VANCOUVER – Add Telus to the list of stakeholders opposing Bell’s planned purchase of Astral Media.
The telco issued a statement Tuesday backing the ‘Say No To Bell’ coalition, and voicing its concern over the “unprecedented concentration of market power in the broadcasting sector would have on Canadian consumers”.
“All Canadians should be able to access the content they want through the provider they choose; we all benefit from competition between a variety of organizations and no one company should be in a position to take away choice or access to content for consumers,” said president and CEO Darren Entwistle, in a statement. “If the Bell/Astral merger proceeds, the concentration of Canadian ownership will be equal to an American company owning Verizon, Direct TV, CBS, ESPN, MTV, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Bloomberg Television, HBO, Starz, ClearChannel Radio, ESPN pay-per-view, HBO pay-per-view, Lamar Outdoor Advertising and Radio Shack – it’s a gravely concerning proposition when examined in that context.”
Telus also urged the CRTC to “enforce and further strengthen” its existing vertical integration safeguards to curtail anti-competitive conduct on all platforms including TV, distribution, mobile and broadband access to content.
“Both the CRTC and Competition Bureau should consider implementing further measures to prevent a greater decrease in competition and increase in anti-competitive conduct”, the statement continues. “Without proper regulatory safeguards, consumers could soon be facing increased costs and reduced choice in their TV viewing options.”
