Telecom - Staff Letter addressed to Marc Nanni
Gatineau, 30 March 2026
Reference: 1011-NOC2026-0009
BY EMAIL
Marc Nanni
mn_crtc@proton.me
Subject: Telecom Notice of Consultation 2026-9 Call for comments – Mobile reporting standard – Procedural requests
Dear Marc Nanni,
Thank you for your participation in the above-referenced proceeding. Commission staff acknowledges receipt of your four procedural requests in this proceeding submitted on 16 March 2026.
In your first procedural request relating to the intervention by the Province of British Columbia (BC), you include a Request for Information (RFI) to be directed to BC. That request seeks to have BC submit, on the record of this proceeding, a mobile coverage study that is mentioned in its intervention. Your RFI also contains questions for BC on the following matters:
- the parameters and technologies covered in the study
- whether and how the study or the related coverage maps would be communicated
- how BC would provide emergency information and alerts to residents
- whether the study addressed Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals.
Your second procedural request relating to EORN’s intervention contains an RFI to be directed to EORN with questions regarding the coverage model in EORN’s 2019 Cell Gap Project, including:
- whether the model would support video relay service (VRS)
- whether EORN consulted with the Deaf community
- whether EORN considered Canadians with accessibility needs in its recommendations
- the definition of coverage EORN used in its project and whether it would be adequate for residents in portions of a grid that are deemed not to be covered
Your third procedural request regarding the Government of Nova Scotia and Build Nova Scotia (Nova Scotia) intervention, contains an RFI that you ask the Commission to direct to Nova Scotia. The RFI includes questions on the following technical parameters and other details about the Cellular for Nova Scotia program:
- Technical parameters of Nova Scotia’s Service Level Objectives
- Whether these service level objectives address the needs of VRS users
- How Nova Scotia ensures that senior citizens, Deaf and rural residents can communicate in emergencies
- whether the lowest coverage standard proposed in the Notice of Consultation, which Nova Scotia proposed to call “Basic,” would meet the needs of these populations
Your fourth procedural request includes an RFI that you ask the Commission to direct to Strathcona County regarding its intervention. That RFI contains questions on:
- their views on the proposed “Emergency” designation and messaging relating to next generation 9-1-1
- how Deaf residents, senior citizens and rural residents could interpret Strathcona County’s proposed labels for levels of service
- the technical specifications for each level of service
- whether Strathcona Country consulted with Dear or hard-of-hearing residents on mobile connectivity needs
The Commission has launched this consultation with the understanding that current mobile coverage reporting is not sufficient. As explained in paragraph 7 of the Notice of Consultation, the purpose of this proceeding is to develop a standardized methodology for future mobile coverage reporting. In so doing, the Commission can improve its Facilities Survey and the mobile coverage data it publishes in the future. The Notice of Consultation, with its attached reports, contains a number of technical proposals that the Commission has put forward for comment. The scope of this proceeding is to obtain views on these technical proposals and related matters.
The information you seek in the foregoing procedural requests concerning BC, EORN and Nova Scotia relates to past studies conducted by other organizations, past coverage mapping exercises, or funding programs operated by other jurisdictions. These activities are not at issue in this consultation, and fall outside its scope. Insofar as your procedural requests also relate to the work undertaken by other organizations as a result of their coverage studies or mapping, these are also not pertinent to the questions raised in the Notice of Consultation. Consequently, staff views the additional information you seek from EORN, BC, and Nova Scotia as not being within the scope of this proceeding.
As noted above, the proceeding seeks views on proposed technical standards and related matters. Staff notes that you have submitted an intervention in which you comment on the proposed labels and related technical parameters, and provide extensive discussion of the concerns of Deaf and hard-of-hearing Canadians. Your intervention forms part of the record which will be considered in this proceeding. However, staff is of the view that there is no need to issue separate RFIs to Strathcona County, EORN, the Province, or Nova Scotia, to seek further detail on aspects of their interventions.
In the reply phase of this consultation, all parties to this consultation will have an opportunity to respond to your intervention. You will have an opportunity in the reply phase to respond to their interventions. These interventions and replies will all form part of the public record that the Commission will consider in developing the standardized methodology for mobile coverage reporting.
Yours sincerely,
Original signed by
Sheehan Carter
Director General, Strategic Policy
CRTC
c. c. :
Savannah Murphy, a/Executive Director, Network BC Ministry of Citizens’ Services, Province of British Columbia
Chris Green, Manager Support, Operations, and Security, Strathcona County
David Benoit, President and CEO, Build Nova Scotia
Jason St-Pierre, CEO, Eastern Ontario Regional Network
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