GATINEAU – Should access to the inside wiring of commercial or institutional buildings be expanded? The Commission wants to hear about it.
Responding to a complaint from Bell ExpressVu that Rogers Cable was keeping the satellite company out of hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and other buildings the cableco wired, the CRTC Monday issued a call for comments on “possible regulatory amendments that would expand competitive access to inside wire,” said the Commission.
ExpressVu said section 10 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations covers properties of the type mentioned above and if not, they should be.
No way, says Rogers. The MSO said that the regs don’t apply to such buildings and that ExpressVu has no right to access the inside wire there.
The Commission agreed with Rogers but is now wondering aloud if that should change and has made the call for comments on the issue.
“…[T]he definitions set out in section 1, on which section 10(1) relies, do not encompass the latter types of properties. Nor do they include office buildings, retail stores or other types of non-residential properties. For this reason, the Commission agrees with the position taken by Rogers,” says today’s release.
“Nevertheless, the Commission notes that the inapplicability of the section 10(1) requirement to such properties may be inconsistent with its longstanding policy objective of providing for end-user choice and fostering competition among BDUs. The Commission considers that access to inside wire in the properties described by ExpressVu, as well as in other properties not expressly encompassed by the section 10(1) requirement, may foster competition and, in turn, contribute to the health of the overall competitive market for distribution services.”
Here are the questions it would like answers to:
a) What amendments to the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations would be necessary or appropriate, should the Commission decide to broaden access to inside wire owned by a broadcasting distribution undertaking licensee?
b) What is the size and significance of the potential market for broadcasting distribution services that would be created under such amendments?
c) What demarcation points, or mechanisms for setting such points, would be most appropriate, given the various types of properties that exist?
The deadline to comment is September 26th. Replies can be made by October 11th.
