MPs question how Rogers picked Vidéotron as fourth competitor

The Rogers-Shaw and Vidéotron-Freedom Cell mergers are close to gaining full approval, however questions nonetheless exist.

Issues have been displayed on the Home of Frequent’s business and know-how committee conferences as we speak, with questions directed towards telecom officers. That is the second assembly on the matter. The primary came about in March 2022 and was earlier than Rogers and Shaw introduced it could promote Freedom Cell to Vidéotron.

The transaction laid the grounds for a number of MPs who questioned how and why Rogers was in a position to place Vidéotron in its coveted position. The Québecor subsidiary is paying $2.85 billion for the wi-fi spectrum, $1 billion lower than Globalive’s $3.75 billion supply.

Tony Staffieri, Rogers’ president and CEO, instructed MPs they picked the best choice that “met the standards.”

Globalive’s chairman, Anthony Lacavera, was additionally current on the assembly. The corporate beforehand signed a conditional community and spectrum-sharing settlement with Telus that was contingent on Globalive buying Freedom.

Regardless of that not being the case, the telecom big nonetheless seems to lend its help to Globalive. Lacvera lately introduced Globalive’s plans to amass Xplore Mobile in Manitoba and is seeking to broaden its agreement with Telus.

Lacavera has been a powerful voice of opposition in opposition to the 2 mergers. When requested how the competitors would differ if Globalive acquired Freedom, Lacavera stated Telus wouldn’t be dictating the corporate’s actions.

“There’s no situation the place Globalive is in mattress with Telus, working for Telus. That’s simply not with our historical past,” Lacavera instructed the committee.

When it got here time for Shaw president Paul McAleese to talk, he had some pointed phrases about Lacavera. Shaw acquired Wind in 2016 from Globalive and rebranded it to Freedom, and that course of required Shaw to straighten out a number of issues.

“I operated what was Wind Cell after Mr. Lacavera exited the constructing, and I’ve a deep understanding of the trouble required to repair the various challenges we inherited,” McAleese stated. One such downside was Apple “refusing to authorize iPhone on the sale of Wind’s community,” which Freedom secured in 2017.

A number of the attendees requested Innovation Minister Francois Philippe-Champagne to not approve Shaw’s spectrum license switch to Vidéotron. TekSavvy recently filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Fee (CRTC) to look at the matter.

When requested if Minister Champagne will await the CRTC to decide on TekSavvy’s software, Éric Dagenais, a senior worker from Innovation, Science and Financial Growth (ISED) Canada, stated the Minister will decide in “due course.” Dagenais stated he couldn’t present any additional particulars.