Being one of the major telecoms to receive funding from Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. (SWIFT) to build broadband networks in southwestern Ontario, Bell is being asked by the CRTC to respond to questions relating to a Part 1 application from consulting firm Broadlytics that requested the CRTC clarify that SWIFT-funded builds are subject to the commission’s aggregated wholesale access framework for fibre facilities.
The CRTC made its information request to Bell via a Nov. 3 letter, after the telecom giant did not intervene in the commission’s proceeding on the Broadlytics application that was filed in August. Companies and associations who did submit interventions on the public file include Rogers, Cogeco, TekSavvy, Quebecor, Xplore, the Independent Telecommunications Providers Association, and the Canadian Association of Wireless Service Providers (CanWISP).
The commission is asking Bell to provide a list of the communities where Bell constructed network facilities with funding from SWIFT and that Bell operates, as well as an estimate of the total number of homes passed by these facilities. In addition, the CRTC wants to know if Bell is offering wholesale access to these facilities on a disaggregated basis and/or an aggregated basis, with the information organized by facilities operated before and after Aug. 13, 2024, the date the commission published its new wholesale fibre access policy.
The CRTC further asks, if Bell is offering wholesale access to these facilities on a disaggregated basis and/or an aggregated basis, under which terms and conditions it is providing such access. The commission wants to know if Bell is providing wholesale access under the terms of CRTC-approved tariffs or other contractual terms imposed as a condition of a SWIFT funding agreement, with details provided for the associated terms and conditions.
Bell has until Nov. 10 to respond to the CRTC’s request for information.
