As CRTC Reassesses Wholesale Broadband Rates, Federal Cabinet Puts Its Thumb on the Scale ⇥ theglobeandmail.com

Alexandra Posadzki, the Globe and Mail:

The federal cabinet says the new, lower rates that Canada’s large phone and cable companies were ordered to charge smaller internet providers for access to their networks could stifle investment in telecom infrastructure.

However, cabinet declined to overturn the August, 2019, ruling that reduced wholesale broadband rates or send it back to Canada’s telecom regulator for reconsideration, saying it would be premature to do so because the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is already in the midst of reviewing its decision.

“We will continue to monitor the CRTC proceedings closely,” Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, said in a statement Saturday.

Canadian broadband rates are already among the world’s highest, and an increase in wholesale fees will only cement the exploitative reputation of our ISPs.