GATINEAU – After a lot of back and forth with the Competition Bureau, which asked for much additional, specific, information in the spring, then some complaints from wireless companies, resistance from the CRTC and eventually, compliance to the Bureau’s modified requests, Commission has come to realize the January hearing for its review of the Canadian wireless industry is too tight.
The Bureau, the companies and others all told the Regulator there was not enough time to answer and respond to newly filed information, so today, the Commission released a new schedule, delaying the beginning of the review of mobile wireless services public hearing from January 13th to February 18th.
(Ed note: Plus, there is the ongoing additional process studying three year device financing plans upon which everyone was caught by surprise that has to be chewing up carrier and Commission resources, too.)
“By letter dated 20 September 2019, the Commissioner (of Competition) requested a 30-day extension to the 23 October 2019 deadline for further comments, submitting that the delay in receiving the confidential information (from the cellcos) left him with fewer than 100 days to conduct his analysis and prepare the studies. He also indicated that some of the responses were deficient, requiring additional time and resources to be expended to follow up with certain carriers,” reads the CRTC notice released today.
The carriers supported the request for an extension, as long as they got an opportunity to respond to the study to be filed by the competition commissioner, including another official reply phase. “The Commission considers that an additional reply phase targeted specifically to responding to the evidence submitted by the Commissioner would provide parties with a further opportunity to raise any concerns or highlight any merits associated with that evidence,” said the CRTC release today.
While the carriers wanted to delay the hearing until the spring, the CRTC stuck with a 30-day delay only.
So, the Commission also extended the deadline for further comments to November 22 and the deadline for parties to reply to the Commissioner of Competition’s economic studies to January 13, 2020.
Final post-hearing submissions are due March 23, 2020.
