Bell and Shaw promise compliance with VoIP decision rules

Both Bell Canada and Shaw Communications Inc. say they will comply with the rules set out in Decision 2005-28 as soon as possible in the wake of the ruling to settle two contentious issues. In April, Bell Canada was called to task by rivals for launching a Voice over IP service in Quebec, a measure largely seen as a competitive response to Vidéotron’s own IP telephony offering (NL, April 13/05). Vidéotron parent Quebecor Media and Cogeco Cable Inc. immediately cried foul, but their requests for action were put off by the commission until its May 12 VoIP decision. The new rules clearly placed Bell offside on the offering until it receives commission approval and a tariff. In response to a letter sent by the CRTC the same day as it issued its VoIP ruling, Bell now says it will file a tariff – though its answer is couched in vague terms. Bell was quick to announce its intended Cabinet challenge to 2005-28, a process that could take months to sort out. In its answer to the commission on the Quebec service, Bell notes that it will "file a tariff in its Digital Voice service at the earliest reasonable opportunity following consideration of the technological and legal matters raised by the decision." Stay tuned. In Shaw’s case, the company was seen to be offside for contracting with Bell West to begin providing VoIP service in Calgary without itself becoming a CLEC. New rules handed down May 12 make it clear any company offering Internet telephony must do so as a CLEC, and Shaw has conceded the point. In its May 19 response to a complaint against it by TELUS Corp. on those grounds, Shaw writes that it has "filed proposed interconnection agreements and tariffs with the Commission and received approval for these. Shaw intends to complete the remaining entry steps set out in…Decision 97-8 in short order." In the meantime, however, it has asked the commission not to force it to withdraw the service offering, since that would "severely prejudice Shaw’s customers as well as the public interest in competition."

Bell and Shaw promise compliance with VoIP decision rules

News | 05/25/2005 4:00 am EDT

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