TekSavvy calls on CRTC in second Cogeco copper removal dispute

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is asking the CRTC to block Cogeco Inc. from ending its third-party internet access (TPIA) services in some parts of several Ontario cities. If that gives a sense of déjà vu, it is because this is the second time the two companies have had a dispute over the same issue, and in some of the same cities. According to a Part 1 application filed by TekSavvy on March 3, but made public on March 5, Cogeco is planning to cease offering wholesale access to its networks in “certain parts” of Chatham, Windsor, Burlington, and Kingston, Ont., citing changes to its internet facilities. Currently, the disputed networks are made up of cables and equipment that — at least partly — include copper, such as hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC). Under the CRTC’s wholesale access framework, major telecom companies including Cogeco are mandated to provide third-party access to these facilities. However, when it comes to all-fibre technologies, only BCE Inc., Sasktel, and Telus Corp. currently have to provide access. Cogeco is replacing some of its networks with this all-fibre technology and has told TekSavvy it will be cutting off the company’s access as a result. “Between the four Impacted Sites, thousands of addresses are expected to be impacted by these planned changes to Cogeco’s network,” said TekSavvy in its application. Following Cogeco’s first notice, sent on Aug. 1, 2025, the incumbent agreed to postpone its planned network changes in Chatham and Windsor from this February to April 1. Access to parts of Cogeco’s Kingston network will cease Sept. 1. TekSavvy did not clarify when the changes in Burlington are scheduled for. TekSavvy pointed directly to the CRTC’s order the last time the companies fought over this issue, in which Cogeco was ordered to maintain competitor access to all of the disputed networks — whether that meant keeping the existing coaxial equipment or providing access to the new facilities at the same wholesale rate. However, that decision was only an interim one, noted TekSavvy, complaining that the CRTC has yet to make a final ruling almost two years later. “The Commission found in an earlier case that removing facilities that allow for competition and replacing them with facilities that do not would violate the Telecommunications Act, and recently confirmed that this practice causes irreparable harm,” said TekSavvy. “Yet, the practice continues.” Cogeco communication advisor Laurise Roy-Tremblay declined The Wire Report’s request for comment on the matter, due to it currently being “before the CRTC.” TekSavvy emphasized that “many” of the affected addresses are also exempt from mandated access to Bell’s network, meaning customers “would therefore be denied real competitive choice and Cogeco would have little incentive to price … competitively.” Other locations only have wholesale internet options that are either too slow or too expensive, TekSavvy continued. “While TekSavvy hoped that new, lower FTTP rates would have been implemented by the Commission in 2025, the final … FTTP rates have still not been released,” it said. The company has previously said the current interim rates to access Bell’s fibre networks in Ontario and Quebec are too high for it to effectively lean into its fibre offerings. If forced to move to a new network with “inflated” rates, TekSavvy said it would be faced with "significant additional upfront costs.” “TekSavvy cannot feasibly absorb these cost increases and would inevitably need to pass on these monthly costs to its customers,” the company stated phalentm@thewirereport.ca

TekSavvy calls on CRTC in second Cogeco copper removal dispute

Regulatory |
By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald
|March 6, 2026

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TekSavvy calls on CRTC in second Cogeco copper removal dispute

Regulatory | By Phalen Tynes-MacDonald |March 6, 2026

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