With nearly three decades of communications policy and regulatory experience under his belt, Ian Scott has quite a bit to say as he leaves his CRTC leadership post today. Listen in as Scott asserts his “vision” for the commission and what it truly means to serve the public interest.
Scott doesn’t hold back on accomplishments, such as narrowing the digital divide, consensus building, and the biggest challenges faced on the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications fronts since 2017.
Scott, never a media-hound, is blunt and frank when addressing criticisms of his tenure. This is a no-holds-barred conversation that includes a few personal…
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Federal Court of Appeal holding conference today on hearing issues
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – In approving the Rogers and Shaw combination, the Competition Tribunal said the evidence shows Freedom under Videotron “would not in fact have a smaller scale” as opposed to its ownership under Shaw.
“Videotron will have more revenue, more wireless subscribers across the country, and more spectrum,” the tribunal said in its reasons for approving the deal released yesterday, which follows its announced decision on Thursday night.
“In addition, Videotron’s national presence will give it the ability to offer new incentives to businesses that operate nationally,”…
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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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Note: This story has been updated on Tuesday morning with comments from the Competitive Network Operators of Canada and former CRTC Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced today the appointment of lawyer Vicky Eatrides as chairwoman of the CRTC for five years, effective January 5.
Eatrides will replace outgoing chairman Ian Scott, who leaves the post on January 4.
Eatrides is a lawyer who has worked since 2005 in various federal positions, including for the Competition Bureau, Natural Resources Canada, and Innovation Canada. Over a 12-year period at the Competition Bureau, she held senior positions…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A lawyer for Shaw Communications argued before the Competition Tribunal today that the competition commissioner “exaggerated” Freedom’s success during testimony, saying Shaw’s wireless subsidiary was over the last five years hobbled by market competition and federal government pricing promises.
The thesis of Kent Thomson’s argument today was that Shaw could not and cannot compete in today’s market, hence why it must combine with Rogers. Thomson noted that Telus, Shaw’s west coast rival, has greatly outspent the Calgary-based company by $7 billion over the last handful of years.
In pushing against suggestions that Shaw and Freedom have successfully…
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Regional carriers say no conflict with ISED’s spectrum licensing rules
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s decision last spring to mandate seamless roaming between networks should be struck down because the technical configurations of such a requirement falls exclusively in the domain of the Radiocommunications Act administered by Innovation Canada (ISED), the large telecoms argued today.
The regulator’s April 2021 decision, which broadly mandated wholesale access by regional players to the large wireless networks, also included the requirement that the host network ensure that calls are not dropped when the user on one network is switched to another when roaming. It…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Canada’s largest telecoms argued before the Federal Court of Appeal today that the CRTC was wrong when it ruled in its mobile wireless review last year that it did not have jurisdiction to address issues related to wireless access to municipal infrastructure.
The case stems from an August 2021 appeal by Telus against parts of the CRTC’s wireless review decision, which approved mandatory wholesale access to the large networks by regional service providers with facilities and spectrum.
But in the CRTC’s April 2021 decision, it also refused to wade into the issue of wireless…
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Regulator leaves open possible regulation on credit card fees more broadly in the future
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC said today that it will not allow Telus to charge credit card fees to customers in areas where its services are regulated, arguing that it would negatively impact service affordability for Canadians and said such fees could be examined more broadly under a new proposed policy direction from Innovation Canada.
In August, Telus asked the CRTC if it could charge a 1.5% fee to customers paying by credit card in areas of British Columbia and Alberta where services…
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Report recommends a national digital infrastructure strategy
VANCOUVER — 5G and 5G-enabled technologies could deliver an estimated 16%, or $120 billion, of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by 2036, but Canada lags behind other leading countries in the rollout of 5G, according to a new report from Vancouver-based management consulting company Deetken Insight.
“Despite its market-leading performance in 4G and the transformational benefits of 5G, Canada is lagging its peers in the deployment of 5G. Compared to the U.S., Germany, Japan, Italy, Australia, and South Korea, Canada’s 5G spectrum allocations for mid- and high-band frequencies are…
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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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