According to the CRTC’s list of decisions upcoming this week, there are going to be some interesting releases later today – likely clearing the way for the Obligation to Serve proceeding that opens in Timmins tomorrow.
The CRTC will be ruling on two applications to review and vary decisions related to broadband services:
- One of these applications deals with usage based billing for the wholesale Gateway Access Service tariff. The main issue is whether the incumbent telephone companies should have to have every retail customer on a usage based billing plan prior to being allowed to charge any wholesale clients on this basis;
- The other application deals with the deferral account decision where the CRTC ordered Bell to use a specific technology (DSL) for rural broadband, rather than specifying the desired service characteristics and allowing Bell the flexibility to implement the technology of its own choice.
There is also a decision due out on a dispute between Bell / Bell Aliant and the City of Thunder Bay over access to city roads for telecommunications rights of way. It is an issue that rarely becomes discussed in municipal election campaigns, because telecommunications is generally a federal matter. Since today is municipal election day in Ontario, it is worth discussing this issue – too late to affect any of the results.
Municipalities rightly are concerned about the impact that construction has on their roadways and it would be reasonable for them to set standards for the telecom industry in respect of traffic disruption and repair requirements. However, it seems counterproductive for municipalities to be anything less that supportive of investment in infrastructure by the communications sector.
Shouldn’t we be looking for city hall to find ways to make it easier for new transmission lines to be deployed – the more, the faster, the better?
All these decisions and more – the opening of the Timmins hearings. Should be lots to discuss. Follow me on Twitter for some of the play-by-play.
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