BURNABY, B.C. – The Telecommunications Workers Union doesn’t trust the free market and says that the CRTC’s VOIP decision issued yesterday was wrong-headed.
"The Commission dropped the ball with this decision," said Telecommunications Workers Union president Bruce Bell. “They focused totally on promoting competition among the companies that will provide the service… Their underlying assumption seems to be that by setting the terms of competition, the workings of the ‘free market’ will take care of everything else.
“This focus is way too narrow," Bell continued. "The TWU has always taken the position that the CRTC’s most important responsibility is to ensure that all Canadians have universal, affordable access to the full range of communications services – wireline as well as the internet and VOIP. Nothing in this decision addresses that issue.
"During the VOIP proceeding, we asked the Commission to consider the impact that growth of VOIP service will have on wireline subscribers. It’s great that the CRTC decided to regulate phone companies’ VOIP rates. But it should regulate the VOIP service that is provided by the cable companies, as well. Otherwise, as growth in VOIP use reduces phone companies’ wireline revenues, subscribers who continue to rely on wireline service will be forced to pay higher and higher rates. Nothing in this decision addresses that issue," Bell continues in his statement.
“The Commission has a key role to play as protector of the public interest. It is not merely an arbiter responsible for ensuring that competitors providing a new service capture a certain amount of market share. This focus ignores the forest for the trees. Millions of Canadians who don’t have internet access and who depend on wireline service rely on the CRTC to ensure that this service remains high in quality and affordable," Bell said.
"With this decision, the Commission abdicated its responsibility for protecting the interests of those subscribers."
