Northern TPIA access for SSi should be expedited: competitors

The CRTC should move quickly to set wholesale prices in the North for SSi Canada's access to BCE Inc.’s Northwestel, according to an intervention by TekSavvy Solutions Inc. In an intervention filed Monday on SSi's Part 1 application from December, TekSavvy wrote that the CRTC needs to move faster, given the delays in setting wholesale third-party internet access rates for competitive internet service providers across the country. "TekSavvy’s experience in rate setting, and the incumbents’ willingness to litigate and pursue every appeal possible to avoid their regulatory obligations, requires that the Commission adopt a different approach," the company wrote. "The Commission should learn from the long, arduous, and unnecessarily complex process that is still ongoing regarding rates and use this opportunity to adopt a simpler and more efficient process," it added. TekSavvy endorsed SSi's call for a "retail minus" approach in mandating access to Northwestel's cable and fibre infrastructure, where incumbents are obligated to sell access to competitors at a stipulated percentage discount from retail rates. SSi has asked for a 35 per cent discount. In 2015, the CRTC rejected a similar request from SSi for mandated TPIA access, citing incumbent investment in facilities and other pending proceedings at the time. In another intervention on the proceeding, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, also argued that the regulator should act this time around. "If the Commission rules once again that SSi’s application can wait," PIAC wrote, "it dooms SSi to watching the Commission repeat this cycle of wholesale rules revision, northern incumbent reform and consumer disappointment with the lack of competition." An intervention from the Council of Yukon First Nations told the commission that "Yukon customers of Northwestel have been waiting to realize the benefits of competitive choice which have evolved in other Canadian markets." The council argues that "enabling competition in the territory will benefit consumers and businesses in communities throughout Yukon, facilitate economic growth, and make more and varied services available to our governments and to our people." Last month, the CRTC also heard competing pleas in a separate proceeding: either take action to address insufficient telecom service in the North, or maintain a hands-off approach when it comes to regulating service in the North. "e strongly urge the Commission to reject any regime that would subsidize uneconomic competitive entry, as this would divert needed funds from broadband deployment and potentially undermine and jeopardize already approved plans to expand service for Northerners,” Northwestel said in an intervention in that proceeding. — Reporting by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca and editing by Tim Forster at tforster@thewirereport.ca

Northern TPIA access for SSi should be expedited: competitors

News | February 10, 2021

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Northern TPIA access for SSi should be expedited: competitors

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