TAGGED AS COMPETITION BUREAU
Rogers awarded $13 million from Competition Bureau in Shaw deal
telecom | 08/30/2023 5:29 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. has been awarded nearly $13 million in costs from the Competition Bureau over the bureau’s losing case against the takeover of Shaw Communications. The money reflects legal costs and reasonable disbursements from the two corporations, now merged....
Stakeholders call for a “whole-of-government” approach to competition reform
Internet and Governance | 04/24/2023 5:19 pm EDT
Stakeholders who submitted responses to the federal government’s consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada urged for greater consultation between various...
Competition Bureau releases recommendations for changes to law
Internet and Governance | 03/15/2023 5:24 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau Wednesday released its recommendations regarding...
On Rogers-Shaw, Champagne faces policy choice
Media | 01/26/2023 11:48 am EST
All eyes are on Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, who is the last line of defense for...
Updated: Federal Court of Appeal dismisses Competition Bureau case
Media | 01/24/2023 3:08 pm EST
Tuesday afternoon the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed with costs the...
Konrad von Finckenstein named to Order of Canada
Media | 01/04/2023 4:54 pm EST
Former CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein has been appointed a member of the Order of Canada. The honour...
UPDATED: Rogers comes out victorious in competition challenge over Shaw buyout
Media | 12/30/2022 12:34 am EST
Canada’s Competition Tribunal is dismissing the Commissioner of Competition’s application to block Rogers Communications Inc.’s takeover of Shaw Communications Inc....
Competition Bureau undercuts its own case, National Bank analyst maintains
Media | 12/21/2022 3:25 pm EST
As spectators await the release of a decision in the takeover of Shaw...
CRTC’s regulatory policy plays central role in Rogers-Shaw closing arguments
Media | 12/16/2022 9:47 am EST
In the drama that has unfolded in front of the Competition Tribunal over...
Rogers-Shaw Tribunal hearings reveal the extent of Telus efforts to block merger
Media | 11/14/2022 5:59 pm EST
The second week of the Competition Tribunal's hearing into whether or not...
Champagne announcement may signal eagerness to approve Rogers-Shaw deal: analysts
Media | 10/26/2022 2:56 pm EDT
Financial analysts reacting to Tuesday's announcement from Innovation...
Rogers, Shaw, accused of fishing expedition over Bell, Telus, subpoenas
Media | 10/20/2022 12:37 pm EDT
Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. have accused Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw...
Rogers wants more details on how Québecor-Freedom deal allegedly harms competition
Media | 09/09/2022 5:02 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. wants competition commissioner Matthew Boswell...
VMedia purchase will sweeten Freedom deal for regulators: Quebecor’s PKP
Media | 08/04/2022 5:37 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc.’s president and CEO has said the company’s recent...
Competition Bureau not satisfied with Freedom divestiture to Quebecor
Media | 07/06/2022 9:55 am EDT
In a Wednesday morning joint statement, Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw...
Lawson Hunter appointed to Order of Canada
telecom | 01/04/2022 12:59 pm EST
Lawson Hunter, a former Commissioner of the Competition Bureau and a one-time BCE Inc. executive, has been made a member of the Order of Canada, the Governor-General’s office announced in late December.
Hunter, now a counsel at Stikeman Elliot, was honoured for “his...
Court orders Google to turn over documents to Competition Bureau
Media | 10/22/2021 6:06 pm EDT
The Federal Court has ordered Alphabet Inc.'s Google to turn over a number...
Competition Bureau asks Court to compel Google records disclosure in inquiry into YouTube ad sales
Media | 10/18/2021 6:47 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has asked a Federal Court...
CRTC delays MVNO hearing to Feb. 18
telecom | 10/28/2019 4:10 pm EDT
The CRTC’s public hearing in its review of mobile wireless services, which was originally scheduled to be held in January, has now been pushed back to Feb. 18. The regulator said in a notice Monday that the Competition Bureau...
Some consumers uncertain about wholesale competitor quality: Comp Bureau
telecom | 08/07/2019 11:00 am EDT
Despite being “impressed” by the competitive presence of...
CRTC says no to Competition Bureau request for information
telecom | 04/18/2019 5:22 pm EDT
The CRTC has told the Competition Bureau it won’t be compelling telecoms to turn over a slew of detailed information the bureau was asking for — though the telecoms will effectively have to answer many of the same questions anyway, since the CRTC issued its own request for information earlier this month that covers much of the same ground. As part of the CRTC’s review of its mobile wireless wholesale framework, the bureau had asked the CRTC in early March to compel wireless carriers to turn over detailed, confidential information about their wireless operations. The bureau said the...
Competition Bureau attempting to ‘hijack’ CRTC process, telecoms say
telecom | 04/02/2019 5:40 pm EDT
A request from the Competition Bureau asking the CRTC to require telecoms...
No clear suitor for Corus assets after report of sale: analysts
Media | 06/13/2018 1:51 pm EDT
Corus Entertainment Inc. CEO Doug Murphy is refusing to comment on a media...
Matthew Boswell to head Comp Bureau in 1 year interim term
telecom | 05/30/2018 2:26 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has an interim replacement for outgoing commissioner...
Competition Bureau reviewing Postmedia, Torstar deal
Media | 11/28/2017 5:53 pm EST
The Competition Bureau has confirmed in an email they will review a recent deal between Torstar Corp. and Postmedia, which saw the exchange of 41 commuter, local or community newspapers between the two Canadian media organizations...
