OTTAWA – Bell and its subsidiary Northwestel have pledged not to disconnect services to Iristel for not paying service dues.
The CRTC earlier this month asked Bell and Northwestel to hold off on disconnecting interconnection services to the far north provider until it makes a determination on a Part 1 application filed by Iristel that Bell allegedly hasn’t committed to providing an interconnection point in certain cities, including at Kuujjuaq in northern Quebec.
“Bell and Iristel have participated in a staff mediation process and they have reached an agreement…for the period during which the Commission completes its assessment of the Iristel application or for a period of four months from the date of this letter (being 24 February 2024), whichever comes first,” Bell said in its October 24 letter to the commission.
“If no Commission decision is issued on or before 24 February 2024, either party may request a renegotiation as to an appropriate monthly payment based on the trend of invoices sent by Bell to Iristel over the four month period,” the letter continued.
“In such a circumstance, if the parties are not able to reach agreement, the Agreement is terminated without further notice,” it continued.
Northwestel said in a separate October 13 letter that while it is “amenable to a temporary suspension of the disconnection notices sent to Iristel,” it has “serious concerns that, during the Commission’s review, Iristel will simply fall further into arrears and unduly benefit from the postponement of its disconnections.”
Meanwhile, while it accused Bell of anticompetitive practices, Iristel said in an October 17 letter that is willing to enter into mediation by CRTC staff to assist in the dispute until the commission can go through its application. That will involve resolving the outstanding amounts due for services.
Interventions to address Iristel’s Part 1 are due Friday.
Bell was set to disconnect services on October 23 after giving Iristel a 30-day disconnection notice in September.
The companies are currently embroiled in the Supreme Court of Yukon over this interconnection issue.
