CRTC enables greater competition in the broadband Internet market
#LSN_Econ CRTC Greater Competition for Internet Market
August 29, 2017 – Ottawa-Gatineau – Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Judith A. LaRocque, Chairperson and CEO of the CRTC “Today, the CRTC is fostering a more dynamic competitive telecommunications market by ensuring competitors have access to the wholesale services they need at reasonable prices. This decision, along with multiple decisions rendered by the CRTC in recent years, continue to help ensure a healthy wholesale market, which is crucial to providing Canadians with choice.”
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) wants Canadians to have more choice for innovative Internet services at competitive prices by making new wholesale services, including over fibre facilities, available to competitors.
In 2015, the CRTC announced measures to foster competition between companies that offer broadband Internet services. As of today, providers in Ontario and Quebec will have access to services based on a new architecture that will enable greater competition.
An in-depth review to establish final rates for these wholesale services is ongoing, but the CRTC decided to make these services available now with interim rates in the meantime to foster competition in the broadband Internet market in Canada.
Quick Facts
- Wholesale high-speed access services are used by competitors to provide retail services including Internet access, television and telephone services, to Canadians.
- The implementation of the new architecture set out in 2015 was planned to take place in phases, starting in Ontario and Quebec where the competitor demand is largest for wholesale high-speed access services.
- For the purposes of setting appropriate interim rates, the CRTC has made adjustments to the proposed rates consistent with previous determinations.
- Transition to the new architecture in other regions of Canada will be announced at a later date.