Competitors urge federal cabinet to ignore Bell’s claims; others believe fibre builds will slow down

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA - Independent ISPs and consumer groups are telling the federal government not to buy Bell Canada’s assertions that investments in next-generation fibre networks will come to a standstill if the CRTC’s wholesale fibre access decision is allowed to stand.A day after the Justin Trudeau Liberals swept into power in Ottawa on October 19, Bell filed appeal with the Governor-in-Council seeking a Cabinet order overturning Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326. The company claims the decision favours “resale over investment” which will lead to less capital for fibre to the home (FTTH) networks, fewer FTTH deployments in smaller communities, lost jobs and...