OTTAWA – MTS Allstream is asking the federal government to reject proposals from Bell Canada and Telus that it says would “stifle broadband internet competition”.
The company issued a statement Monday in response to petitions by Bell Canada and Telus, claiming its telecom brethren are asking “for latitude to raise prices, reduce competition, and control the content that users are able to access”.
“Adopting the ideas tabled by Bell and Telus would entrench them as the gatekeepers for customer choice in telecom services,” said MTS Allstream CCO Chris Peirce, in the statement. “Bringing choice and competition to the market for wholesale broadband services is essential to enrich the lives of Canadians and help drive improved productivity for small, medium and large businesses across Canada. Government must stand up to this pressure and defend the public interest."
MTS said that wholesale access to broadband internet should be an essential service, and in its opinion, it falls squarely under the CRTC's own definition of an essential service.
On the contrary, Bell and Telus’ positions “run counter” to the government's policy direction which supports competition and innovation in Canada's telecom sector, the statement continued, and granting their request would also put Canada directly at odds with the emerging international consensus that an open access model is the optimal means for broadening competitive choice for broadband customers.
"The Federal government has already been a catalyst for healthy competition in the wireless market in the run up to last year's advanced wireless spectrum auction,” Peirce added. “It is clear that Ministers need to again tell the CRTC to focus not just on deregulation, but deregulation that ensures the benefits of healthy competition."
MTS Allstream has submitted another request asking the Federal Cabinet to vary Telecom Decision CRTC 2008-17 regarding the classification of Ethernet access and transport services. Its first request was denied on December 11, 2008.
