Economists and investment banking pundits on both sides of the border debate whether we have entered a recession – or even if a bear market has truly arrived. But the fate of the vast majority of competitive local exchange carriers (‘CLECs’) is already as clear as a fibre optic connection: The equivalent of nuclear winter, as one industry insider calls the current crisis, appears to be here.

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Larry Hudson, president of operations at AT&T Canada, is retiring at the end of May. He has worked for AT&T throughout North America and has held his current position since January 1999.

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Warnings about 10-digit dialing begin outside Toronto
Callers in the 905 region surrounding Toronto are hearing recorded messages alerting them to the advent of 10-digit dialing. The 289 NPA will be overlaid on June 9, resulting in the dialing of all the numbers.

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Incumbent and competitive telecom companies met with CRTC staff last to determine what corporate data should be filed under new reporting rules, and just how much of it should be put on the public record. As expected, competitors pushed to have incumbents bear the brunt of the disclosure requirements.

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Four small independent telcos are the latest to challenge the CRTC’s ruling on contribution, but unlike other appellants, have decided to take their case directly to the federal Cabinet – Gazette Notice No. DGTP-007-01. It’s uncertain if the political will exists for MPs to tackle an issue as complex as how local phone subsidies are set, particularly considering that both the CRTC and the Federal Court have already rejected similar appeals to vary Decision 2000-745.

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The aftereffects of municipal amalgamation have resulted in some 911 responses ending up at the wrong address, and a dispatcher in Southern Ontario is calling on the CRTC, local politicians and Bell Canada to solve the problem. Bell Canada, however, says nothing can be done until the cities get their own acts together.

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The skittish stock market is being blamed for a health crisis in Canada’s CLEC market although insiders and analysts are still optimistic that the long term prognosis for the industry is positive.

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