Q&A: Sheri Somerville can feel the CRTC shifting on competition

Sheri Somerville’s work is largely focused on a singular issue: competition, competition, and competition. As CEO of the Canadian Communications Systems Alliance (CCSA), Somerville leads an organization representing independent broadcasters and telecom providers spanning 10 provinces and territories, many of whom are competing with television and internet behemoths. In an exclusive interview with The Wire Report, Somerville spoke about her belief that the CRTC is moving in a positive direction on competition and previewed the CCSA’s upcoming summit in Halifax. Sheri Somerville, CEO of the Canadian Communications Systems Alliance. Handout photograph If someone’s not familiar with the CCSA, how would you explain it to them? We are a national organization that represents small- and medium-sized broadcast distribution undertakings, as well as independent internet and telephone providers across Canada. Through our membership of almost 100 members, we serve approximately 500,000 consumers across Canada. What are some of the biggest challenges for these companies? What issues do you spend most of your time working on? Their biggest challenges, as you would come to expect, are competition, rising cost of doing business, market changes, and adapting to viewing consumer habits.. That’s a big one. Of course, there’s also technological advancements. We know technology is moving at a rapid pace. Those are the four big challenges we continue to hear from members over the last few years. From that perspective, our focus is making sure that, for competition and consumer choice, we have a fair and equitable level playing field for everyone. Do you think we have that in Canada right now? I think we’re working on it. It’s a work in progress to be quite honest. I think the CRTC is looking at all these avenues and my message would be to just consider what it’s like for the smaller- and medium-sized players when they put regulations on. That leads into my next area of focus. What do the regulations look like? Are they fair? Are they equitable? Do they consider the cost of compliance for smaller players in terms of time and resources of implementing the changes in regulations? The government as a whole is working on red tape reduction and making sure the system is efficient and effective. I think that would come to pass in what the CRTC is trying to do, and we’re trying to work with them to help them understand what our members are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. In recent months, the CRTC has been making a public effort to cast itself as pro-consumer and pro-competition. Do you feel that? I do. They’re looking for information from us. The challenge becomes gathering information and getting it to them. To make sure that people are connected and have choice, I think that’s critical. We’re hearing that from the CRTC, but we’re also hearing it from our members. I think this is where we can absolutely work together and help inform shaping a great system for all Canadians. If you could give the CRTC one thing they could do that would make life easier for independent communications businesses, what comes to mind? We’ve got a lot of members that do community programming. It’s one of the things that we can ensure because we know Canadian content is of big importance and one of the biggest drivers of Canadian content is local community programming. It helps civic and local engagement, and helps with cultural expression. So, finding ways to fund and deliver community programming to keep one of those essential things that we deliver in Canada, I would put that as one of the things top on the list. You also mentioned evolving technology as one of the challenges facing your members. Is there anything specific you’re worried about? When you look at the systems, all companies are constantly looking at what it takes to keep their systems up-and-running. I’ve got 97 members who would be using different types of technologies, and they want to make sure they’re continuing to deliver their services. With internet, it’s about the appropriate speeds. With TV development, you have to stay on top of all technological advancements if you’re in the tech world, and there’s costs associated with upgrades and changes. In September, the CCSA is hosting a communications conference in Halifax. What can people expect at that event? We’re pretty excited. It’s our biggest event and we’ve been doing it since 1993, ever since the CCSA has been around. This year, the big thing is the education component. We try to put together a lineup of speakers that are talking about what our members want to learn about. There’s also the networking and vendors, programmers, and content providers on site through our showcase, where people can learn about those new technologies or new content coming out. It always turns out to be a great event with about 250 people in attendance. Is there anything else you wanted to mention or did we cover everything? Like I said, the biggest challenges for our smallest members are remaining competitive and focusing on making sure, when we do make regulatory changes, they’re not burdensome. We’re going to be working with the CRTC to help shape an environment that creates and supports our members. We’re always open to providing feedback and will continue to do so. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Q&A: Sheri Somerville can feel the CRTC shifting on competition

Regulatory |
By Davis Legree
|July 24, 2026

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Regulatory | By Davis Legree |July 24, 2026

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