Cogeco hires lobbyist with wireless spectrum expertise

Amir Bigloo, who has a history of successful spectrum purchases as CEO of Corridor Communications Inc. (CCI), recently began lobbying on behalf of Cogeco Inc. during a period that saw the telecom vie for more wireless spectrum. The Kian Telecom Inc. CEO joined Cogeco as an advisor in late April, following a transfer of 10 wireless licenses from Kian to the Montreal-based company. Cogeco has been quiet about its intentions for a wireless business, despite its spectrum acquisitions in recent months. Its outgoing CEO Louis Audet has said numerous times that the company will consider entering the wireless space only if it can do so in a profitable way. But its hiring of Bigloo, an experienced mind in the wireless business, at leasts suggests that the company is taking a serious look. “We struck a deal with Amir because of his extensive background in wireless telecom business development, network deployment and operation,” a Cogeco spokesperson said in an emailed answer, reiterating the company’s position that it will only consider wireless operations if makes economic sense. Bigloo told The Wire Report in an email that he has about five years of experience in the areas Cogeco cited, but over 25 total years in the telecom space, including consulting. Cogeco said it approached Bigloo at the end of April, following its qualification for the residual spectrum auction. Since then, Bigloo met with director of policy at Innovation Canada David McFarlane in late April, according to the federal lobbyist registry. Then on May 1, he met with Heritage officials and advisors in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), a couple of weeks before Cogeco would win spectrum in the 2300 and 2500 MHz bands — its largest helping of wireless spectrum since the mid-2000s. The subject matter of the lobby registrations were telecom service affordability, Canada’s innovation program for 5G, and its spectrum policy related to wireless communication. “We feel it is important that government parties understand Cogeco’s position,” the company added in the emailed response. Bigloo was with CCI since its founding and served as CEO for almost eight years, he said. He left the company last year. CCI was formed to provide basic utility services, such as natural gas, to underserved communities in Alberta. It is now also looking to “eliminate the digital divide for its members and all of rural Albertans who struggle with poor or no broadband services,” it said on its bio page. As with any wireless business, the key enabler is spectrum. And so, in 2015, under Bigloo’s guidance, CCI won a total of 13 spectrum licences in the 2500 MHz frequency band. The auction was done in package bidding format, meaning CCI would also nab 10 licenses in Ontario. Before those 10 licences were sold to Cogeco — CCI does not operate anywhere outside of Alberta — it first sold it to Kian. CCI kept the three licences for deployment and service upgrades, Bigloo said. Those Ontario licenses cover areas including Cornwall, Brockville, Belleville, Cobourg, Peterborough, Huntsville, Listowel/Goderich/Stratford, Chatham, Windsor, and Strathroy. Bigloo helped grow CCI from a start-up to one of the largest wireless internet service providers (ISP) in the country. Jonathan Black, executive director of the Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Service Providers (CanWISP), said in an email that CCI is, by his estimation, among the top five WISPs in the country. Xplornet Communications Inc., which filed two lobby communications in May under head Allison Lenehan with officials from ISED about rural broadband, is by far the largest, considering they own a lot of spectrum, he said. In the May press release announcing Bigloo’s departure, CCI noted that the former head developed “strategy, significant fundraising for the then-new wireless network, and cultivating relationships with all three levels of government.” The 2015 spectrum auction was also just one of three that Bigloo has been involved in. Beside also being on-board the team that helped Cogeco secure the residual licences in April, he was also involved in the 700 MHz auction in 2013 and2014. But as many years as Bigloo has been in the business, he’s never had any ties to Cogeco before the April rendezvous, he said. Cogeco’s hush-hush attitude toward any question about possible wireless ambitions has not stopped speculation about the company entering a potential inflection point in its history. After all, it’s the only publicly-traded telecom without a wireless business — a business that has undoubtedly lifted balance sheets for other telecoms. Canaccord Genuity analyst Aravinda Galappatthige said in a note last month that the company’s recent spectrum wins crystallize its intentions of finding a wireless business that makes good financial sense. In the note, he speculated that the company may use the spectrum to seek a “hybrid” arrangement, which would possibly see it share spectrum with Shaw Communications Inc. 's Freedom Mobile. In January, Audet told media that one of the conditions needed to enter the space was for the CRTC to mandate WiFi mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) access to roaming on incumbents’ networks, given the company’s WiFi coverage in the homes it serves. The CRTC decided WiFi MVNOs were not the way to go last month, yet Cogeco’s wireless ambitions have not wavered. Cogeco filed an additional seven communications in May — not including the two by Bigloo — three under Audet and three under consultant Marc Desmarais. Those were with officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) including senior advisors Mathieu Bouchard and Maxime Dea, officials from Heritage and a member of the standing committee on Heritage, MP Gordie Hogg. Telecom lobbying activity was up 82.8 per cent in May with 106 communications compared to 58 the month before. Broadcasting was up 185.7 per cent, though that was due largely to 62 registrations made by the Canadian Communications System Alliance (CCSA) when it rebranded and held an event on Parliament Hill on May 1. Rogers Communication Inc. filed 11 communications under CEO Joe Natale, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Conservative opposition leader Andrew Scheer, CRTC chairman Ian Scott, CRTC commissioner Monique LaFontaine, ISED parliamentary secretary David Lametti, and others from Heritage and ISED. Subject matters of the registrations include the legislative reviews of the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act and junk food Bill S-228. Shaw filed 10 communications in the month under lead Brad Shaw with officials at ISED including chief of staff Gianluca Cairo, Heritage Canada’s senior policy advisor Kelly Wilhelm, the CRTC's Scott and members of parliament, including NDP innovation critic Brian Masse. Subject matter on the registrations remained the same, including cybersecurity, copyright, and the legislative reviews of the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act. BCE Inc. filed seven communications, six under head George Cope, including on issues relating to security with Scott Jones of the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) and national defence with minister Harjit Sajjan, and with officials from ISED and Prime Minister Trudeau. Meanwhile, Telus Corp. filed four reports, under president and CEO Darren Entwistle, with officials from ISED and MPs, including ISED Minister Navdeep Bains. Topics on the registration included cybersecurity and telecom and broadcasting legislative reviews. Corus Entertainment Inc. made two reports under CEO Doug Murphy, one with MP Pierre Poilievre and the other with director of policy in the House James Cudmore. Advocacy group OpenMedia, under executive director Laura Tribe, filed five communications related to privacy and security and telecom access issues with officials from ISED and key MPs, who were on the ethics committee studying Facebook Inc. and Cambridge Analytica, including NDP heritage critic Charlie Angus and Liberal vice-chair of the committee Nathaniel Erskine-Smith. The non-profit Independent Telecommunications Providers Association also filed its first communication in three years. The group met with CRTC chairman Ian Scott and its communication includes matters related to regulatory measures impacting small incumbent local exchange carriers (ILEC) in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. — With reporting by Ahmad Hathout at ahathout@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Cogeco hires lobbyist with wireless spectrum expertise

News | July 3, 2018

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Cogeco hires lobbyist with wireless spectrum expertise

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