The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed Bell’s plea for a stay against the CRTC’s decision to allow independent ISPs wholesale access to the latter’s fibre network.
The court decision was made on Friday, after Bell announced job cuts of 4,800 positions, blaming the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission’s (CRTC) for causing it to slash these jobs.
Back in November, the CRTC mandated major telcos including Bell and Telus to grant access to their fibre-to-the-home networks to competitors in Ontario and Quebec within six months.
Bell’s request for a court appeal against the CRTC’s interim decision, alongside a motion for a stay that would postpone competitors’ access to its network, was acknowledged for a hearing but the motion for a stay was ultimately rejected. Justice Mary Gleason stated, “I find that it has not established that it will suffer irreparable harm if the stay is not granted,” reports the Canadian Press.
The CRTC’s November decision was aimed at increasing internet competition. The regulator’s current hearing underway today and through Friday, is set to feature testimonies from 22 groups, including Rogers, Telus and Bell.
Bell has already said the CRTC decisions have forced it to cut capital expenditures. The company also has capped its fibre internet speeds to 3 Gbps, ditching its 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps speeds.
John Lawford from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, urged the CRTC not to succumb to the “threats of investment withdrawal” by large carriers, saying, “The commission has a mandate to achieve the telecommunications policy objectives, not to return monopoly rent to incumbents.”
“The incumbents are bullying the commission into using their overheated definition of ‘investment’ as a trump card that always wins. They must be told ‘no,’” said Lawford.
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Allow foreign companies to provide Air Fiber services since MVNO is already in effect. CRTC should do case study on Air Fiber technology from companies like Jio & Airtel.
I don’t get why we don’t just let American companies up here.
How much worse could this monopoly be? If a fourth or fifth company is allowed to enter the market, they’re not going to match everyone’s prices. They’re gonna try and beat them.
Good. Bell shouldn’t be rewarded for their spiteful behaviour.
Laying off a huge amount of staff in retaliation, slowing infrastructure expansion and downgrading internet speeds to get their way is beyond hostile to Canadians and practically monopolistic.
I really hope all of their actions ultimately lead to their demise.
If they fail to Match Rogers and Telus in investments, No one will pay for Bell and everyone will pay for their competitors or MVNOs if budget conscious.
Personally, I think Telus Rogers and Bell each need to be split into three companies each. Rogers mobile, Rogers, Internet and Rogers TV, for example.
Force each company to split up, and dismantle these monopolies.