Rogers is blasting the federal government after it chose to uphold the CRTC’s wholesale internet policy, calling the move a blow to investment, competition, and Canadian consumers.
In a sharply worded statement on Wednesday, the company called the decision “a shocking reversal from the federal government’s principled position less than one year ago.”
“The Carney government has declared its priority is to build a strong Canada and this decision does the exact opposite,” Rogers said. “It does not incent Canadian companies to invest in Canada.”
Rogers warned the policy will hurt the industry and drive up prices for Canadians. “Virtually the entire industry, including small and regional providers, urged our elected officials to reverse the CRTC decision,” the statement continued. “The impact of this decision will include cuts to capital investment, a loss of network construction jobs, and reduced competition which will mean higher prices for Canadians.”
The company said Canada needs policies that boost economic growth in the face of rising global pressures: “Now, more than ever, we need every possible advantage to stand up to national and international economic pressures, Canada needs policies that encourage investment and grow the economy.”
Rogers emphasized its history of domestic investment: “We are a proud Canadian company with a 65-year track record of investing in Canada.”
It ended by urging the government to reconsider: “The government immediately needs to reconsider this deeply flawed decision and needs to make sure the CRTC sets rates that don’t further undercut the government’s own economic agenda for Canada.”
Other smaller providers like Cogeco also slammed the federal government’s decision, alongside Bell, but Telus was the outlier that supported the decision.
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Of course Rogers would be upset, while the policy is never perfect, this is step towards bringing more competition and telcoms asking as dumb pipes vs mafia
If Rogers (and Bell and Telus) are mad about something than it was likely the correct decision.
This from a company using US infrastructure (Comcast's Xfinity) to provide internet and Musk's Starlink to provide data connections where they can't be bothered to invest in towers (or alternatives) themselves…