By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – In a wide-ranging interview with Cartt, outgoing CRTC chairman Ian Scott hinted at work at the commission arriving “in the coming months” to drive down broadband prices.
In 2021, the CRTC reversed its 2019 decision to lower the rates at which smaller providers purchase network space from the large incumbents, which stunned the industry. The industry was left with 2016 rates that are higher than the proposed rates that never ended up taking effect.
Acknowledging that the decision “was not beneficial” to small wholesale internet service providers, Scott said in a podcast interview with Cartt contributing editor Bill Roberts that the regulator understands the issue and is right now working on ensuring that broadband prices go down.
“The task for the commission now is to remake or work on the regime such that it does produce the desired results, which are to reduce broadband rates,” said Scott, whose last day at the commission is today.
“Broadband rates are creeping up, not down, and that’s a problem, absolutely, and the commission is seized of it and is working on it and there are things to come out in the coming months that I can’t speak to but that will help us hopefully get back on the right path to ensure that those rates go down.
“We need to do better, we need to get broadband rates down, and we need to continue to get wireless rates down,” Scott said. “That’s what we do.”
The comments come as Innovation Canada weighs comments it received in response to its proposed new policy direction to the CRTC early last year that focuses on getting the commission to improve wholesale rates. The new direction would completely replace the 2006 directive, but keep much of the 2019 directive that emphasizes a balance of innovation, competition and critically, affordability.
Scott, who will be succeeded by competition lawyer Vicky Eatrides tomorrow, was asked about his five-year tenure that started in 2017 and ended four months after his original departure date when the government extended him in September.
In the interview, Scott addressed negative public reactions to the commission’s decision on wholesale rates, repeated the regulator’s reasons for limiting the mobile virtual network operator regime to facilities-based regional players, and briefly addressed perceptions on his meeting with Bell CEO Mirko Bibic at an Ottawa pub, reiterating that he has meetings with many industry players within the rules of the commission. He also talked about how he deals with stress.
Scott said he doesn’t believe that he has left a “legacy” at the commission, only saying that he did the best job he could. He noted that the commission has done a “very good job” in difficult times, including during the pandemic.
In terms of what’s next, Scott said he isn’t retiring from public or private life and that he’s interested in teaching and writing, but that he is limited by law in his employment options for some years when he signed up for the top job at the CRTC.
Listen to the full podcast interview here.
