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Letter
Ottawa, 12 December 2008
File No. 8665-C12-200807943
By email document.control@sasktel.sk.ca
Robert Hersche
Director of Regulatory Affairs
Saskatchewan Telecommunications
2121 Saskatchewan Drive
Regina , Saskatchewan
S4P 3Y2
Re: Unresolved issues related to the accessibility of telecommunications and broadcasting services for persons with disabilities, Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2008-8 and Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2008-8 (Public Notice 2008-8)
Dear Mr. Hersche:
The Commission notes that in Use of deferral account funds to improve access to telecommunications services for persons with disabilities and to expand broadband services to rural and remote communities, Telecom Decision 2008-1, 17 January 2008, it approved a proposal made by Saskatchewan Telecommunications (SaskTel) to introduce Internet Protocol Relay Service and to use deferral account funds to support all start-up costs and some ongoing costs associated with the provision of this service. During the public consultation that was part of the Public Notice 2008-8 proceeding, SaskTel noted that it planned to begin offering the service in summer 2009.
The Commission also notes that parties have raised a number of issues with regard to relay services in the Public Notice 2008-8 proceeding and that the Commission expects to release its decision in this proceeding before SaskTel would begin offering its Internet Protocol Relay Service. With this in mind, the Commission requests that SaskTel provide its comments, no later than 17 December 2008 , on the value of proceeding with its Internet Protocol Relay Service offering at this time, identifying the impact of stopping the project now.
Parties may contact Martine Vallee (martine.vallee@crtc.gc.ca) at 819-997-9254 should they have any questions in regard to this process.
Yours sincerely,
ORIGINAL SIGNED BY
Robert A. Morin
Secretary General
