By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — The Competition Bureau will not challenge a decision by the Federal Court of Appeal today that summarily rejected its arguments against a Rogers acquisition of Shaw, thereby leaving only the minister of innovation to approve or deny the deal.
“We are truly disappointed that the Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed our appeal of the Competition Tribunal’s decision in Rogers-Shaw,” Competition Commissioner Matthew Boswell said in a press release this evening, adding the bureau stands by the findings of its investigation and the decision to challenge the merger.
“We continue to disagree with the…
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The court did not need to hear from merging parties
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The three-justice panel of the Federal Court of Appeal that initially went for a two-hour lunch during today’s hearing came back 45 minutes later than expected and delivered a verdict from the bench to reject the Competition Bureau’s challenge to a decision by the Competition Tribunal last month that allowed the Rogers purchase of Shaw to move forward.
The decision came after about two-and-a-half hours of arguments from the bureau, which failed to convince the court that the tribunal made errors sufficient enough to require it to…
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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…
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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…
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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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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…
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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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