CRTC to hand down Bell ruling today

GATINEAU – At 4 p.m. today, the CRTC will announce its decision on the proposed sale of Bell Canada’s regulated assets to a private consortium led by the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. Three days of hearings – two in February and a half-day a few weeks later in March – were aimed at fleshing out just where control of Bell Canada’s broadcasting assets (primarily Bell ExpressVu and the minority ownership both Bell and Teachers possess in CTVglobemedia) will lie. The law says control must remain in Canada (foreigners can’t have more than 46.7% of a telecom firm) – and the...