Let’s say you have a long term lease on an apartment and the landlord decides he wants to demolish your building. You might think that the landlord would need to share the costs of you relocating. At the very least, you would want the landlord to waive the “move-in” fees – your key money – for the new place.

Well, in the world of telecommunications, that isn’t how it works.

TELUS is redeveloping a city block in Vancouver as part of its $750M TELUS Gardens headquarters project. About 6 months later, TELUS advised Allstream that it had 5 months to relocate its equipment colocated in a TELUS building at 720 Seymour Street to an adjacent building at 768 Seymour.

Allstream went to the CRTC saying that the 5 months wasn’t enough time and asking in any case for TELUS to be ordered not to charge one-time fees for the new installation.

The CRTC told the parties that the co-location agreement would govern the issues of timing of notice and responsibilities for costs. The outcome is not what you might expect.

You would think mobile devices should have killed off payphones by now. Those of us who have an alternative don’t go looking for a couple quarters to make a call from the shopping centre or the airport.

Most Canadians now have a mobile option, but 25% of households don’t. That is what is behind a request by PIAC for the CRTC to take a fresh look at the issue of access to pay telephones. The last time the CRTC looked at the issue was in 2002, with a Decision that came out in 2004.

The CRTC wrote at that time:

Based on information presented in this proceeding, the Commission considers that low-income Canadians, especially those without access to basic residential service, are more likely to use pay telephone service for important personal and emergency calls. The Commission notes that although wireless service may constitute an alternative for many consumers, it is not an affordable option for all.
…
The Commission concludes that, although demand for pay telephone service is declining, pay telephone service is still an important public service that wireless services have not rendered obsolete.

PIAC’s letter is asking the CRTC to expand the scope of a recent tariff filing to allow it to update the evidence last reviewed nearly a decade ago.

PIAC expects to raise issues of social utility of payphones and ideally to introduce evidence of payphone use by the public, in particular those persons living on low income. However, commissioning and compiling this information will take more time than is allotted for intervention.

PIAC raises a valid point. The CRTC should take a fresh look at payphone accessibility.

The tweet from Keith McIntosh at CWTA summed it up:

After 28 years, WSPs are no longer simply a customer of the phone companies.

He was referring to the CRTC decision that updates “Network interconnection for voice services”. In today’s decision, the last major telecom proceeding to be issued under the signature of Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, the CRTC decided to treat wireless and wireline networks as peers:

Currently, independent wireless carriers are responsible for paying the entire cost of interconnection unless they allow alternative long-distance providers access to their networks. The Commission has decided that wireless carriers can interconnect with LECs for the exchange of local voice traffic on a shared‑cost basis (with the bill‑and‑keep compensation method)

This decision was made, despite the CRTC determining that it would not be in the public interest to impose equal access to alternative long distance. Prior to today’s decision, wireless companies that wanted to be treated as peers (for the purpose of sharing interconnection costs) needed to offer equal access, as well as directory listings and file details of all their service options with applicable prices and applicable service charges to the Commission.

The decision also addressed the technical aspects of evolution of interconnection circuits for competitive carriers. We’ll look at that in another post.

In many ways, today’s decision was a recognition by the Commission of the heightened level of competition present in today’s wireless space, contrary to the views of an Open Media campaign that seeks increased government intervention in the space.

In its upcoming policy for the auction of the 700 MHz band, it will be interesting to see if Industry Canada shares that view of the competitive landscape.

A reseller learned that the CRTC has powerful tools to ensure compliance with its orders.

In December, I wrote about the CRTC having threatened Brama Telecom with disconnection for failing to comply with the requirement to become a member of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) Inc.

According to the CRTC, the saga started 10 months ago, when the service provider failed to respond to letters from the CRTC. Subsequent discussions failed to produce fruit and so in August, the Commission ordered Brama to produce:

• proof that it had become a member of the CCTS or arguments demonstrating that Brama does not provide services within the scope of the CCTS’s mandate; and
• identification of the service providers from which Brama obtained service from as well as a list of the services provided to it.

It still did not comply so the CRTC took the extreme step of ordered the company to appear before it on March 22, 2012. In addition, all service providers in Canada were told to check their records to see if they are providing any services to Brama and if so, describe the services to the CRTC.

Whether it was the threat to its business continuity – or perhaps simply being summoned to Ottawa in late March – Brama has acceded to the requirement to join the CCTS. As such, the CRTC has terminated its proceeding. Return to DefCon 4.

Registrations are now open for The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit, taking place June 4-6 in Toronto. The theme this year is Competition and Innovation: Celebrating our Legacy, Developing the Future.

Join your colleagues in listening to and participating in executive presentations from those who have the greatest influence on the direction of Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology. Hear from global leaders and local trend-setters. Meet with your suppliers, customers and partners. Challenge your competition.

For three full days, The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit will again deliver thought-provoking insights from the prime movers of the industry. The Canadian Telecom Summit gives you the chance to hear from and talk with them in both a structured atmosphere of frank discussion and high-octane idea exchange and schmooze in a more relaxed social setting of genial conversation over espresso or cocktails.

The Canadian Telecom Summit reviews where we have been as an industry, provides an understanding of the dynamics that propel it and forecasts future trends & expected developments.

Now celebrating its tenth anniversary, attendance is a must for telecom, broadcast and IT industry professionals – corporate users, carriers, content providers and manufacturers – financial analysts, consultants and investors. Attracting the senior-most professionals from around the globe, The Canadian Telecom Summit is the forum for the broad cross-section of stakeholders to meet, exchange views, share ideas, challenge assumptions and plan for the future.

Be sure to take advantage of early bird pricing by completing your registration before February 29.