Bell ordered to pay fine for delaying access to support structures

BCE Inc. has until mid-October to pay a $7.5 million fine ordered upon it by the CRTC for denying Quebecor Inc. subsidiary Videotron access to poles. The CRTC has declined Bell’s request to review and vary a 2022 decision in which it imposed the administrative monetary penalty (AMP) on Bell for violating the Telecommunications Act and delaying the network deployment of its main competitor in Quebec. According to the 2022 decision, Bell argued that the commission should not impose monetary penalties, in part, because it made “good faith errors” in the deployment of fibre-to-the-home on poles where access was delayed or denied. In June 2020, Quebecor filed a Part 1 application with the commission alleging that Bell was delaying access to its support structures, thereby granting itself an undue preference in violation of the Telecommunications Act. Videotron accused Bell of unreasonable delays in responding to its requests for permits and access to its structures, not respecting construction standards, as well as offloading costs to replace outdated or deteriorated structures onto those requesting access. Small telecommunications providers, the Canadian Communications Systems Alliance (CCSA) and Rogers Communications Inc., filed interventions supporting Quebecor, saying they had experienced similar issues gaining access. In April 2021, the commission found that Bell installed its own equipment on the structures during the same period in which Videotron was denied access, violating the Telecommunications Act. At the same time, the commission issued a notice of consultation on whether or not it should fine Bell and how much the fine should be. The CRTC did agree in its new Sept. 12 decision that it should have considered some of the evidence that it had excluded in making its original decision. “Much of this evidence could have been assessed as evidence of due diligence and good faith on the part of Bell Canada and could have been a mitigating factor in the commission’s determination regarding the amount of the AMP to impose,” the commission wrote. But it also found that even if it had, it still would have decided to impose a financial penalty on Bell. The regulator decided that imposing an AMP of a “higher amount” was the right move, “given the seriousness of the nature and scope of Bell Canada’s violations combined with Bell Canada’s ability to pay an AMP. “Specifically, the commission was correct when it determined that Bell Canada’s violations impeded the development of the Canadian telecommunications system, had a negative impact on competition and consumers, and were contrary to the public interest,” the CRTC wrote. Bell declined to comment on the decision Friday. CRTC commissioner for Ontario Bram Abramson filed a dissenting opinion on the decision. “I agree in many respects with my colleagues’ decision, rendered by a meeting of the full commission. However, to determine quantum we should have focused more tightly on developing a prescriptive, calibrated framework that promotes consistency and predictability in exercising our discretion,” Abramson wrote. “Likewise, in disposing of Bell Canada’s due diligence defence, offered as a mitigating factor in respect of the monetary penalty we did settle on, we should have seated our evaluation in a broader review of the customer/carrier services group (CSG) framework currently in place.” news@thewirereport.ca With files from The Wire Report’s archives.

Bell ordered to pay fine for delaying access to support structures

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
| September 12, 2025

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Bell ordered to pay fine for delaying access to support structures

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff | September 12, 2025

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