Overturning CRTC decisions key if parties are serious about telecom affordability: CNOC

The association representing Canada’s competitive internet and telecommunications service providers is not giving up on its fight to reverse wholesale rates during the election, despite the fact that none of the four major parties have brought the issue up in their telecommunications platforms. According to Geoff White, executive director of Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC), the current Liberal government still has unmet commitments to affordability and the CRTC has not been living up to its mandate. If the parties are serious about telecom affordability in the upcoming election, he said, the “sustainable path” to those goals would be a commitment to reverse a series of “poor” CRTC decisions -- mobile virtual network operators, wholesale internet access rates, and in-building wires -- and instead support a service-based model where its members will pay for the wholesale access to the essential facilities of the big telephone and cable companies. “If the current Liberal minority government is serious about its commitment to affordability and consumer interests on the telecom side of things, or to its campaign commitment to make life more affordable to middle-class Canadians, overturning the CRTC is the low-hanging fruit in terms of a pocketbook issue that most Canadians can relate to -- in terms of high cell phone bills, high home internet prices and terrible customer service,” White said in a phone interview with the Wire Report. He added that even the parliamentary Industry Committee -- comprising all four major parties -- has expressed concern with that decision and how the CRTC is going about its mandate and that the Ontario Big City Mayors called out the government to overturn wholesale rates decisions, along with a petition by CNOC. “As of September 21 that government, even if it's a reconstituted minority Liberal government, will still be faced with the task of having to decide that petition to cabinet.” White said for a service-based model to be effective, the CRTC has to set rates “at the right level” and needs to have mandated access. The NDP's telecommunications critic, Windsor MP Brian Masse, is also calling for changes at the CRTC. "There needs to be reformation of the CRTC and the creation of a component of the CRTC -- the office of consumer advocacy," Masse said in a phone interview, adding that he supported the petitions to cabinet on the MVNO and wholesale rates decisions. "I'm not surprised , given what's taken place and some of the positions that Scott has put himself in also, through his decisions. But what I would argue is that there's something more structural that's needing reformation at the CRTC as opposed to even personalities," he said. However, Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) president Robert Ghiz, said that reversing CRTC decisions “will hurt the ability to connect Canadians” and should not be a priority for the industry. “When it comes to wholesale rates… it needs to be fair, and those decisions from the CRTC support those companies that want to help connect more Canadians,” he said in a phone interview with the Wire Report. “Any decisions that need to come out need to support facilities-based competition. It is the best form of competition, and in today's world if you're Canadian, and you're not connected yet, you should be happy with decisions that support facilities based competition.” White said that he was also surprised that none of the recommendations from the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel (BTLR) report were adopted by any of the parties on the telecoms side of things -- which included “reinventing” the CRTC “with an enhanced focus on strategic foresight and research” and to mandate the commission to “monitor the state of competition and market, and to explain where there's a lack of competition and why we aren't doing anything.” ”That's the level of accountability that we've never had and the recent slate of consumer decisions makes me think about that recommendation because right now the CRTC can almost do as it pleases.” Ghiz said all members of the association are happy with the telecommunications platforms presented by the parties as they all “made an emphasis to connect Canadians... to participate in the digital economy.” However, Ghiz said in a dispersed country like Canada there are a lot of areas that make little economic sense for private sector’s to invest in, and “that's where the government has a role to play” through funding, and should remain a priority. Ghiz also said that more access to spectrum can help tackle two major election issues -- economic recovery and climate change -- as Canada's wireless providers are prepared to make a $26 billion investment in the resource. “That is a massive investment," he said. "So, if they want to ensure that we have the opportunity to be competitive worldwide, providing spectrum so that the 5G build can happen will not only help with regards to a $26 billion investment and it will add 250,000 jobs to the Canadian economy, it will have an incremental increase in GDP by 40 billion by the year 2026. And it will also help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions… by making things more efficient.” --Reporting by Jenna Cocullo at jcocullo@thewirereport.ca with files from Michael Lee-Murphy, and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca A previous version of this story reported a figure of 50,000 added jobs from 5G investments. The story has been corrected.

Overturning CRTC decisions key if parties are serious about telecom affordability: CNOC

News | August 20, 2021

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Overturning CRTC decisions key if parties are serious about telecom affordability: CNOC

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