September 3, 2001

Secretary General

Canadian Radio and Telcommunications Commission.

Ottawa, Ontario

The following comments are made in regard to the current Telus application

to:

1) provide service to unserved communities;

2) upgrade service in communities with "lower grades" of service;

3) pass on most of the costs of implementing 1)&2) by boosting the

residential rates of all Telus customers to reflect said subsidy; and

4) increase the cost of local service to all residential customers by $3

per month to a maximum of $35. This is in addition to the rate increases

noted in item 3)

A review of Telus finds the following facts quite relevant to this

application:

1) Telus is carrying a debt load of over six billion dollars;

2) The New York Stock Exchange investment community is telling investors to

sell their Telus stock; and

3) Telus appears to be embarking on a technology upgrade (ADSL) to its

local networks to make it available "outside the door"of most homes

regardless of the fact that the overwhelming majority will neither want not

ever use it.

It is painfully obvious that Telus is reaching out to grab whatever dollars

it can get from its existing customers to try to improve the financial

picture.

When the NYSE investment analysts give Telus a failing grade, it is a

signal for the CRTC to examine the complete picture. Fiscal responsibility

and accountability begins at the top of Telus and it is callous to say the

least to ask the CRTC to grant permission to levy additional charges to the

Telus customer base to allow this "drunken sailor" to continue to spend,

spend, spend and or bail the company out of the financial mess of its own

making.

The long range implications of this Telus application are something to be

feared by residential customers. We have come to regard basic telephone

communications as a necessity. Given Telus' existing financial picture,

given the drive to "upgrade"local service to a technology that will push

the costs of basic service up and up, and given that shareholders dividends

are being maintained, I fear the plain old telephone service most are

familiar and completely satisfied with - will become an unaffordable

luxury.

I urge the CRTC to "step up to the plate", view the situation through the

customer's eyes, turn down this Telus application with a slap on the wrist

and direction to fund these programs out of corporate profits.

Regards

Jim Cosford

6376 Griffiths Avenue

Burnaby, B.C. V5E 2W7

ph: 604-525-2242

email: jcosford@sfu.ca