OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied requests from both Bell and Telus seeking forbearance from the regulation of billing and collection service (BCS).
BCS is a mandated wholesale service that requires all local exchange carriers to bill and collect on behalf of alternate service providers (ASPs), such as long distance service providers, with respect to certain eligible services. These eligible services include casual long distance services (also known as 10-10 services), 900 services, collect call services, and bill-to-third call services. BCS enables an ASP to provide services to a local exchange customer without having a pre-existing billing relationship, or establishing a new one, with that customer.
In two separate decisions, the Commission said that while BCS meets the input and duplicability components of the Essentiality Test, it is not possible to assess the impact that no longer mandating BCS would have more broadly on retail long distance competition.
“However, the policy considerations addressed earlier in this decision support the continued mandating of BCS, as it contributes to the welfare of vulnerable customers and facilitates efficient network deployment by long distance providers”, reads both decisions. “The Commission therefore finds that BCS should remain mandated.”
Click here for the CRTC’s decision on Bell Canada’s application and here for its decision on Telus Communication’s application.
