Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, gentlemen, for your presentations.
On December 11 and 12, shortly after the minister announced his intentions for the variation order, most companies--and we're sensing this at the table again today--put out press releases indicating strong approval of the minister's direction. They basically committed to deregulation and announced their intention to work with the minister, saying that deregulation is the best avenue for consumers. Generally speaking, with some variation, that was almost a unanimous consensus within the cable sector.
Now we're hearing suggestions that when the minister reviews CRTC decisions and contemplates the potential for a variation order, what also happens is that the minister has one hour or two hours to review a decision, that is briefed for about one or two hours. I find that statement a little strange, given that it's unusual for a minister to issue a variation order on a CRTC decision. This particular minister has done it on a consistent basis.
You issued press releases, but now we're hearing that really it's not necessarily about complete and utter deregulation. We're hearing from your testimony that you feel your sector of the industry still needs to maintain certain regulatory benefits to enable you to compete in market share areas. Based on the virtue of your ability to bundle and other things, you have had significant market penetration in key lower-cost market areas, for example, above and beyond the 25%. Your desire to maintain restrictions on winback and other things was not in your initial press release. Most of your companies are highly capitalized. In fact with Rogers, for example, I think your market capitalization meets or exceeds Bell Canada's.
As a member of this committee, looking to provide advice to the House, I want you to help me out here. How do I communicate to my colleagues that this is good sound policy and sound deregulation, carte blanche, but at the same time that we still need to cherry-pick protective mechanisms for a sector that has penetrated market access, won customers, and is still looking for certain protections?