Hello,

As you know, we care a lot about our customers. And we spend a lot of time troubleshooting and improving our customer service. It’s at the core of what we do. But some of that lies beyond what we can do ourselves: it depends on rules set by the CRTC.

Well, we’re writing to ask for your help about issues we know matter to you -- because we believe that sharing your story with the CRTC will make a real difference.

What’s this all about?

As you know, TekSavvy serves most of its customers over leased last-mile facilities. It goes like this. We pay incumbents a rental fee to use their line into your home. We interconnect that line with our Internet and phone networks. And we provide Internet or phone service to you over the combined system.

Most of the time, that works out. On rare occasions, it doesn’t. Now -- as in, right now -- the CRTC is asking for the public’s views about fixing two problems:

• Renting the incumbent’s last-mile means renting their install and repair services for that last mile, too.  But the CRTC has few rules about how many no-shows or how fast those installs & repairs happen.  Shouldn’t it?
• When the last mile is fibre in a new building or development, we still can’t lease it.  There’s a plan for that to change once a long list of technical questions is worked through.  Eventually.  But what happens in the meantime?

If either of these has ever affected you, frustrated you, or moved you, it’s time to tell the CRTC about it. Here’s how.

By end of this Monday (April 24): installs, repairs et al.

Until 8 p.m. Ottawa time this Monday, April 24, the CRTC wants to know what it should do about what it calls “Competitor Quality of Service” – rules on things like how many install visits are missed, how many repairs are delayed, how long last-mile service delays can last, and so on.

We know how often issues like these frustrate our customers. Well, this weekend, or Monday, are the time to tell that story to the CRTC.

They’ve boiled down what they’re looking for into a series of questions, and are looking for folks to type answers into an online form.

We’re asking you to click to that form Here are some of the main questions and our takes on them (all of which are posted at the bottom of this document, known as Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-49):

Q2. Are market forces sufficient to ensure a high level of service or are Q of S regulatory measures required?

Market forces are the status quo -- no rules. If those have meant frustration for you, here’s where you tell your story. How many times did you wait? Did you have to take the day off work? Why did it suck? Specify that you’re answering question 2.

Q3. If a competitor Q of S regime is required, what should its objectives be?

We don’t see why a TekSavvy customer should have to wait any longer than an incumbent customer for an install, for a repair, or for service. If you agree, say so -- identifying that as your answer to Q3.

Q10. What specific services should be subject to the regime?

We think the last-mile lines we lease should be -- it's the link that we flow your Internet and phone services over. We call that “Wholesale Network Access”, if you’re looking for a term. Don’t forget to note you’re answering Q10.

It’s clunky. But it could make a huge difference. Consider stepping up.

By end of next Monday (May 1): fibre me up?

Is fibre the only Internet access option where you live? But you want your ISP to be an independent, like TekSavvy?

If you’re moving to a new building or development, we can’t lease the last-mile fibre there. Eventually, we will. But it’s taking an awfully long time. How much longer? To be honest, noone quite knows.

Well, until 8 p.m. Ottawa time next Monday, May 1, the CRTC is asking for comments that either support, or oppose an application by our industry association, the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) to expedite wholesale access to fibre where there are no other options, so we can quickly fill service gaps in vigorous competition.

Tell the CRTC that competition matters to you, and that you want them to break down the fibre wall, not eventually, but soonest. The fill-in form to that is here.

Gang, we wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. This time, it really is. The CRTC’s asking, so if you’re answering, now’s the time.