Industry committee  No, because they went to the courts and obtained the stay, and then we granted a stay recently while we complete our review and vary application.

Industry committee  I'm not sure which market segment you're referring to. I guess in the largest sense it's a pretty normal process, in that businesses may launch but they may not have either the financial wherewithal or the economic stamina, if you will, to make it in the longer run. I think, for example, of someone who's engaging simply in arbitrage.

Industry committee  Generally speaking, the way we ensure or promote competition in areas where there is only one or a smaller number of providers is to allow resale, to allow access to third parties to then provide service using their facility. I'm sorry, Madam Chair.

Industry committee  Can I just ask quickly for a clarification? Are you talking now about wireless service?

Industry committee  I'll try to answer quickly so that I don't use up your time. I think there are a couple of factors. One, comparisons are hard. I mean, there are just so many factors; we do need to look at them carefully. You are right that we have higher prices. We also, though, have a very high standard of coverage: 98% of Canadians have access to LTE, the latest and most modern technology.

Industry committee  The CRTC doesn't have a view about how the government should allocate funds in that sense. I guess the important point in the question is that if you took $22 billion from any source and directed it to the problem, obviously it would have a big impact, but it could have come from any source.

Industry committee  The review and vary applications are not the same as what was in the original decision. They are arguing or addressing different issues and those same issues.

Industry committee  If you want, I can go search for some metrics on what the current rates are; but again, I don't—

Industry committee  There are lots of views on that. That was one of the issues that was certainly discussed in the wireless proceeding. A variety of groups—those arguing for particular targeted services and other stakeholders—have defined what they believe is a basic service, but there isn't a defined basic service by the commission, no.

Industry committee  The competitive market determines what products are available. We're trying to ensure that the pricing for that service continues to go down as it has been. The gap—

Industry committee  Retail wireless rates are not based, in a regulatory sense, on cost. We don't rate regulate wireless rates, so I can't speak to what the delta would be.... Sorry, Madam Chair.

Industry committee  You may know that we addressed this question, at least in part, in a submission to the expert panel that reported on last year. The issue of support structures is critical. The question of jurisdiction about them is complex, and frankly not something that the commission can decide.

Industry committee  I can only speak to the CRTC's program, and I tried to distinguish earlier why ours is different. It's not a government program; it doesn't come from taxpayers' contributions to a budget. It is from the carriers, and we are quasi-judicial and arm's-length, so ours is different.

Industry committee  That's not information I have at hand, but there aren't many applications. They have to be renewed from time to time. Carriers that operate internationally have to have a BITS licence, but it's not a statistic I have at hand. If you would like, I can undertake to provide the committee with a number, but it's not large.

Industry committee  We'll try to answer that.