Not the legacy an outgoing chair would want
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The federal government had until tomorrow to respond to the cabinet appeal of the CRTC’s decision on wholesale rates, in which the CRTC voided its own decision and made interim rates (from 2016) permanent and today, on May 26, they issued a proposed policy direction in response to the three appeals from stakeholders.
The language in the backgrounder issued with the proposed policy direction seems to lay severe blame on the CRTC’s recent decisions:
- requiring large companies to continue to give access to competitors at regulated rates so they can offer better prices and more choices to Canadians. The CRTC must take action to have more timely and improved wholesale rates available.
- directing the CRTC not to phase out the existing model for wholesale access by third-party competitors and instead preserve and strengthen it in conjunction with the introduction of a new access model that it is planning to introduce.
- directing the CRTC to ensure that wholesale Internet access is available evenly across the market, including on fibre-to-the-home networks.
- requiring large companies to make the speeds that Canadians are demanding available to competitors
- directing the CRTC to improve its hybrid mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) model as necessary. The government is prepared to move to a full MVNO model, if needed, to support competition in the sector.
The order is called a proposed order because it must be published in the Canada Gazette to open for comments by the public until July 19, and will become final in the fall, said a ISED official. This means it will not be final until after the present chairman’s term ends but it will provide a clear “mandate letter” for the future chairperson.
It will be tabled in the House of Commons and could be studied in committees.
The government official added that the resources of the CRTC would be increased this summer, through an increase of the telecom fees, charged to the telecom companies for the benefit of being regulated.
When asked for a comment for this story, a CRTC spokesperson said: “The CRTC notes that the government intends to publish in the Canada Gazette and table in Parliament a draft policy direction. As contemplated in the Telecommunications Act, the government can give direction to the CRTC on policy matters related to the telecommunications policy objectives. We await the final version of the policy direction, following the government’s consultation process.”
For more coverage on the proposed policy direction from Cartt.ca, please click here.
