OTTAWA – MTS Allstream said the CRTC missed an opportunity to promote competition and choice by refusing their request for “fairly-priced, mandated access to broadband facilities from the former monopoly telephone companies.”
MTS Allstream applied to the CRTC in May to review and vary its determinations made in Telecom Decision 2008-17, regarding the classification of Ethernet access and transport services and related services (Ethernet services), saying the commission made “several errors in its determinations.” The commission denied the request on Thursday, saying that MTS Allstream “failed to demonstrate that there is substantial doubt as to the correctness of the Commission’s determinations.”
MTS released a statement on Thursday expressing disappointment with the decision, and saying they will petition Cabinet to request that the Government vary the decision.
"Competitive market forces are key to fostering investment and innovation in Canadian network infrastructure, yielding innovative competitively-priced choices for Canadian consumers and businesses and enhancing Canadian productivity," said Chris Peirce, CCO for MTS Allstream in the statement. "The CRTC refuses to recognize what the Government of Canada could clearly see when it announced the rules for the recent wireless spectrum auction.
"This is not the first time that the CRTC has ignored the need for appropriate regulation to ensure that competition and choice are a reality for all Canadians and Canadian businesses. It seems that the CRTC is determined to de-regulate regardless of the consequences on customers and ultimately the Canadian economy."
For more on the CRTC decision, click here.
