The Canadian government has decided not to overturn the CRTC’s May 2021 decision, which will not result in lower wholesale Internet rates for independent Internet providers. Instead, the government has proposed new policies to the CRTC that they believe will improve competition and affordability.
We agree with University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist’s comments on the government’s new guidelines: ” The primary purpose behind the announcement would appear to be an attempt to shield the government from criticism over its decision to leave the controversial CRTC decision on wholesale Internet access intact, thereby denying consumers the prospect of lower costs for Internet services. ”
Here is Michael Geist’s full article on the government’s decision:
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/2022/05/telecomdirective/
We are, however, encouraged by the government’s new guidelines that will enhance competition. That’s why we also endorse the position of our association, the CNOC, and its Executive Director, Geoff White, on this issue: ” Unfortunately, today’s announcement does not undo the 2021 mistake by the CRTC to flip-flop on the rates small competitors will pay going forward […] “That said, we look forward to working with the Government and CRTC on this bold agenda for improving competition in Canada and restoring Canadians’ trust in the CRTC. ”
Here is the full CNOC press release:
https://www.cnoc.tech/_files/ugd/9e06c4_aad15b539ec24cd695c4281d973021b4.pdf
To learn more about the history of the battle, here are the press releases of our association:
We would like to thank everyone who took the time to sign the Open Media petition to overturn the latest CRTC decisions. While this appeal did not succeed, we are hopeful for a better future. As stated by Matt Hatfield of Open Media, ” Our government agreed the CRTC is failing Canadians — yet did nothing immediate to fix it. The good news is that the CRTC we have today is clearly out of step with the government’s new objectives.”
Here is an article from MobileSyrup summarizing Open Media and many others the new policy: