TekSavvy is reiterating calls for CRTC chairperson Ian Scott to be removed from his position, as the ISP has filed more evidence to support its petition to Cabinet.
Last month, TekSavvy filed a petition to the Governor in Council regarding the CRTC’s recent wholesale rates decision. The petition asks Cabinet to overrule the decision, to reinstate the 2019 wholesale rates and to remove Scott for bias.
The ISP says it has filed additional evidence today in support of its petition that further proves Scott’s bias.
“TekSavvy noted that Mr. Scott held numerous ex parte meetings with litigants with open CRTC files, apparently unaccompanied, according to lobbying records,” the ISP said in a press release.
The ISP states that Scott held at least 11 reported solo meetings with Bell, Rogers or Shaw during the course of the CRTC’s open and active file. This news was first reported by the Toronto Star.
TekSavvy goes on to note that Scott met with Mirko Bibic, who was the chief operating officer of Bell at the time and is now the company’s CEO, one-on-one in a social setting in December 2019.
“The CRTC’s role is to be an independent arbiter. The 2019 Final Rates Order, which was based on years of process and mountains of evidence showed the CRTC had the independence and expertise to set proper wholesale rates,” said Andy Kaplan-Myrth, TekSavvy’s vice-president of Regulatory and Carrier Affairs, in a statement.
“Now they’re having beers with Bell and making up numbers, while completely undermining this government’s promises to Canadians. It’s an outrage.”
On May 27th, the CRTC decided against implementing its lowered wholesale rates from 2019 and made its interim rates from 2016 permanent.
In August 2019, the CRTC lowered wholesale rates that larger carriers can charge internet service providers (ISPs) and also ordered them to make payments to compensate for the higher interim rates. In its latest decision, the CRTC said it made errors when it lowered the wholesale rates.
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