Industry committee  Our position is that four isn't even enough in terms of the number of competitors out there to make sure that there are cheaper rates and more choice across the country. We forget that, in the focus on wireless in this arrangement, there is an impact on the cable side of the busi

Industry committee  The bureau has a role to play. I can't get it in advance as to how people will react to what the bureau does, but we're confident that it will meet its mandate.

Industry committee  I'm sorry, but could you repeat the question?

Industry committee  Again, it all depends on the conditions that are attached to it. If ultimately there are rules to ensure that consumers are protected from this and it's to the benefit of consumers, then yes, I guess you should go ahead with it. But there are a lot of things that have to happen.

Industry committee  We've been trying to get competition in the wireless market in Canada for years and years. The chosen approach at one point had been the fourth carrier. Notwithstanding that we have regional players like Freedom, we still had consumers and consumer groups lining up in droves befo

Industry committee  Consolidation is always happening in this industry. This is just another step, and we expect that it will continue in the industry. As I said at the outset, as the bigger companies get bigger, the harder it is for smaller companies to still have a voice and for their customers t

Industry committee  It all depends on the conditions that are attached to this kind of deal, which are the ones that I've set out.

Industry committee  Frankly, Mr. Masse, while we watch the spectrum auction with interest, it has very little impact on smaller communities and smaller providers. It's a big players' game. It's too costly for others to get into, and whether it goes ahead or not will have very little impact on compet

Industry committee  We echo the importance of rolling out broadband in rural communities, and our members are doing just that, often with the help of the government programs that are in place, which are much needed. We welcome investment from anyone in rural broadband. It's just that the starting p

Industry committee  Thank you. I'll just say that the CRTC has a mandate that's established in the Broadcasting Act and its own legislation, and the Competition Bureau has its own similar but separate mandate, and they carry out their roles as assigned to them.

Industry committee  Quickly, if it's going to be of benefit to Canadian consumers in the end....

Industry committee  Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. I'm Jay Thomson, CEO of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance, CCSA. CCSA represents independent communication companies that provide bundled TV, Internet and telephone services to Canadians mostly living in smaller com

Canadian Heritage committee  Well, like any other member of the industry, we're not big fans of over-regulation, and we have some concerns about the amount of regulation that our smaller cable members are currently subject to. What we're seeking here is maintenance of existing powers and confirmation of exis

Canadian Heritage committee  We have almost 20 of our members who offer some form of a community channel. Some, in the very smallest systems, are just alpha-numeric billboards, but we have other communities, such as Access, which serves Regina and lots of Saskatchewan. It has a very strong, active community

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I am Jay Thomson, CEO of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance, or CCSA. CCSA represents about 100 independent communications companies across the country that provide bundled TV, Internet and telephone services to Cana