Proceeding on new mobile reporting standard launched
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday that it will begin making certain annual telecom coverage data public.
The previously confidential coverage data includes internet and mobile service by provider, technology and speed down to the 250-metre road segment level, which the regulator said will make it easier for Canadians to easily find services available in their area at a more granular level.
The data will be shared with Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which will use that it to update its national broadband map.
The decision comes in response to a request by British Columbia’s Ministry of Citizens’ Services, which asked the commission to make the data available so it can adequately track and meet its 2027 connectivity targets.
The provincial government argued that the “Annual Facilities Survey” data are being deemed confidential even though the providers themselves make them public through various materials, including websites, customer service sales and marketing materials.
Rogers and Bell, however, argued that while they have tools to assist customers in confirming service availability, that does not make their data public per se. Rogers, Bell, Telus, and SaskTel expressed concern, according to the CRTC, that moving forward with making this data public could lead to misuse, version control issues, and unauthorized access to sensitive information; some noted that it would violate laws on confidential data and compromise their competitive positions.
“Although TSPs may limit the amount of coverage data for broadband Internet and mobile services that consumers can access through their online tools (e.g., by restricting the number of address queries consumers can perform), this information remains publicly available,” the CRTC said in its analysis Thursday.
The regulator noted that Quebecor shares this type of data with the Quebec government to develop an interactive broadband map, which demonstrates that this type of data is “not consistently treated as confidential and that it is possible to provide more coverage information without disclosing sensitive network information.”
“Further, the Commission considers that, even if the information were deemed confidential, its disclosure would be in the public interest. For example, providing this information through the National Broadband Map would ensure that service availability data is presented in a consistent and reliable manner across the country. The data that the Ministry requested be disclosed (i.e., service coverage data at the 250-meter road-segment level by provider, technology, and speed) is essential for Canadians to understand what broadband Internet and mobile services are available in their homes and in their communities.”
Making this data public would also allow smaller service providers to compete more effectively, the CRTC said, and the commission already requires that certain fibre service locations be made available to other telecoms upon request. “Increased competition creates more choice, lower prices, and brings about greater levels of innovation, to the benefit of consumers,” the regulator said.
The province’s request was supported by municipalities, provinces and public safety organizations.
However, the CRTC rejected BC’s request to get access to complete datasets and transport data because that information is consistently treated as confidential by the telecoms.
“The Commission considers that, if granted, the second and third requests would involve disclosing highly sensitive data about critical telecommunications infrastructure, which poses significant security and resiliency risks,” the CRTC said. “Unlike the first request, which entails disclosing service availability data, the second and third requests entail providing additional information related to network facilities that are vulnerable to theft and vandalism.”
CRTC also looking to develop a new mobile reporting standard
Alongside its decision in the BC application, the CRTC also launched a proceeding Thursday into developing a “standardized, evidence-based methodology for mobile coverage reporting that will help identify coverage areas more accurately and address gaps in mobile coverage.”
The reporting standard, comments on which are due March 16, will go toward supporting policies and funding decisions, the commission said.
Among other queries, the CRTC is asking which mobile wireless technologies should be covered; to what level of detail, by the distance, should it require; what support might small operators need to make these submissions; what are the implications of moving from a 12-month to a six-month reporting requirement; what quality of service metrics should be incorporated; what role should crowdsourcing data play in validating the data; and how should satellite-to-mobile technology be addressed.
The CRTC is also asking for opinions about a technical report from the Communications Research Center – a division of ISED – which proposed a definition of mobile service coverage that comprises three service levels: emergency service; basic, which includes emergency service plus voice and video calls of at least 3 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload; and advanced, which includes basic service and higher data speed service of at least 10 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload.
The report also proposes to identify coverage via data throughput, which reflects the quality of service experienced by users and received signal power.
The CRC report was used by FarrPoint, which was commissioned by the CRTC and ISED, to conduct interviews with service providers, compare it with how certain countries do reporting, and make recommendations. The CRTC is looking to get comment on FarrPoint’s recommendations, outlined in a report released Thursday.
