The U.K. spectrum policy is keeping wireless prices low—can Canada do the same?
Canada risks an inadequate supply of spectrum that may limit competition for 5G services, drive up both spectrum and 5G service prices, and delay access to a very significant new technology.
Higher tech, lower competition? It shouldn’t be this way
The term “off the grid” got a whole new meaning last month when more than 10 million Canadians from coast to coast to coast woke up to discover their cell phone service and internet connection had gone down. In a world that depends on connectivity, millions of Canadians had no choice but to sit and […]
Consumer interest is being overlooked and manipulated
OTTAWA—Canadians lack basic consumer protection at a time when the economy is not favouring the consumer. This was illustrated on July 8 when Rogers had a nation-wide shut down, taking down its customers’ internet, phone, wireless services, some retail payment transactions, and 911 services. The reaction by federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne was to meet […]
Rogers outage another reason to get rid of Canada’s efficiencies defence in competition law
On the morning of July 8, Canadians woke up to the consequences of monopoly. Rogers’ nationwide wireless and wireline networks had gone down, which meant not only was a third of the country in the dark when it came to connectivity, but also core payment infrastructure relying on the same network was also down. The […]
Rogers and the digital divide
OTTAWA—Don’t spend that five-day Rogers credit in one place, y’all. It’s now nearly two weeks after the outage that rocked the country, caused by Canada’s fastest and most reliable network. The Rogers outage laid bare that telecommunications infrastructure is critical for participation in society, much less industry. Strong and reliable networks were missed once 911, […]
Put Shaw merger back on the hot seat, say researchers, analysts, as politicos await answers from Rogers
Rogers Communications has until the end of the week to provide detailed answers to the country’s telecom regulator, explaining the “how” and “why” of the recent nationwide service outage, but policy analysts are already asking how much worse it would have been had the proposed merger with Shaw already gone through. The July 8 outage […]
Critical rethink needed following Rogers outage
Last Friday, a nationwide Rogers internet and wireless services outage left millions of Canadians and businesses reliving the pre-internet days. The company was still working to restore service to some customers throughout the weekend. Beyond cutting off the company’s 11 million wireless subscribers from their steady drip of social media, businesses—including banks—that use Rogers saw […]
Why a Foreign Influence Registry Act is necessary for Canada’s national security
The Trudeau government finally decided to ban Huawei and ZTE from our 5G networks after three years of controversies around the China telecoms equipment-makers and long after the United States’ first ban through a national security order. As a member of the Five Eyes, Canada is becoming one of the major targets for Beijing’s grand […]
Driving economic recovery together: infrastructure is the key to strong communities
As we consider our future in a post-pandemic world, and with a new federal budget, it is a good time to reflect on how we can continue to build strong, resilient local communities. Municipalities touch the lives of Canadians everyday, and as Canada recovers from the pandemic, this is the moment to learn from the […]
Digital infrastructure and broadband connectivity are vital for meeting emission objectives
As president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), I welcome the opportunity to reflect on the recent announcement made by the federal government regarding their Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and to highlight the digital divide between rural and urban municipalities that needs to be addressed. SARM is an independent association that […]
