NL Update

Vidéotron adds 27,000 Internet access subscribers in first quarterQuebecor Media Inc. increased the number of subscribers to its Vidéotron ltée cable Internet access service by 27,000 in the fiscal quarter ended March 31, according to the company’s financial results released May 6. That brought the number of Internet access subscribers to a total of 433,000 at March 31. Chicago 311 system focus of international conferenceThe 311 system in Chicago was the focus of discussion for nearly 100 local government officials from Canada, the U.S., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom during a conference held May 12. The city has been recognized by the Kennedy School of Government, the Ash Institute and the Public Employees Roundtable for the implementation of its 311 system that links residents with city services and information. The system runs on a customer service request infrastructure developed by Motorola.TELUS launches program for telecom consultantsTELUS Corp. has created a new consultant liaison program to meet the needs of telecommunications consultants. The program launched May 1 under the direction of William Edwards. It is designed to fill telecom and industry consultants in on emerging technologies, trends, applications and developments. A media release announcing the program notes that 40% of enterprise and end-user businesses use the services of consultants.Economists accuse CRTC of irrelevancy in telecom regulationsThe Montreal Economic Institute says new developments in technology have made CRTC intervention in telecommunications markets obsolete, and argues that deregulation would be preferable. “In the field of telecommunications, the CRTC protected monopolies against entry when it should not have, and it now grants privileges to their competitors when there are no more economic reasons to do so,” reads a recently released report by the institute. The full report is available on the institute’s web site, http://www.iedm.org.MCI Canada files Part VII application against Bell on CDNA ratesWorldCom Canada Ltd., operating as MCI Canada, has asked the CRTC to issue an order directing Bell Canada to apply the interim Competitor Digital Network Access (CDNA) service rates that were approved by the commission in Telecom Decision 2002-78 to all of the DNA services that Bell Canada has been providing to the company since June 1, 2002. Bell has argued that MCI Canada’s circuits are not eligible for the interim CDNA tariff.New disconnection rules handed down by commissionThe CRTC in Telecom Decision 2004-31 has ruled that incumbent telcos are not allowed to suspend or disconnect – or even threaten to suspend or disconnect – customers’ tariffed services if the customer has made partial payments sufficient to cover that outstanding arrears for tariffed services, even if a customer still owes the phone company money for non-tariffed services. Standard practice when customers make payments against old bills is to apply the money to the oldest amount first, regardless of whether the bill was for tariffed or non-tariffed services. ILECs ordered to file cost studies on Lite access serviceThe CRTC has ordered in Telecom Decision 2004-28 that ILECs with a high-speed Internet access service tariff file cost studies based on the commission’s incremental Phase II costing approach outlining the specific costs that arise in providing “Lite” access service. The order is the result of a Nov. 12, 2002 Part VII application by the Independent Members of the Canadian Association of Internet Providers (IMCAIP). In the same decision, however, the commission denied IMCAIP's related requests regarding higher-speed Internet access.CAIP officially joins CATA AllianceThe Canadian Association of Internet Providers officially became a division of the CATA Alliance on May 4. News of the merger was announced in December 2002 (NL, Dec. 16/02).

NL Update

News | May 17, 2004

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