A growing number of major telecoms companies have expressed concern over the CRTC's decision to lower the prices that smaller internet providers have to pay them to use their networks.Shaw Communications Inc. and Videotron have joined major Canadian telecom companies that have expressed concern over the CRTC’s decision to lower the prices that smaller internet providers have to pay them to use their networks.
Last week, the CRTC issued final rates that smaller providers like TekSavvy and Distributel have to pay the large telcos to use their broadband network after issuing interim rates in 2016. Navdeep Bains, federal minister of innovation, science, and economic development, said in a statement earlier this week that he was “deeply disappointed” in Bell’s decision to cut 200,000 homes from a wireless broadband rollout, but that he expects broadband infrastructure will continue to expand.
The final rates set by the CRTC are 15 to 43 per cent lower than the interim rates for monthly capacity, and three to 77 per cent lower for access rates, while the interim rates were themselves up to 89 per cent lower than what the companies had hoped to charge.