WINNIPEG – MTS Allstream has applied to the CRTC for local telephone forbearance in Winnipeg.
MTS Allstream is the latest company to ask for residential phone service deregulation following the April 4 announcement by Canada’s Industry Minister Maxime Bernier that telecommunications companies can apply for a relaxation of regulations in communities where customers can choose between at least three service providers with their own network infrastructure, one of which can be a wireless provider, and where they meet specific Quality of Service (QoS) measures for six months.
Last month, Telus filed for forbearance in Vancouver and Edmonton, and Bell Aliant in Halifax and its surrounding regions of Hubbards, Ketch Harbour, Musquodoboit Harbour, Prospect Road, Sackville, St. Margarets, Waverley and French Village.
“The competitive landscape in Winnipeg’s telecom market is robust and well-established. Forbearance will bring the full benefits of a competitive market to our customers,” said MTS Allstream Chief Regulatory Officer Chris Peirce in a statement Tuesday. “It is important to note that in our application, unlike most of those filed to date by the other incumbents, we have clearly satisfied the evidentiary burden placed upon those seeking forbearance by the [Order in Council] relating to competitor presence and have indicated our intention to do so shortly with respect to QoS.”
