$650 million may not get spent soon as court will hear appeal

OTTAWA – The consumer groups who appealed the CRTC's February decision directing monies in so-called "deferral accounts" to rural broadband builds learned today the Federal Court of Appeal has granted them leave to appeal the decision. The CRTC directed Canada's ILECs to charge customers a little extra and deposit the money in accounts which in February the Commission said it would be best spent on developing the broadband infrastructure in rural markets.There is about $650 million in the bank and consumer groups, composed of the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO) and the Consumers Association of Canada (CAC), sought leave to appeal...