Service Improvement Plan

The Service Improvement Plan (SIP) is a program mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to provide a defined level of basic telephone service to all Canadians, other than those so isolated that it is costly and impractical to reach. The companies completed the programs in the middle of the 2000-2009 decade, with a cut-off of availability to customers in 2007 or 2008 (Customers who did not act on the program must now bear the full cost of service Improvement).
Origin
The process leading to SIP actually had its origins with an application on October 15, 1996 by Sprint Canada (owned by Call-Net) for an order by the CRTC to Northwestel to interconnect for long distance service. On February 28, 1997, the CRTC denied the application, but started a public proceeding to determine if NorthwesTel's service area should have long distance competition.
As a result of public hearings during 1997 on the issue, it became evident...