We are excited to announce our Guest Speaker is Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Please watch this space in the coming days for information on ordering tickets and a reveal of a special musical guest.

The post Save the Date – PIAC’s Annual Dinner 2024! appeared first on Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

Post-Rogers-Shaw: A New Hope?

Well, we are back after a long hiatus (sorry, stuff going on in Canadian communications!) to survey the competitive landscape after the Rogers-Shaw deal closed in Spring of 2023 – two years and 15 days after being announced.

We speak with George Burger, Chief Operating Officer, about the Canadian home Internet market post-Rogers-Shaw; why VMedia and Videotron (Quebecor) are a strong independent disrupter outside Québec that will only help consumers, and why the wireless market may just reward us with a strong 4th player (yes, please!).

Not quite sure if it’s going to come true, but hopium at this stage is good.

We end with a dunk on those people who thought Bill C-11 meant more money for Canadian creators.  Turns out traditional broadcasters are not as keen on funding it when they think someone else will pay.

Click here for the podcast or find it on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, etc etc

The post New PIAC “We Fight for That” podcast: Post-Rogers-Shaw: A New Hope? appeared first on Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

“Consumers now face a decade of competitive winter, with higher cellphone, home Internet, cable, satellite and Internet TV and home phone prices,” said John Lawford, Executive Director and General Counsel of PIAC. “This Decision represents a failure of every promise of the federal government to lower prices, every promise of the competition regulator to block the merger and improve competition in telecommunications and the failure of the quasi-judicial overseer, the Competition Bureau to see the issue from a consumer viewpoint as well.”

PIAC together with the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) have consistently argued against the merger due to concerns with excessive concentration and scale in several key communications consumer markets, both regional and national.

PIAC also has argued for improvements to the Competition Act that would assist the regulator in opposing major mergers affecting consumer welfare, including a repeal of the “efficiencies defence”, among other improvements.

PIAC and NPF will now study the full Decision when available and consider responses and options on behalf of consumers and seniors.

For more information, please contact:

John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC)
(613) 562-4002 ext. 125
jlawford@piac.ca
https://www.piac.ca

The post Rogers-Shaw Merger Approval Signals Decade of Competitive Winter for Consumers appeared first on Public Interest Advocacy Centre.

“The Competition Bureau is finally using the legal tools it has to challenge a merger that will make wireless, Internet and TV prices for many Shaw customers rise and risks a less competitive market for all Canadians,” said John Lawford, PIAC’s Executive Director and General Counsel. “We believe this shows the regulator now understands that consumer affordability of essential services is a major requirement for mergers,” he added.

PIAC argued to the Competition Bureau that this merger is bad for consumers, threatens affordability and access to high-quality wireless services, and reduces consumer choice. Canada has some of the highest wireless prices in the world. Removal of the fourth wireless competitor in major markets signals threatens even higher wireless prices in Canada and more limited options for consumers.

PIAC has opposed many telecommunications mergers over the years in Canada – all have which have been permitted to proceed – some with conditions. As a result of the recent CRTC decision to approve Rogers’ acquisition of Shaw’s broadcasting assets PIAC, in participation with the National Pensioners Federation (NPF), have filed a Petition to the federal cabinet to set aside the CRTC ruling.

PIAC has prepared a backgrounder on its position and advocacy regarding the proposed merger:

PIAC Backgrounder: Rogers’ Acquisition of Shaw

Other helpful links:

• Competition Bureau seeks full block of Rogers’ proposed acquisition of Shaw
• Backgrounder: Competition Bureau seeks full block of Rogers’ proposed acquisition of Shaw
• Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-76, Shaw Communications Inc. – Change of ownership and effective control
• Petition of the National Pensioners Federation and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (“NPF-PIAC”) to the Governor in Council concerning Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2022-76

For more information, please contact:

John Lawford
Executive Director and General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
(613) 562-4002 ext. 125
jlawford@piac.ca

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