by 29 July 2005. |
21. |
Responses to those interrogatories are to
be filed with the Commission and served on all parties by 29 August
2005. |
22. |
Requests by parties for further responses
to their interrogatories, specifying in each case why a further response
is both relevant and necessary, and requests for public disclosure
of information for which confidentiality has been claimed, setting out
in each case the reasons for disclosure, must be filed with the
Commission and served on Bell Canada by 6 September 2005. |
23. |
Written responses to requests for further
responses to interrogatories and for public disclosure must be filed
with the Commission and served on the party who made the request by
13 September 2005. |
24. |
A determination with respect to requests
for further information and public disclosure will be made as soon as
possible. Any information to be provided pursuant to that determination
must be filed with the Commission and served on all parties by 30
September 2005. |
25. |
Parties may file arguments with the
Commission on any matter within the scope of this proceeding, serving
copies on all other parties, by 21 October 2005. |
26. |
Bell Canada is to file its reply with the
Commission, serving a copy on all other parties, by 4 November 2005. |
27. |
The Commission expects to issue a decision
within 90 days after the record closes. |
28. |
Where a document is to be filed or served
by a specific date, the document must be actually received, not merely
sent, by that date. |
29. |
Parties may file their submissions
electronically or on paper. Submissions longer than five pages should
include a summary. |
30. |
Each paragraph of submissions should be
numbered. |
31.
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Where the submission is filed by electronic
means, the line ***End of document*** should be entered following the
last paragraph of the document, as an indication that the document has
not been damaged during electronic transmission. |
32. |
Please note that only those submissions
electronically filed will be placed on the Commission's website and only
in the official language and format in which they are submitted. |
33. |
The Commission encourages parties to
monitor the record of this proceeding (and/or the Commission's website)
for additional information that they may find useful when preparing
their submissions. |
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Important
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34. |
All information submitted, including your
name, e-mail address, and any other information not submitted under a
claim for confidentiality, will be posted on the Commission's website.
Documents received in electronic format will be posted on the
Commission's website exactly as you send them, and in the official
language and format in which they are received. Documents not received
electronically will be available in .pdf format. |
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Location of CRTC offices |
35. |
Submissions may be examined or
will be made available promptly upon request at the Commission offices
during normal business hours: |
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Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage, Room 206
Gatineau, Quebec J8X 4B1
Tel: (819) 997-2429 - TDD: 994-0423
Fax: (819) 994-0218 |
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205 Viger Avenue West, Suite
504
Montréal, Quebec H2Z 1G2
Tel: (514) 283-6607 |
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55 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite
624
Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2
Tel: (416) 952-9096 |
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Secretary General |
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This document is available
in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF
format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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