By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — The House of Commons industry committee will convene to discuss Rogers’s pursuit of Shaw on January 25, a parliamentary staffer confirmed, in light of new facts and information that emerged from a month-long hearing at the Competition Tribunal that led to the competition court denying a petition to block the deal.
INDU, as the committee is called, will hold two meetings on that date for a total of four hours, the staffer said, which will include discussions about the main deal and the divestiture of Freedom Mobile.
The Globe and Mail, citing sources, reported Friday that a…
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Competition watchdog says wholesale deal could be appealed to the CRTC
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau said in a filing to the Federal Court of Appeal on Friday that the tribunal’s decision to allow Rogers to buy Shaw assumed the fulfillment of commitments from the merging parties that could actually be challenged at the CRTC.
Those commitments include Rogers supplying Videotron – the target buyer of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile – with long-term access to its infrastructure at below market rates, which are regulated by the CRTC.
“The Tribunal failed to consider that these arrangements could be challenged by third parties…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau will argue later this month that the Competition Tribunal erred in the steps it took when it determined that there would be no lessening of competition if Rogers is allowed to purchase Shaw.
In an amended appeal filed Friday, the competition commissioner, through the attorney general, said the tribunal navigated the primary question of whether such a merger would lessen competition incorrectly.
The commissioner said the tribunal incorrectly combined the analysis of both the Rogers-Shaw merger with the remedy sale of Shaw’s Freedom assets to Videotron, rather than first evaluating the competition questions for…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Canada’s largest independent internet service provider is urging federal Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne to block the transfer of Shaw’s wireless spectrum assets to Videotron over concerns that the latter will receive favourable wholesale rates compared to competitors.
The Competition Tribunal earlier this month provided reasons for denying an application to block Rogers from purchasing Shaw, saying Videotron – the regional carrier that is lined up to buy Shaw’s Freedom Mobile as a condition of the deal’s approval – would be a strong competitor in the market and would take market share from the major players in…
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OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal today decided it will hear on January 24 the Competition Bureau’s appeal of the decision by the Competition Tribunal to reject its challenge of the Rogers acquisition of Shaw.
The court and the parties in the matter landed on the date after a 1 hour and 15 minute case management conference today.
The bureau filed a court challenge the day after the tribunal released its decision on Thursday. It obtained the temporary emergency suspension of the decision until the Federal Court decides on the matter.
The tribunal released reasons for its determination…
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OTTAWA — The Competition Bureau said this evening that it has obtained from the Federal Court of Appeal a temporary suspension of the tribunal’s decision last week that denied its application to stop the merger between Rogers and Shaw.
The bureau filed an application in the Federal Court of Appeal seeking to have the decision reviewed, the day after the tribunal ruled within 15 days since the conclusion of hearings that a Videotron with Freedom mobile wireless assets would create competition in the market and that the Rogers-Shaw combination would not lessen it.
The bureau said in a…
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OTTAWA — The competition commissioner will appeal the decision by Competition Tribunal Thursday dismissing the watchdog’s application to block the merger between Rogers and Shaw.
The commissioner, which said the sale of Freedom to Quebecor was not a good enough concession for wireless competition in the country, said the office has filed a notice of appeal at the Federal Court of Appeal on Friday.
In a joint statement following the filing, Rogers and Shaw said they are “deeply disappointed” by the news.
“The Tribunal’s decision was the right one, and the Tribunal was clear in its summary that the transactions we have…
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Competition Bureau “considering our next steps”
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Canada’s competition court has dismissed an application by the Competition Bureau to block the merger between Rogers and Shaw, leaving only approval from Innovation Canada in the way of the blockbuster $26-billion deal.
The deal involves the sale of Shaw’s Freedom Mobile brand to Quebecor’s Videotron, which the competition commissioner had argued in his application was not satisfactory to allay competition concerns.
But the tribunal did not agree, saying the deal’s components and compromises “are not likely to prevent or lessen competition substantially,” the Thursday decision said.
In fact, the tribunal said it…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said today it has selected the wholesale rate proposed by WildBrain for Rogers to carry its discretionary channels.
“With regards to rates paid by non-Rogers BDUs for the Services, the Commission considers that both offers are competitive,” the commission said in its decision. “Factoring in the ownership composition of the market for Canadian linear youth and children’s services and the Commission’s related public policy objectives, the Commission finds that WildBrain’s offer better reflects the Service’s relative market value.”
Rogers filed an application this summer for the commission to initiate a final offer arbitration process after the two…
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Consultation issues have been prevalent over the years
By Ahmad Hathout
SALT SPRING ISLAND, B.C. – Innovation Canada rejected a challenge earlier this year to a tower build by Rogers Communications in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, after residents complained about the structure and the local land trust committee initially rescinded approval for it. The latest challenge has again put the spotlight on challenges to telecom builds.
On May 31, 2021, Rogers completed a public consultation process for the proposed tower build on the island, with approval from the Salt Spring Island Land Trust Committee (SSLTC) in August of that year. But…
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