ARCHIVED - Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-6

Telecom Decision CRTC 2003-6

Ottawa, 14 February 2003

Deferral of area code 514 relief date

Reference: 8698-C12-10/00 and 8662-A53-01/01

The Commission approves deferring the relief date for area code 514 from 7 February 2004 to 24 September 2005, and other changes related to relief activities.

1.

On 29 November 2002, the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) ad hoc Numbering Plan Area (NPA) 514 relief planning committee (the RPC) filed an application requesting that the Commission:

2.

In a letter dated 4 December 2002, the Commission provided parties with an opportunity to comment on this application. On 10 December 2002, Bell Canada filed comments.

Deferral of the NPA 514 relief date and revisions to the relief implementation plan

3.

In its application, the RPC submitted that a recent review of the Canadian Numbering Administrator's (CNA) projections confirmed that the projected exhaust date for NPA 514 had moved outward significantly to the second or third quarter of 2006. The RPC submitted that the implementation interval between the established relief date of 7 February 2004 and the projected exhaust date of September 2006 was longer than required. The RPC believed there was an opportunity to defer the established relief date to September 2005.

4.

In its comments, Bell Canada supported RPC's application and submitted that customers would benefit from the proposed deferral of the relief planning date, in particular large businesses and other organizations, which need to modify or replace their existing telecommunications equipment and systems. In Bell Canada's view, approval of the proposed deferral plan would afford these customers additional time to plan and implement required changes, as well as the opportunity to defer associated expenditures.

5.

The Commission notes that the projected exhaust date for NPA 514 has moved outward on a consistent basis over the last few years, from 2004 to 2005 and, recently to September 2006. The Commission further notes that section 4.15 of the Canadian NPA Relief Planning Guidelines (the Guidelines) permits the RPC to recommend, via the CISC process, a change to an established relief date if the advancement or deferral of the relief date is significant. The Commission acknowledges that the current NPA 514 relief date of 7 February 2004 is approximately 31 months prior to the projected exhaust date of September 2006. The Commission agrees with RPC's position that such an interval is excessive, in that it exceeds the 12 to 18 month relief planning window required by the Guidelines. In the Commission's view, deferring the NPA 514 relief date is warranted under these circumstances.

6.

The Commission notes that in order to facilitate the implementation of the new area code overlay, a permissive 10-digit local dialing arrangement is established for a defined period of time. During this period, callers may dial local calls using either seven or 10 digits and would hear a standard, clear and consistent network announcement reminding them of the transition from seven to 10-digit local dialing. At the end of this transition period, mandatory 10-digit dialing commences where all local calls must be dialed using 10 digits. The Commission considers that in view of a deferred relief date, deferring the implementation of the permissive and mandatory 10-digit local dialing periods is also warranted.

7.

Accordingly, the Commission:

8.

The Commission agrees thatin view of the revised NPA 514 relief date, the RPC should revise the current relief implementation plan, including the relief implementation schedule, the associated consumer awareness program, and planning letter 315 to be forwarded to the North American Numbering Plan Administration by the CNA, in order to reflect the new relief date. The Commission considers that the network implementation plan is part of the relief implementation plan, and therefore, modifications to the network implementation plan will also need to be modified to reflect the revised relief date.

9.

The Commission notes that in its comments Bell Canada indicated that it had recently made the public aware, through the media, of its desire to defer the scheduled NPA 514 relief date to September 2006. The Commission emphasizes the importance of providing consumers with consistent information in regard to the introduction of a new area code overlay in the 514 region. The Commission therefore considers that the consumer awareness program should be revised to ensure that all TSPs operating in area code 514 provide clear and consistent information to the public and their customers.

10.

The Commission considers that some carriers may have already enabled seven/10-digit local dialing in area code 514. The Commission is of the view that where a TSP has done so, it should continue this local dialing practice, particularly if this practice has already been communicated to, or is being used by its customers.

11.

Accordingly, the Commission directs:

· ensure customers are advised of the new relief date and the consequent effective dates for the permissive and mandatory 10-digit local dialing periods;

· provide clear and consistent information to be used by all TSPs in communicating the change in relief planning in the 514 region. This information should include a rationale for the change in relief planning and recommend any future action, and the timing of any future action; and

· ensure that each TSP's customer-contact personnel are provided with the same information and the same message.

Monitoring future NRUF results

12.

The Commission notes that pursuant to the Canadian Central Office Codes Assignment Guidelines, the CNA currently monitors NRUF results and actual CO code assignments. The Commission further notes that pursuant to the Guidelines, the RPC is responsible for establishing a relief date that is 12 to 18 months in advance of the projected exhaust date. In view of the RPC's responsibility to establish relief dates, the Commission agrees that the RPC should monitor future NRUF results in aggregate form and the CO code assignments.

13.

As noted at paragraph 5, the Commission considers that the Guidelines already permit the RPC to recommend to the Commission a change to an established relief date via the CISC process.

14.

The Commission notes that in Decision 2001-648, the Commission directed the CNA to collect NRUF data in area code 514 on a semi-annual basis until the first quarter of 2003. After that, quarterly NRUFs would commence. In light of the deferral of the relief date, the Commission considers that the collection of NRUF data should also be deferred.

15.

Accordingly, the Commission directs:

Secretary General

This document is available in alternative format upon request and may also be examined at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca