Residential Telephone Service Survey May, 2003 [Canada]

The latest quarter of the Residential Telephone Service Survey was conducted by Statistics Canada in May 2003 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.