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ARCHIVED -  Telecom Order CRTC 97-730

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Telecom Order

Ottawa, 30 May 1997
Telecom Order CRTC 97-730
On 18 January 1997, Stentor Resource Centre Inc. (Stentor) filed, on behalf of and with the concurrence of all federally regulated Stentor carriers, Tariff Notice 409 (TN 409) for approval of tariff revisions providing for the introduction of competitive swipe card access to all the Stentor companies' public telephones equipped with card readers.
File No.: Tariff Notice 409
1. On 18 February 1997, the Commission initiated a proceeding in Telecom Public Notice CRTC 97-5 to consider TN 409.
2. In a letter dated 17 February 1997, AT&T Canada Long Distance Services Company, on behalf of itself, Call-Net Enterprises Inc. and fONOROLA Inc. submitted that TN 409 should not be approved in its current form and requested a Commission-mediated dispute resolution process to help resolve the various technical and competitive issues on a timely basis.
3. In letters also dated 17 February 1997, ACC TelEnterprises Inc. (ACC) and Phone Line International (Phone Line) requested interim approval of TN 409, submitting that this would address the significant disadvantage they face vis-à-vis the telephone companies as a result of the absence of swipe card functionality.
4. In a letter dated 12 March 1997, Stentor stated that it was opposed to any proposal to give TN 409 interim approval, so long as there remained a possibility that significant changes to the service might subsequently be required by the Commission.
5. By letter dated 27 March 1997, the Commission denied the requests of ACC and Phone Line, based on the uncertainty concerning the appropriateness of interim approval of TN 409 at that time. The Commission established a staff dispute resolution process which included a meeting to which all parties were invited, which was held on 28 and 29 April 1997.
6. During the meeting, a broad consensus for interim approval of TN 409 emerged, primarily in order to enable swipe card functionality to be made available as soon as possible for prepaid cards.
7. Given the broad concerns, and given the desirability of implementing as soon as possible swipe card functionality for at least prepaid cards, the Commission considers that giving TN 409 interim approval is appropriate at this time.
8. By separate letter dated today, Commission staff is issuing a non-binding staff opinion on the matters in issue.
9. The Commission notes that the granting of interim approval is without prejudice, consistent with the procedures established with respect to the staff resolution process, to the right of parties to request that the Commission rule on any matter parties consider not to have been satisfactorily resolved.
10. In light of the foregoing, the Commission orders that:
Stentor's application of 18 January 1997 is granted interim approval.
Allan J. Darling
Secretary General
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