Thank you.
Evidence of meeting #43 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #43 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was report.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:30 p.m.
NDP
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you both for coming, because I think you provide another side of the picture about the impact of deregulation and what it may mean in the future.
I'm curious. You say that your share of the market as independent providers used to be 64%, and now it's 4%. Did you say that was over 10 years?
5:30 p.m.
Counsel, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Canadian Association of Internet Providers
In 1997 we had a 64% share of the market. That's for the entire market, high-speed and low-speed. Now we have a 4% share of the high-speed market and a 10% share of the dial-up market, so overall it's 14%. But we haven't made really any inroads into the high-speed market.
5:30 p.m.
NDP
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
When you say you'd like to see a holistic approach taken—that's the word you used—what does it mean to you, in terms of this review panel and what they're doing? It looks now as though the minister is cherry-picking what they want. They're moving very rapidly. I think the public has no idea what is going on here and what the impacts are going to be; it's going to be horrendous.
But from your point of view, what does a holistic approach look like?
5:30 p.m.
Counsel, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Canadian Association of Internet Providers
I don't want to flog a dead horse, but we have to fix the wholesale regime first. There is not going to be any true competition, and it's not going to be sustainable long-term, permanent competition, unless you fix the wholesale regime first.
5:30 p.m.
NDP
Libby Davies NDP Vancouver East, BC
How do you compete with them now, if they're selling below wholesale? That's outrageous.
5:30 p.m.
Counsel, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, Canadian Association of Internet Providers
That's right.
Let the CRTC have its wholesale proceeding, which is started right now; we're in the process of it right now. We also need to look at the other reforms that have been recommended by the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel.
The panel actually advocated a very holistic approach. It wasn't just about local; it was about all markets, and it was about all services. And it wasn't just about, for example, CRTC regulation; it was also about net neutrality; it was about broadband expansion throughout the country, and finding ways to promote broadband.
It seems as if we have found ourselves in a very strange place, where we're highly focused on one particular aspect of the telecom industry sector, and that's just wrong.
5:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative James Rajotte
Thank you very much, Ms. Davies.
Our thanks go to both of you for coming in today. I apologize for the short time. If there's anything further you'd like to add to our study of deregulation of the telecommunications sector, please feel free to submit it to the clerk. We will ensure that all members get it. At this time, we will thank you.
We will suspend for two to three minutes.
Members, I know the committee is over, but we are going to suspend for a couple of minutes and then go in camera for a discussion of a topic we discussed last Wednesday.
[Proceedings continue in camera]