TORONTO – Attendees of the Competitive Network Operators of Canada’s 2022 ISP Summit received a surprise visit earlier today from MP and industry committee member Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (above) who spoke about competition, affordability and universal access.
He noted his frustration with the CRTC and its 2021 decision to backtrack on its previous wholesale rates decision, stating he viewed it “as the CRTC screwing things up and then throwing up their hands and saying oh this is actually too hard for us to fix… so we’re actually going to have to not deal with this anymore.” (He previously made his frustration on this matter known during a committee meeting attended by CRTC chair Ian Scott.)
Erskine-Smith also spoke about the challenge of the big players effectively delivering their messages on competition and affordability.
“I think the big players in this country have been very effective at delivering a message to government – and not just to the Liberal governments but Conservative governments too – saying if we’re going to see universal access, well we’re the ones who can deliver that access and if you push back on affordability, guess what, you might make Crescent Town more affordable and Beaches East York, but you’re not going to get (Minister Gudie Hutchings’) riding…”
“I think the big players have been very successful in pushing back against the drive towards competition on the grounds of access – and obviously affordability is access to my constituents but there’s still that tension that we have to recognize and that tension makes the politics in some ways challenging,” he continued.
The most important thing happening next, according to Erskine-Smith, is the appointment of the next CRTC chair. The MP stressed the importance of ISED playing a role in ensuring whoever takes steps into that position “is clearly going to deliver on the promise of (the proposed) policy direction”.
Erskine-Smith ended his talk by emphasizing the importance of advocacy including individual advocacy with local MPs who everyone can reach out to and educate on affordability and competition in the industry.
