ARCHIVED - Telecom - Commission Letter - 8678-C12-10/01 - Implementation of pricecap regulation for Québec-Téléphone and Télébec Public Notice CRTC 2001-36

Letter

Ottawa, 5 June 2001

File No.: 8678-C12-10/01

BY TELECOPIER: 514 - 493-5379

Mr. Michel Gilbert
Director General - Regulatory Affairs
Télébec ltée
Service de la Réglementation
7151 Jean-Talon Street East
7th Floor
Anjou, Quebec
H1M 3N8

Subject: Implementation of price cap regulation for Québec-Téléphone and Télébec Public Notice CRTC 2001-36

Dear Sir:

1. In its letter dated 23 May 2001, Télébec requests that the deadline for filing its evidence and certain responses to interrogatories in the above-noted proceeding be extended from 14 June to 17 August 2001.
2. In its request for an extension, Télébec submitted three main arguments:

• a very full schedule;

• the time needed to develop its budget forecasts for 2002 and finish its required productivity analyses; and

• the need to take into account the impact of Telecom decisions CRTC 2000-745 dated 30 November 2000, entitled Changes to the contribution regime, and CRTC 2001-238 dated 27 April 2001, entitled Restructured bands, revised loop rates and related issues, as well as the terms of application of Decision CRTC 2001-238 to the independent telephone companies.

3. Télébec may find it difficult to meet the requirements of the above-noted proceeding because of the work it demands in addition to the work resulting from other proceedings. However, at the time of Public Notice CRTC 2001-36 dated 13 March 2001 and the interrogatories dated 23 March, it was considered that the company would have enough time to prepare its evidence and respond to the interrogatories.
   
4. Furthermore, it is not necessary in the context of this proceeding to develop budget forecasts for 2002, since it will already be subject to price cap regulation. The financial review methodology for the two companies, for the purpose of setting just and reasonable going-in rates coinciding with the implementation of price cap regulation, is developed in Public Notice CRTC 2001-36 and in the interrogatories.
   
5. The terms of application of decisions 2000-745 and 2001-238, for purposes of this proceeding, were provided in a letter dated 30 May 2001. These terms of application are necessary to allow the company to determine its preliminary total subsidy requirement in light of Decision CRTC 2000-745, which will allow it to assess the impacts on its initial revenue needs for 2002.
   
6. In view of the foregoing, it is considered reasonable that the schedule for the procedure of Public Notice 2001-36 be revised as follows:

Paragraph 26: Written comments in this proceeding, without receipt of copies of the evidence filed, may be filed by 21 November 2001;

Paragraph 27: Responses to the interrogatories are to be filed and served by 6 July 2001;

Paragraph 28: Evidence is to be filed and served on all parties by 6 July 2001;

Paragraph 29: Interrogatories are to be filed and served by 31 July 2001;

Paragraph 30: Responses to interrogatories are to be filed and served by 21 August 2001;

Paragraph 31: Requests by parties for further responses and for public disclosure are to be filed and served by 28 August 2001;

Paragraph 32: Responses to requests for further responses and for public disclosure are to be filed and served by 5 September 2001;

Paragraph 33: The Commission will issue a determination with regard to paragraph 32 as soon as possible and any information to be provided must be filed and served by 14 September 2001;

Paragraph 34: Evidence is to be filed with the Commission and served by 21 September 2001;

Paragraph 35: Interrogatories with regard to evidence referred to in paragraph 34 are to be filed and served by 5 October 2001;

Paragraph 36: Responses to interrogatories are to be filed and served by 16 October 2001;

Paragraph 37: Requests by parties for further responses and for public disclosure are to be filed and served by 22 October 2001;

Paragraph 38: Responses to requests for further responses and for public disclosure are to be filed and served by 26 October 2001;

Paragraph 39: The Commission will issue a determination with regard to paragraph 32 as soon as possible and any information to be provided must be filed and served by 2 November 2001 or even sooner, if possible;

Paragraph 40: Arguments are to be filed and served by 21 November 2001;

Paragraph 41: Reply arguments are to be filed and served by 4 December 2001;

7. All material is to filed and served, not merely sent, by the dates specified above.
   
8. The Commission wishes to emphasize that this extension of more than three weeks should allow the company and TELUS Communications (Quebec) to adequately prepare evidence and responses to interrogatories dated 23 March 2001. The collaboration of all parties is expected in meeting the above filing dates, failing which the date of the Commission's decision in this proceeding could be substantially affected.

9. Finally, the need to hold a public hearing, as explained in paragraph 25 of the above-noted Public Notice, will be determined after examination of the companies' evidence, in accordance with paragraph 28 of Public Notice CRTC 2001-38.

Yours sincerely,

Shirley Soehn,
Executive Director

Claude Rousseau, CRTC (819) 997-4605
c.c: TELUS Communications (Quebec)
Interested parties to the proceeding
David Colville, Chairperson, CRTC