Residential Telephone Service Survey May, 1998 [Canada]

The latest quarter of the Residential Telephone Service Survey was conducted by Statistics Canada in May 1998 with the cooperation and support of Bell Canada as a supplement to the Labour Force Survey. Bell Canada and other companies are from time to time negotiating local service pricing options for phone rates with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission. Penetration rates are the most reliable indicator of affordability as there is no price range that can be identified as affordable or not affordable. As a result, the importance of monitoring any changes in phone penetration rates and analysing the reasons for non-subscribers is necessary to properly guide regulators in decisions about rate increases, decreases or subsidies.

本项住宅电话服务调查的最新季度调查由加拿大统计局（Statistics Canada）于1998年5月开展，依托加拿大贝尔公司（Bell Canada）的协作与支持，作为劳动力调查的补充项目实施。加拿大贝尔公司及其他相关企业时常会同加拿大广播电视及电信委员会（Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunication Commission）就本地电话服务资费定价方案开展磋商。由于无法界定明确的可负担话费价格区间，电话普及率是衡量资费可负担性最可靠的指标。因此，持续监测电话普及率的变化、分析未入网用户的成因，对于指导监管机构合理制定资费上调、下调或补贴政策至关重要。