UPDATE: Rural rates can catch up under new price cap regime

GATINEAU – The CRTC today released new pricing rules that will govern the rates charged by large telephone companies for local telephone services, until forbearance arrives, that is. The rules, known collectively as the price cap regime, will come into effect on June 1, 2007, and apply to Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel, MTS Allstream and Bell Aliant. It also lets the incumbent telcos increase their rates for payphone service to up to a dollar. The new regime only applies in regions where local phone service has not been deregulated. So they will apply everywhere at first and quickly become less...