Alleges monopoly in northern of Quebec
OTTAWA – After asking the CRTC to force Bell to provide access to its cable network in the region of Abitibi-Témiscaminque (which is branded Cablevision), Vidéotron and five residents of that remote region of Québec (Including outgoing MP, Christine Moore), wrote Jeanne Pratt, senior deputy commissioner-mergers and monopolistic practices branch at the Competition Bureau asking her to investigate Bell under sections 75 and 79 of the Competition Act.
Section 75 states the Commissioner may apply to the Competition Tribunal which, if it finds that
- “(a) a person is substantially affected in his business or is precluded from carrying on business due to his inability to obtain adequate supplies of a product anywhere in a market on usual trade terms,
- (b) the person referred to in paragraph (a) is unable to obtain adequate supplies of the product because of insufficient competition among suppliers of the product in the market,
- (c) the person referred to in paragraph (a) is willing and able to meet the usual trade terms of the supplier or suppliers of the product,
- (d) the product is in ample supply, and
- (e) the refusal to deal is having or is likely to have an adverse effect on competition in a market,
the Tribunal may order that one or more suppliers of the product in the market accept the person as a customer within a specified time on usual trade.”
While Section 79 says:
“(1) Where, on application by the Commissioner, the Tribunal finds that
- (a) one or more persons substantially or completely control, throughout Canada or any area thereof, a class or species of business,
- (b) that person or those persons have engaged in or are engaging in a practice of anti-competitive acts, and
- (c) the practice has had, is having or is likely to have the effect of preventing or lessening competition substantially in a market,
the Tribunal may make an order prohibiting all or any of those persons from engaging in that practice.”
Competition Bureau confirmed it “has been asked to look into certain conduct allegedly engaged in by Cablevision, a subsidiary of Bell.”
It added: “When the Bureau receives requests of this nature, the information provided must be examined to determine whether the matter falls within the Act. As the Bureau is required by law to conduct its work confidentially, including the handling of complaints, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”
The CRTC, for its part, would not provide a timeline at this moment for its decision.
As we outlined in our initial story in July, followed up here, Videotron wants to become a third party internet access provider in the region, riding on the Cablevision network.
