The CRTC has decided to review its own Decision on local forbearance and it has issued Public Notice 2006-9, Proceeding to examine whether mobile wireless services should be considered to be in the same relevant market as wireline local exchange services with respect to forbearance, and related issues.

Catchy title, eh?

In some ways, the CRTC was put in a difficult position by Statistics Canada. On the very day before the Commission rejected considering wireless a substitute for regular phone service, StatsCan released its Residential Telephone Service Survey which showed that there was far greater substitution than the CRTC had previously considered. In Vancouver, mobile wireless has replaced home phone service in 10% of households.

It is good to see that the Commission has decided to conduct a review of its Decision on its own motion, rather than delay by a more lengthy process by way of an application.

In its VoIP Decision, the CRTC had stated that Voice is Voice, independent of the underlying technology. Mobile wireless had been a service that had regulatory treatment somewhat inconsistent with this approach.

Will the results of this Public Notice take advantage of our view that unbundles voice from access; to look at the underlying transport independently of the voice application? It may help the CRTC uphold its view on voice, by considering the regulatory treatment of the bundled service based on the competitiveness of the access delivery.

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CRTC, local forbearance, VoIP, mobile, Statistics Canada, Mark Goldberg

Six years ago, Detective Gillespie started the now world renowned Child Exploitation Unit of the Toronto Police Service and has been involved in the investigation and “saves” of 84 exploited children. In the next phase of his career, Gillespie will be working with law enforcement from around the world teaching them the tools and techniques that made the Toronto Police and the Child Exploitation Unit so successful in their efforts.

“The crime of child exploitation using the internet is a global one and extends well beyond the boundaries of a municipal, provincial or even a national police force,” says Gillespie. “My efforts will be dedicated to consulting with law enforcement from around the world and helping them set up the systems and tools they need to build a global community of law enforcement that can deal with these criminal elements using the same tools they use.”

Paul’s ventures will be supported by three organizations going forward.

• Paul Gillespie Consulting (www.paulgillespieconsulting.com) will offer training and consulting services to private companies and law enforcement in what they can do to help stop the exploitation of children.
  
• Microsoft Corporation will continue to support CETS – the Child Exploitation Tracking System – which was co-developed by Paul and Microsoft.
  
• Paul will work with Microsoft and provide training to any law enforcement agency in the world that decides to use CETS, which is offered free of charge by Microsoft.

Much of Paul’s time and efforts will focus on KINSA, the Kids Internet Safety Association, a charity dedicated to advocacy, awareness and research & training around the issue of child exploitation on the internet. Launched in 2005, KINSA (www.kinsa.net) is an advocate for greater resources in Canada and around the world to dedicate to this cause and hopes in the very near future to build an international training centre called the “KINSA Centre for Child Rescue and Cybercrime Investigation” here in Toronto.

As Paul embarks on this next phase of his career, he is available to media to discuss the issue and his plans going forward. As one of the most recognized and decorated authorities on the subject, Paul makes a compelling case for action with his passion and dedication.

Paul has received local and international acclaim too numerous to list here. Broadcast media ranging from CNN, ABC, NBC, FOX and MSNBC in the US and CTV’s W5 and CBC’s The Fifth Estate in Canada have featured Paul and his team.

Print articles have appeared in Readers Digest, Time Magazine, Toronto Life Magazine, The Globe and Mail and The L.A. Times. Most recently, ABC News named Paul Gillespie their “Person of the Week“