Bell plan to funnel funds into far north telecom upgrade will kill competition, CRTC is warned

MONTREAL - Calling BCE’s plan to funnel $40 million to its subsidiary, NorthwesTel, as part of its merger with Astral "wrong on a number of regulatory and business levels," Ice Wireless and Iristel warned the CRTC that the scheme will harm, if not kill, the newly established competitive market in Canada's north. Ice Wireless and Iristel, which provide vital telephony services to rural and remote communities in northern Canada, are referring to NorthwesTel plans to carry out a five-year wireless network upgrade with a significant portion tied to the CRTC allowing Bell to funnel $40 million of the "public benefits" from...