CRTC rules against Iristel in Northwestel dispute

The CRTC has told Iristel Inc. that it should pay BCE Inc. money the Montreal conglomerate is demanding in a long-running dispute over connections in the operating region of Bell Canada subsidiary Northwestel. In a decision released Tuesday, Dec. 16, the commission said Bell was justified in saying it would disconnect service to Iristel and in imposing late payment charges on the competitive carrier. The issue harkens back to 2023, when Bell and Northwestel each issued a 30-day disconnection notice to Iristel for not keeping its accounts current. Iristel asked the regulator in 2024 to find that Northwestel had acted improperly in suspending service to it for nearly 24 hours as part of a billing dispute between the two companies. The CRTC did not agree. Later came a February 2025 disconnection notice from Bell, which gave Iristel a deadline to either pay its full balance or enter a deferred payment agreement, otherwise it might disconnect services in early March. In the current application, Iristel asked that the disconnection notice be withdrawn; no new disconnection notice be delivered; and for the acceptance of Iristel’s payment plan. The commission weighed all of the requests. Since there is no disconnection notice from Bell for any service for which money is not still outstanding, the regulator declined to issue a directive on cutting service. Iristel said in the earlier proceeding it was withholding payment as a self-help response to ongoing civil lawsuits. The CRTC previously said the company should either pay Bell or negotiate a settlement of the outstanding debt. The commission has since found that Bell has the right to impose late payment charges in this argument. Because Bell will use such charges, the payment plan already proposed by Iristel is not feasible, the CRTC declared, as it does not account for late fees. “The commission considers that a different payment plan could be negotiated that allows for reasonable and feasible payments while ensuring that the amounts owed are paid over a suitable period,” the decision concludes. Bell is permitted to disconnect any Iristel service for which a payment plan has not been worked out. news@thewirereport.ca

CRTC rules against Iristel in Northwestel dispute

Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|December 16, 2025

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CRTC rules against Iristel in Northwestel dispute

Regulatory | By Wire Report Staff |December 16, 2025

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Regulatory |
By Wire Report Staff
|December 16, 2025