Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 03/00) - It's become known as the mother of all proceedings.

NorthwesTel has so far fielded 400 questions, known as interrogatories, from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, individuals, interest groups, public organizations, and telecommunications companies. And the interrogatories will continue with one more round of questions.

"It's a huge proceeding," said Peter Flaherty, NorthwesTel's interim president. Flaherty replaced Peter Boorman who resigned.

The inquiries surround NorthwesTel's high-cost service area submission, which it filed last fall with the CRTC. As competition approaches in NorthwesTel's service area -- the NWT, Nunavut, Yukon and Northern B.C. -- the commission recognized the North was unique and asked the telecommunications company to submit the plan.

Flaherty, who spoke to News/North his first day on the job, described this proceeding as one which folds all other proceedings before it into one.

The questions the company has received so far have been answered and sent to the CRTC, he says.

"For the next three months, the proceeding is the number one priority. The issues are critical. It's about how competition will come to the area. It's about rates and subsidies," he adds.

"There's no way companies (here) can offer the same things offered in the south (like $20 a month for long distance) without subsidies."

The CRTC recognizes that if services are to match the south, there is a need for subsidies. The commission feels the North is the only area subsidies should be in place if residents of the North are to enjoy the same level of services that exist in the south, he said.

NorthwesTel wants southern telecommunications companies to pay the subsidy.

As the proceeding continues -- public hearings are due later this year -- there will be those who come forward and say they do not want there to be subsidies, he said. The hearings are scheduled for June 13 and 14 in Whitehorse with a video link to Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Fort Nelson.

The proceedings could -- Flaherty says he hopes they don't -- end up being North versus south.

In guiding the company through the high-cost service area submission, Flaherty said that means leading staff through what will be a big change. Change can be uncomfortable and awkward, but Flaherty said his job will include getting people comfortable with what is ahead.