LOCAL FORBEARANCE: Incumbents plan appeal of CRTC's 25% plan; regs need to be junked, says Bell

OTTAWA-GATINEAU – A local market won't be considered competitive until one-quarter of the households in it get their home phone from a newcomer, the CRTC said Thursday. The 44,000-word decision made the newcomers like cable and third party VOIP providers very happy but angered the incumbent telcos, who erupted with anger and say they won't stand for the decision. “Aliant fully intends to appeal this decision,” said Heather Tulk, vice-president of residential markets at Aliant, the company whose application for deregulation launched the review. There are three main aspects to the decision. 1) Competitors must gain 25% market share in...