CALGARY – Shaw Communications announced this morning that it is resigning from the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association ("CCTA") effective today.
“As the telecommunications and broadcasting industries evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that the member companies of the CCTA have divergent interests and differing strategic objectives making it difficult to build industry-wide consensus on various issues. Shaw believes that it will be better served by pursuing its own strategies and developing its own objectives without the added burden of seeking industry consensus,” says the Shaw release.
It’s not immediately known at this point what the long-term future is for the CCTA with departure of Shaw. What is known is that the association will lose nearly half of its budget, and saving Shaw in the neighborhood of $2 million.
After a board meeting this morning, however, the CCTA says it’s business as usual.
"We regret Shaw’s resignation, but as an industry we still intend to work to promote our broadband agenda, including facilities-based competition in telephony and increased choice for consumers," said CCTA chairman, Dean MacDonald.
MacDonald, president and CEO of Persona Communications, had to re-assume chairmanship of the association’s board, too. He was chair for two years and stepped down when Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette took the post earlier this fall.
The CCTA noted “that while individual strategies in a rapidly changing communications environment may differ, the industry remains committed to working with all stakeholders on key priorities. These include the promotion of cable companies as a competitive alternative to monopoly telephone providers,” added the CCTA release.
As for the association’s largest member, Rogers remains committed. “We’re very disappointed with this move,” vice-president of communications Jan Innes told www.cartt.ca this morning. “We remain involved and a committed member of the CCTA.”
No decision has yet been made or announced on whether the remaining members will make up the huge shortfall or how the association will respond.
