By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — The Competition Bureau today filed a motion at the Federal Court of Appeal asking for the court to allow it to submit into evidence an application by TekSavvy at the CRTC challenging the legality of Rogers allowing Videotron access to its network at below market rates as a deal to help close its purchase of Shaw.
The largest independent telecom in Canada filed the application yesterday for the CRTC to review whether Rogers could provide Videotron wholesale access to its network at below market rates, a deal TekSavvy said could be rampant in…
Continue Reading
The company wants a broader review of off-tariff agreements
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The largest independent telecom in Canada has filed an application today for the CRTC to review whether Rogers could provide Videotron wholesale access to its network at below market rates, a deal that was struck between the two companies as a sweetener for regulators to approve Rogers’s purchase of Shaw.
TekSavvy had already asked Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne this month to block the deal on the grounds that the wholesale deal was not allowed. And the Competition Bureau filed arguments to be heard in front of the…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The House industry committee is expected to hear from the companies involved in the Rogers-Shaw megamerger when it holds a hearing on the matter next week, a parliamentary staffer confirmed.
The hearing is expected to begin January 25 with a one-hour session at 11 a.m. with Innovation Canada officials. The staffer said there is a possibility that Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne could attend, but he has yet to confirm.
At noon, the committee will host academics including Jennifer Quaid, Ben Klass, and Keldon Bester.
Then for one hour at 2 p.m., the committee will have…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Rogers Communications said in arguments filed to the Federal Court of Appeal today that its acquisition of Shaw Communications is a non-starter if it doesn’t sell Freedom, hitting back at the Competition Bureau’s central claim on appeal that the Competition Tribunal should have looked at the two deals separately in its analysis when it denied the watchdog’s petition to block the merger.
In its appeal to the appeal court, which will be heard January 24, the bureau argued that the tribunal had incorrectly combined analysis for both the Rogers-Shaw deal with the sale…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL — Cogeco is launching a wireless service in Canada. Or at least, it’s almost certain. The question now isn’t so much whether it will launch, but how and where.
Speaking to analysts and journalists on Friday ahead of the company’s annual general meeting, Cogeco CEO Philippe Jetté confirmed a dedicated team of 30-40 people is in place working on a wireless network plan, with many other employees contributing to it, and major capital expenditures have been budgeted for the rollout.
The remaining step before the real work begins is to await the CRTC’s determinations on specific rules for…
Continue Reading
CALGARY — Shaw Communications reported a dip in revenue and net income for the quarter that ended on November 30, possibly one of its final quarterly reports before being acquired by Rogers Communications.
The Calgary-based company reported a 1.2% decrease in revenue for its fiscal first quarter of 2023, to $1.37 billion, a decline in net income by 14.3% ($28 million) to $168 million, and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) declining 2.5% — all compared to the same period the previous year. Part of its pared down net income was due to transaction-related costs.
The telecom added a…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
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…
Continue Reading
