Dear CRTC

I am writing in response to a notice that I received with my Telus

telephone bill. I have never written to the CRTC before, but the notice

had some very disturbing news. I am student at the UofA and I have had my

own phone line since 1994 (i.e. before EdTel was bought out by AGT (now

Telus). Ever since Telus (a company that owns a monopoly on land-line

telephone service in Edmonton (and all of Alberta and BC, I believe) has

come on board, rate increases have been a fact of life and I am sick of

it. I think that it is a cash grab.

Telephone service is essential in today's world and I think that Telus is

taking advantage of that fact. Also, I think that by constantly

increasing rates, the divide between the rich and the poor in our society

is widening. Telus is asking for permission to increase rates up to

$35/month, which would make a yearly bill for minimum telephone service

($420). How are people on minimum wage supposed to handle this expense?

The people that come to mind are those unfortunate people on welfare,

students and single parent households trying to make ends meet.

More importantly, being a monopoly, they seem to be able to increase

their rates as much as they want (i.e within the limits that are

set by the CRTC. When was the last time the CRTC denied Telus a

rate increase?)

Also, over the years I have yet to see any benefits in service from Telus

as a result of these rate increases. Any modifications to one's level of

service (e.g. Call Display, Call Waiting, etc) have always come with a

cost. Actually, the other day, I found out that the levels of service

have actually decreased. It used to be the case that one could dial

free. Now, there is a fee (that has increased to $0.75) to have the

privilege of talking to a computer and waiting for a number (new or old)

to be announced. I thought that technology would save us some money, but

this appears not to be the case with local phone companies.

Some years ago, the CRTC made the decision to allow "for-profit"

telecommunications companies. This decision has had some benefits for

enduser, specifically those who dial long-distance. However, I think that

the Canadian taxpayers have lost on two fronts. First, the

taxpayers have lost their initial investment in the telecommunications

infrastructure that provincial/territorial governments built. Second,

while the long-distance telephone service market has been open to

competition, local service providers have not been. I think that the CRTC

should consider opening up the local telephone market to competition like

the cellular phone and long-distance markets.

I would encourage the CRTC to look over Telus's request carefully and

weight its effects on consumers. I personally think that Telus no longer

answers to its customers but to its shareholders. The CRTC has a

reponsibility to the Canadian taxpayers and it should be asking how will

taxpayers benefit from an increase in monthly telephone rates. If a

monopoly like Telus cannot make money the way things are being run

now, maybe the whole privitization experiment was a failure and should be

called into question.

Thanks very much for taking the time to read my comments.

Sincerely,

Miguel Cabrita

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Miguel A. Cabrita Email: mcabrita@ualberta.ca

7511-157 Avenue Telephone: 1.780.473.1570/476.7783

Edmonton, Alberta Voicemail/Fax: 1.780.423.2492 ext.1379

T5Z 2X2

CANADA

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