Vidéotron wins a dispute against Bell!
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – The CRTC has ordered Cablevision du Nord, a Bell Canada subsidiary serving certain communities in Northwestern Quebec, to resume negotiations to allow Videotron to serve customers in the region as a third party internet access provider.
The Commission told Cablevision to file a Tarif Notice before February3, 2020 and to be ready to implement interconnection in Val d’Or and Rouyn-Noranda before April 3rd.
In a different decision issued the same day, the CRTC denied Cablevision’s request to withdraw its third-party Internet access (TPIA) tariff noting: “Although Cablevision was not obligated to provide the service, given the negotiations in progress, the Commission considers that the company’s failure to inform Videotron of the steps it had taken with the Commission to have its TPIA service withdrawn demonstrates that Cablevision was not negotiating with its potential competitor in good faith.”
The CRTC concludes that it “encourages both parties to continue the negotiations initiated prior to the filing of Cablevision’s TN in order to conclude an off-tariff service agreement, if possible.”
Videotron had initiated discussions with Cablevision du Nord in October 2018 and despite ongoing negotiations between the two companies, Cablevision filed an application in May 2019 to withdraw its TPIA service, without informing Videotron.
Then Videotron filed a complaint to the CRTC, in July 2019 and the issue was batted back and forth in front of the Commission by both sides.
In a release issued in French, Videotron celebrated. “Today, it is a great victory for the people of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, because they will have access to a healthier competition for their telecommunications products and services,” said Jean-François Pruneau, president and CEO of Videotron.
“Our objective remains the same: to connect households as soon as possible. That being said, there is still work to be done and we are counting on Cablevision and Bell to provide service before April 3 date,” he added.
