Telecom Circular CRTC 2005-5
Ottawa, 4 April 2005
Filing of reports on 9-1-1 manual access to the ALI database and on incumbents' service interruptions to competitors
Reference: 8661-C12-01/98 and 8657-C12-200500034
Purpose of this circular
1. The purpose of this circular is to reduce the frequency with which certain large incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) and municipalities' Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) file reports related to PSAP manual accesses to the 9-1-1 Automatic Location Identification (ALI) database and ILECs' service interruptions to competitors due to network outages.
PSAP reports
2. In 9-1-1 Service - Rates for Wireless Service Providers, Centrex Customers and Multi-Line Customers/Manual Access to the Automatic Location Identification Database, Telecom Decision CRTC 99-17, 29 October 1999 (Decision 99-17), the Commission determined, among other things, that it was in the public interest to permit PSAPs to have manual access to the ALI database, provided that appropriate safeguards were put in place to protect confidential customer information.
3. In Decision 99-17, the Commission directed BC TEL (now part of TELUS Communications Inc.), TELUS Communications Inc., Bell Canada, MTS Communications Inc. (now MTS Allstream), and NBTel Inc. (now part of Aliant Telecom Inc.) (collectively, the Companies) to provide manual access to the ALI database for municipalities that request it, subject to certain conditions to address confidentiality concerns. In this regard, the Commission required, among other things, that the 9-1-1 agreements between the Companies and the municipalities require the PSAPs to provide quarterly reports to the Companies, listing all the manual access requests made to the ALI database (PSAP reports). The Commission also required the Companies to file these PSAP reports on a quarterly basis. This directive was extended to Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) in Provincial Enhanced 9-1-1 Service, Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-20, 26 March 2003.
4. With the objective of streamlining regulatory filing requirements, Commission staff proposed, in a letter dated 5 January 2005, that the PSAP reports be filed annually with the Companies, and that, in turn, the Companies file these reports with the Commission on an annual rather than a quarterly basis. Commission staff was, however, of the view that the information on manual access requests made to the 9-1-1 ALI database would have to remain readily available, in order to ensure that PSAP reports could be provided when requested by the Commission.
5. The Commission received comments from the Companies, SaskTel, Globility Communications Corp., and Call-Net Enterprises Inc. (Call-Net) that supported this proposal.
Service interruption reports
6. In Altering terms of service for competitors that are customers, Order CRTC 2000-397, 12 May 2000 (Order 2000-397), the Commission required that certain telephone companies file reports on all service outages that affect competitors and that exceed 15 minutes in duration (service interruption reports). This Order applied to the Companies, as well as Northwestel Inc., Québec-Téléphone, Télébec ltée (now Société en commandite Télébec), and other independent telephone companies in Quebec and Ontario, except Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (now Ontera), Abitibi-Price Inc. (now part of Ontera), Cochrane Public Utilities Commission (now Cochrane Telecom Services), and Prince Rupert City Telephones.
7. Presently, these service interruption reports are filed quarterly with the Commission.
8. With the aim of streamlining regulatory filing requirements, Commission staff proposed, in a letter dated 5 January 2005, that the service interruption reports be filed on an annual rather than a quarterly basis. It was further proposed that the information contained in these reports remain readily available in order to be produced when requested by the Commission.
9. The Commission received comments on this proposal from the Companies, SaskTel, and Call-Net. All parties supported the proposal.
Commission's analysis and determination
10. The Commission notes that the PSAP reports filed to date have not raised any concerns with respect to the disclosure of confidential customer information for purposes unrelated to responding to emergency calls. The Commission therefore considers that it is appropriate to require that these reports be filed on an annual rather than on a quarterly basis.
11. Given the importance of PSAP reports as a safeguard in the protection of confidential customer information, the Commission is of the view that the Companies and SaskTel should ensure that the information on manual access requests made to the ALI database remain readily available in order to provide PSAP reports when requested by the Commission.
12. The Commission also notes that no concerns have been raised in the service interruption reports that would justify maintaining the filing requirements on a quarterly basis. In the Commission's view, annual reporting coupled with the requirement that the information contained in the service interruption reports be made available upon request would serve to streamline filing requirements, while providing the Commission with the ability to respond to any complaints or problems that may arise.
13. In light of the above, the Commission directs the Companies and SaskTel to:
- file annual PSAP reports for the calendar year 2005 and subsequent years no later than 31 March of the following year;
- file, for the Commission's information, amendments to the standard 9-1-1 Agreement with municipalities that reflect the annual filing requirements;
- notify those municipalities that have manual access to the 9-1-1 database that they may amend their 9-1-1 agreement to provide for annual PSAP reports; and
- make available the information provided in PSAP reports upon request by the Commission.
14. The Commission also directs the telephone companies that are subject to Order 2000-397 to:
- file annual service interruption reports for the calendar year 2005 and subsequent years no later than 31 March of the following year; and
- make available the information provided in service interruption reports upon request by the Commission.
Secretary General
This document is available in alternative format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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