Judge dismisses request to delay hearing regarding CRTC’s wholesale rates decision

A Federal Court of Appeal judge has dismissed a request to delay the hearing regarding wholesale rates taking place next month.

Canada’s major cable companies (Rogers, Shaw Communications, Eastlink, Cogeco, and Videotron in a joint venture), and Bell independently are currently appealing the federal court’s regulatory decision that slashed wholesale rates that carriers can charge independent ISPs like TekSavvy and Distributel.

Following appeals filed by the carriers, the federal court suspended the CRTC’s wholesale rates decision in November. The companies have now recently requested that the upcoming hearing regarding the wholesale rates should be delayed until it can be done in-person.

However, a judge has dismissed the carriers’ request, which means that the scheduled hearing will go on as planned on June 25th and 26th through video conferencing.

“The court’s experience with online video conferences shows that, with the cooperation of counsel, they have worked well and provide a viable means of hearing appeals,” the judge wrote in a statement obtained by the Globe and Mail.

Wholesale rates are paid by competitors, like TekSavvy and Distributel, which then get access to high-speed networks from incumbents like Bell, Rogers, and Telus. Rates are set so that incumbents can charge for this access after the CRTC reviews information regarding how much it costs to operate networks.

Source: Globe and Mail