NDP still committed to telecom affordability, despite absence in confidence and supply agreement

On the heels of its announcement this week of a confidence-and-supply agreement with the Liberals that will see the current government continue through 2025, the NDP has said the party is still committed to its priorities on affordability in the telecom sector. While declining to answer specific questions about whether or not specific NDP pledges on a number of issues affecting the telecom space – including the pending merger between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc., pending cabinet reviews of the CRTC's mobile virtual network operator decision, and a previous NDP advocacy for a price cap in the mobile wireless space – would be part of an agreement with the Liberals, a party source said that that telecom is still very much a part of the party's affordability agenda. “With rising food, housing and gas prices, more than half of Canadian families are struggling to make ends meet, but the biggest companies are getting richer. Canadians are even more frustrated with paying some of the highest cell phone rates in the world. The proposed merger between Rogers and Shaw will make prices even less affordable for people," an NDP spokesperson wrote in an email to the Wire Report. "For over 6 years the Liberals have been in power, they have protected the profits of the huge telecom companies by refusing to cap the exorbitant prices these companies charge people," the statement read. "Justin Trudeau wants to look like he cares about the unfair prices imposed by these telecom giants, but his government has given big telecom corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies and government contracts, while doing little to lower Canadians’ cell and internet bills." The NDP's agreement with the Liberals, published Tuesday, makes no specific reference to the telecom space, but puts forward "making life more affordable for people" as a central goal. "We will continue fighting for people and only the NDP will really stand up to the huge telecom companies that are gouging Canadians, and make sure that everyone has affordable and reliable cell and internet access,” the NDP spokesperson wrote Wednesday. In the federal election campaign in the fall of 2021, NDP leader Jagmeet Sigh proposed price caps on mobile and internet billing, and said he would oppose Rogers' acquisition of Shaw. In 2019, Singh said the party would mandate MVNO access to incumbent telecom company infrastructure. In April 2021, the CRTC declined to institute a broad-based MVNO access mandate, instead restricting the MVNO mandate to regional facilities-based carriers with spectrum holdings. A petition to the cabinet to overturn the MVNO decision awaits a cabinet decision. Earlier this month the House of Commons Industry committee tabled for the second time a report on telecom affordability, in which the NDP issued its own set of recommendations, including the reversal of the CRTC's May 2021 reversal of a 2019 decision that dramatically slashed rates incumbents can charge wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs) for access to incumbent infrastructure. There are three separate petitions to cabinet to overturn the CRTC's wholesale rates reversal. — Reporting by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca and editing by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca

NDP still committed to telecom affordability, despite absence in confidence and supply agreement

News | March 23, 2022

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NDP still committed to telecom affordability, despite absence in confidence and supply agreement

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