Telecom Trends

The definition of essential services is subject to an interesting debate among economists. In the past the CRTC has neatly sidestepped participating in that debate by creating via the category of near-essential services. That category allowed it to satisfy a relatively orthodox rendition of one side of the debate, in its narrow "essential services" definition, and satisfy the other side of the debate by inserting the rest into "near-essential services".

An environment without near-essential services is presumably one which revisits what are defined as essential services, too.
 

In Regulatory framework for second price cap period, Telecom Decision CRTC 2002-34, the Commission established two categories of Competitor Services in order to clarify the pricing treatment of these services. The Commission determined that Competitor Services in the nature of an essential service would be known as Category I competitor services. Category I competitor services include essential services, near-essential, and interconnection and ancillary services. The Commission indicated that near-essential services are critical inputs required by competitors in light of the very limited competitive supply for these services.

The Commission determined that the second group of Competitor Services would be those services developed for use by telecommunications service providers - other than services in the nature of an essential service - and would be known as Category II competitor services.

Is it correct to assume Ethernet Transport Services and ADSL Services (which were labelled Category II services by the Commission) are properly charachterized as near-essential services?
 

What about wholesale access to cable high-speed networks. I believe the CRTC originally ordered it in 1999 but so far the major cablecos have yet to open their networks.