Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here.
Mr. Bilodeau, we were told that, in recent months, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada had taken away certain bands of the radio frequency spectrum from small Internet service providers, specifically in the Mauricie region, where the minister is from. With those bands, small businesses were able to provide Internet service to people in rural areas.
We were also told that those radio frequency bands were awarded to larger telecom companies as part of the auction process. As a result, small Internet service providers, more or less the only ones providing Internet service in rural areas like the Mauricie region, could be forced to stop serving those areas.
The member for Berthier—Maskinongé brought the matter to my attention.
Were you told about this, Mr. Bilodeau? How can the department decide to redistribute a portion of the radio frequency spectrum through auction?
Also, is regional Internet coverage at risk, in your view?