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Ottawa to Block CRTC on VoIP

November 15, 2006 at 06:48 | Print This Post Print This Post

The Globe reports on a coming earthquake in telecom regulation:

The Harper government will announce Wednesday its intention to rewrite the CRTC’s key ruling on Internet-based telephone services, a highly unusual move that could mark a big step toward a more open and consumer-friendly sector.

Industry Minister Maxime Bernier will say in a speech in Toronto that the Conservative government will again block the CRTC’s repeated efforts to regulate phone services that run over the Internet.

The move increases the odds that digitally based telephone services will become even more common in the near future, which could be a boon for consumers. It also signals that Mr. Bernier will aggressively move forward with his plan to overhaul Canada’s highly regulated telecom sector, even though the Conservatives have only a minority government.


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5 Responses to “Ottawa to Block CRTC on VoIP”


  1. Timothy Li (7 comments.)
    November 19th, 2006 at 21:27

    Hi Rob,
    do you think this would have similiar impacts as last time when the government de-regulated communication laws in an attempt to induce innovation?


  2. Rob Hyndman (322 comments.)
    November 19th, 2006 at 21:49

    Well, I think this has the real potential to change the landscape, Timothy. Right now it looks like it will just be about price, but that may well be enough to really have an impact on the local phone market.


  3. Timothy Li (7 comments.)
    November 21st, 2006 at 23:22

    thank you for the answer Rob.
    By ‘local phone market’ are you referring to the landline in households?

    I see a potential beachhead for this in the college student residence sector, in some schools we move every four months so there are lots of non-consumers due to the high and re-occurring initial setup cost.


  4. Rob Hyndman (322 comments.)
    November 22nd, 2006 at 06:34

    Yes, exactly, Timothy.