COMMENTARY: Lessons from Australia's national network mess

By Dr. Bronwyn Howell

Politicizing Canadian telecommunications regulation is a bad ideaTHE AFFORDABILITY OF WIRELESS services is front and centre in the 2019 federal election campaign, with politicians of all stripes promising to take a big stick to mobile operators. One international comparator is cited frequently to justify these interventionist policies: Australia.Australia appears to be a simple counter example to Canada, with similar population density and geographic challenges. However, the political interventionism in Australia’s mobile and internet markets should serve more as a cautionary tale then a gold standard.When politicians usurp the role of regulators and start making matters of regulatory purview the subject...