Bell welcomes deregulation of local phone service

Aug 3, 2007

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- Consumers to benefit from more competition, choice and innovation
- Ruling deregulates competitive residential phone markets including
Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Hamilton, London and Québec City
>>

OTTAWA, Ontario, Aug. 3 /CNW Telbec/ - Welcoming deregulation of prices
for local phone service as the start of a new era that benefits Canadians,
Bell today said it now has greater freedom to compete more effectively and
develop new offers for consumers in dozens of communities across Ontario and
Quebec.
Based on a ruling issued today by the Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), for the first time ever, prices for
residential local phone services provided by Bell will no longer be regulated
in markets including: Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Hamilton, London and
Québec City, as well as many other cities and communities in both provinces.
"Consumers are the big winners," said Kevin Crull, President of
Residential Services for Bell. "Competition in the local phone market is going
to heat up, and consumers can look forward to new and innovative service
offerings becoming available from Bell in the near future."
Today's ruling is the first to address a number of local forbearance
applications filed by Bell under revised rules set by the Government of Canada
earlier this year. The CRTC is expected to rule on the additional applications
soon. In the meantime, the company is moving ahead with the development of new
customer offers.
"We now have greater flexibility to develop new offers that provide value
for our customers," added Mr. Crull. "Bell will be even better able to compete
with non-regulated cable firms and other service providers, and that means
more choices will be available in the marketplace."
The ruling is based on the Government of Canada's local forbearance
framework and is consistent with its Policy Direction requiring the CRTC to
rely on market forces to the greatest extent possible. It also follows the
establishment of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications
Services (CCTS), an independent, industry-funded agency that Bell and other
service providers recently set up at the government's request to help
consumers and small businesses handle unresolved service concerns in
deregulated markets.
"Canadians are benefiting from the federal government's strong support
for more modern, efficient and customer-focused telecom rules," said Lawson
Hunter, Executive Vice-President and Chief Corporate Officer of Bell. "Today's
landmark decision is the next logical step in that progression. We look
forward to the CRTC quickly addressing our other forbearance applications,
including those that will benefit our business customers."

About Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers with
solutions to all their communications needs, including telephone services,
wireless communications, high-speed Internet, digital television and voice
over IP. Bell also offers integrated information and communications technology
(ICT) services to businesses and governments, and is the Virtual Chief
Information Officer (VCIO) to small and medium businesses (SMBs). Bell is
proud to be a Premier National Partner and the exclusive Communications
Partner to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Bell is
wholly owned by BCE Inc. For information on Bell's products and services,
please visit www.bell.ca. For corporate information on BCE, please visit
www.bce.ca.

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List of Bell Exchanges in Ontario and Quebec where
Residential Local Services are Forborne from Regulation

Exchanges within the Priority CMAs

Hamilton CMA Ottawa-Gatineau Toronto CMA
CMA
Ancaster Ajax-Pickering
Burlington Carp Alliston
Dundas Cumberland Aurora
Grimsby Gatineau Beeton
Stoney Creek Gloucester Bolton
Waterdown Jockvale Bradford
Kanata-Stittsville Brampton
London CMA Manotick Caledon East
Metcalfe Castlemore
Belmont Navan Clarkson
Dorchester North Gower Cooksville
Harrietsville Orleans Georgetown
Lambeth Osgoode Gormley
London Ottawa-Hull Keswick
St. Thomas Richmond King City
Thorndale Russell Kleinburg
Malton
Montréal CMA Québec CMA Maple
Markham
Beauharnois Boischatel Milton
Beloeil Charny Mount Albert
Boucherville Lévis Newmarket
Chambly Loretteville Nobleton
Châteauguay Québec Oakville
Chomedey Ste-Pétronille Palgrave
Ile-Perrot St-Nicolas Port Credit
L'Epiphanie-L'Assomption Queensville
Lachine Richmond Hill
Laprairie Schomberg
Laval-Est Snelgrove
Laval-Ouest South Pickering
Lavaltrie Stouffville
Le Gardeur Streetsville
Les Cèdres Sutton
Longueuil Thornhill
Mascouche Toronto
Mirabel-St-Augustin Tottenham
Montréal Unionville
Pointe-Claire Victoria
Pont-Viau Woodbridge
Roxboro
St-Bruno
St-Constant
Ste-Anne-des-Plaines
Ste-Geneviève
Ste-Julie-de-Verchères
Ste-Rose
Ste-Thérèse
St-Eustache
St-Jérôme
St-Lambert
St-Vincent-de-Paul
Terrebonne
Varennes
Vaudreuil

List of Bell Exchanges in Ontario and Quebec where
Residential Local Services are Forborne from Regulation

Exchanges outside of the Priority CMAs

Ayr New Dundee Tavistock
Baden New Hamburg Tecumseh
Barrie Newcastle Thamesford
Beamsville Niagara Falls Tillsonburg
Belleville Niagara-on-the-Lake Trenton
Bowmanville Orillia Trois-Rivières
Brantford Orono Valleyfield
Breslau Oshawa Verchères
Brooklin Paris Wasaga Beach
Caledonia Peterborough Waterville
Carleton Place Port Colbourne Welland
Collingwood Preston Whitby
Cookstown Shawinigan Windsor
Coteau-du-Lac Sherbrooke Woodstock
Coteau-Landing Sorel
Deauville St. Catharines
Drummondville St. Clements
East Angus St. George
Elmira St. Jacobs
Elmvale St-Césaire
Essex Ste-Adèle
Fort Erie Ste-Agathe
Galt Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré
Grand-Mère St-Féréol
Guelph St-Hyacinthe
Hespeler St-Jean
Ingersoll St-Jovite
Innerkip St-Lin
Kingston St-Marc
Kitchener-Waterloo Stratford
Lefroy Stroud
Louiseville St-Sauveur
Magog
Marieville
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For further information: For media inquiries, please contact: Pierre Leclerc, Bell Media Relations, (514) 391-2007, 1-877-391-2007, pierre.leclerc@bell.ca