N.S. Calls on CRTC to Stay the Course on Rural Rates
TECHNOLOGY/SCIENCE SECRETARIAT--N.S. Calls on CRTC to Stay the Course on Rural Rates
Nova Scotia's minister for the Technology and Science Secretariat argued against higher rates for rural telephone customers before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today. Jane Purves told the regulatory body at its hearings in Hull, Que., that the province considers basic telecommunications a fundamental service.
"Basic services should cost subscribers the same, whether they choose to live in a small town or a big city," a principle Ms. Purves said applies across the sectors, from postal services to health and education.
A proposal from telephone companies currently before the CRTC outlines a framework for rate changes over the next four years. In Nova Scotia, the proposal could result in higher local telephone rates for rural customers.
"We see no evidence that this proposal would benefit the long- term competitive viability of rural telecommunications," Ms. Purves said. The province believes keeping rates uniform is more likely to foster population stability and increased business activity in rural areas, resulting in opportunities for a competitive telecommunications market to grow there.
Calling a return to rural-versus-urban rates "out of step with current efforts to foster economic and social development in all regions of the province," Ms. Purves asked the commission to give the current regulatory system more time to work.
"It needs time to demonstrate whether it can increase the level of rural competition for basic telecommunications services, one of the goals the CRTC had in mind when it implemented the price cap in 1998," she said.
"The costs of any future rate changes need not, and should not, be borne by rural telephone subscribers alone," she said. She emphasized the province's fundamental opposition to any measure that would penalize Nova Scotians for choosing to live or locate their business in a rural area of the province.
The minister concluded with another appeal to the CRTC to come to Atlantic Canada to listen to telecommunications rate proposals from a broader audience. The other Atlantic governments have made similar requests, along with numerous elected officials and members of the public.
Ms. Purves predicted that the momentum and demand for more opportunities for direct public participation in this proceeding will grow stronger as the hearing process continues, and she reiterated her request that regional hearings be held after the main sessions in Hull.