Residential Telephone Service Survey December, 2004 [Canada]

A sample of approximately 42,000 respondents is used for this survey (five out of six rotation groups). The survey data are collected using Computer Assisted Interviewing (CAI). The first data collection procedure took place during Novembers LFS week in 1996. This microdata file is prepared biannually and contains the variables from the survey, plus geographical variables from the LFS (province, census metropolitan area, urban/rural breakdown). No other variables from the LFS are added to the file. Concern had been expressed in 1996 that the mechanism for monitoring penetration rates was not adequate in providing timely results to indicate whether Canadian penetration rates fall as a result of increases in local rates. At that time, data on penetration rates were available from the Household Facilities and Equipment Survey (HFE) but only on an annual basis. Given the changes that were and will be occurring in the basic residential telephone rates, an annual survey was not adequate to accurately reflect the impact that these changes are having on Canadian telephone subscribership. The latest Residential Telephone Service Survey (RTSS) was conducted by Statistics Canada in December 2004 with the cooperation and support of Bell Canada. There are two main objectives which Bell Canada has outlined. They are: (I) to collect information on penetration rates across Canada (and make them available by province); (ii) to collect information on non-subscriber characteristics.