CRTC grants Fibernetics access to Bell facilities

The CRTC is directing BCE Inc. to allow Ontario-based home phone and internet provider Fibernetics Corp. access to its facilities after the company claimed Bell disagreed. According to a decision released by the CRTC Tuesday, Bell will have to allow Fibernetics to use its Inter-Exchange Private Line (IXPL) facilities in eight regions as the company works on expanding its landline phone service. In July 2020, Fibernetics urged the CRTC to compel Bell to allow it to lease its facilities. The company claimed in its Part 1 application that Bell had previously refused, despite the two having signed many lease agreements in the past. Fibernetics claimed Bell insisted on another redacted method for local network interconnection (LNI) which Fibernetics said is “clearly inferior,” significantly more expensive, takes longer to implement, and is harder to operate and maintain than leased facilities. According to the CRTC’s decision, one of the main purposes of the local network interconnection framework “is to foster the development of competition in the telecommunications marketplace by facilitating the exchange of customer-generated traffic between carriers.” The commission said Tuesday Fibernetics submitted that Bell indicated it considers local network interconnection to be permanent and “prefers to continue exploring another option.” In response, Fibernetics proposed a longer-term lease arrangement for the facilities but Bell did not accept, it said. Fibernetics also claimed that there are no other ILECs it could negotiate with in the eight regions because Bell is the only one in those markets, the CRTC said. After examining the arguments, the CRTC said it “considers that there is no merit to Bell Canada’s argument that it prefers to use a specific method, given that Fibernetics requires very little capacity.” “Bell Canada’s insistence on a specific LNI method in each of the eight LIRs subjects Fibernetics to a disadvantage because it exposes it to costs that are uneconomic for the expected traffic volumes. It also makes market entry into each of the eight LIRs difficult since the company may not be able to recover its costs,” it said. “Delaying Fibernetics’ entry into these LIRs is unjustifiable considering there are other interconnection arrangements, such as the proposed IXPL facilities, that could, and should, have been used in each of the eight LIRs in question.” Following Fibernetics’ application -- and perhaps as a response to it “as evidence of Bell Canada’s unwillingness to negotiate alternative LNI arrangements” -- the CRTC said Bell offered Fibernetics the use of points of interconnection and tariffed low-speed competitive digital network access facilities. “Fibernetics indicated that Bell Canada had insisted on the use of a specific method during negotiations and that the first time the tariffed low-speed CDN access services were offered was in its answer to the present application,” the CRTC said. As a result, the CRTC also determined as part of its decision that Fibernetics should be permitted to use points of interconnection for local network interconnection arrangements within the eight regions, at its discretion, in conjunction with tariffed low-speed competitor digital network access service. — Reporting by Hannah Daley at hdaley@thewirereport.ca and editing by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca

CRTC grants Fibernetics access to Bell facilities

News | May 4, 2021

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CRTC grants Fibernetics access to Bell facilities

News | May 4, 2021

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