Competition Bureau consulting on big data
telecom | 09/18/2017 3:48 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau is inviting comments on a white paper on big data. “Recent global developments in technology have allowed firms to harness data in ways that drive innovation and quality improvements across a range of...
Competition Bureau shouldn’t compel market studies: C.D. Howe
telecom | 05/04/2017 8:34 pm EDT
Granting the Competition Bureau additional powers to compel businesses to provide information for market studies “could result in significant costs for Canadian businesses,” according to...
Competition Bureau fines Amazon $1M
Media | 01/11/2017 5:46 pm EST
Amazon.com Inc. must pay a $1-million fine over the pricing practices on its Canadian website following a Competition Bureau investigation. The bureau said in a press release Wednesday that Amazon compared its...
Competition Bureau drops Apple competition case
telecom | 01/06/2017 7:04 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said Friday it has discontinued an investigation into whether Apple Inc. engaged in anticompetitive practices related to sales of its iPhone. The bureau was looking at “contractual...
Competition Bureau sweep looks at online reviews
Media | 10/31/2016 8:09 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has wrapped up a sweep of online reviews and endorsements, as part of an annual initiative it conducts with other consumer protection agencies around the world. It said in a monthly update Monday that this year’s target was “aimed at identifying websites that may use online reviews or endorsements as part of their business model.” “Bureau follow-up action may range from opening an investigation, to issuing a consumer alert, to sending a warning or information letter,” it said, adding that consumers who think they’ve been...
CRTC not twiddling thumbs as industry changes: Blais
Media | 10/20/2016 8:21 pm EDT
OTTAWA — On the same day that a new report was released arguing the CRTC’s role and authority should be reduced in response to technological change, CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais defended the relevance of the...
CRTC consulting on MTS licence transfer to Bell
telecom | 08/30/2016 8:10 pm EDT
The CRTC said Tuesday that it wants input on Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.’s application to transfer its broadcast distribution licences to BCE Inc. as part of the proposed acquisition of MTS by...
Competition Bureau appoints chief economist
Media | 08/22/2016 4:45 pm EDT
Paul Johnson has been named as the Competition Bureau’s leader of economic analysis, where he will play a key role in merger reviews, the competition commissioner said Monday. In a Monday press release,...
Competition Bureau warns fans about sports streaming fine print
Media | 08/08/2016 7:59 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau said in a press release Monday that customers signing up for sports streaming websites should make sure they understand what they’re getting when they subscribe...
Advocacy groups take aim at data caps in zero-rating review
Media | 06/29/2016 6:45 pm EDT
Questions around telecoms’ usage of data caps should be at the centre of the CRTC’s proceeding on differential pricing practices, advocacy groups said in interventions, calling for the commission to impose limits on their use. Data caps are “un-necessary evil,” said the Equitable Internet Coalition, whose members include the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), which asked the CRTC to focus the proceeding on data caps and not differential pricing. The deadline for interventions in the process, which looks at practices like sponsored data and zero-rating among...
Bell, MTS receive court approval for takeover
telecom | 06/29/2016 5:49 pm EDT
BCE Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. have cleared yet another hurdle in their quest to combine, as the deal has now received court approval from the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench, according to...
Bell to pay $12M for premium text message charges
telecom | 05/27/2016 5:01 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau said Friday it has reached an agreement with BCE Inc. in which the company will rebate customers up to $11.8 million for premium text messaging charges. It will also donate $800,000 to...
Bell-MTS deal weakens Rogers’ ability to compete: academics
telecom | 05/26/2016 9:27 pm EDT
In a submission to the Competition Bureau arguing that allowing BCE Inc. to acquire Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. would weaken wireless competition in the province, Carleton...
Competition Bureau wants input on Bell-MTS deal
telecom | 05/10/2016 4:32 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau is asking for comment on BCE Inc.’s $3.9-billion bid to buy Manitoba Telecom Services Inc., it said in a press release Tuesday. It made a form available on its website that both consumers and...
Bell’s MTS purchase to boost competition: MEI
telecom | 05/04/2016 6:22 pm EDT
The $3.9-billion acquisition of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. by BCE Inc. would increase competition in Manitoba’s wireless market, according to the authors of a new report from the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)....
Experts say approval of Bell’s MTS acquisition likely
telecom | 05/02/2016 2:12 pm EDT
BCE Inc. announced Monday morning that it will purchase Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. in a $3.9 billion transaction that, if approved, will see the number of players in Manitoba’s telecom...
Competition Bureau updates IP enforcement guidelines
Media | 04/01/2016 7:32 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has updated its Intellectual Property Enforcement Guidelines, as part of what it said in a Thursday press release would be an annual review. It said the updated guidelines clarify “the Bureau’s...
Competition Bureau says Telus will pay $7.3M in premium texting case
telecom | 01/04/2016 3:04 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with Telus Corp. to end legal proceedings in relation to premium texting services that former and current customers have paid...
Competition Bureau seeks info on iPhone pricing from carriers
telecom | 06/15/2015 9:01 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau has filed applications in Federal Court seeking information from wireless carriers about how they set prices for Apple Inc.’s devices. The applications involve BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp., Eastlink, Quebecor Inc., TBayTel Inc., Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., Competition Bureau spokeswoman Gabrielle Tasse said in an email. They were filed “to provide written returns of information to the Bureau,” she said. In December, the Federal Court ordered Apple’s Canadian subsidiary...
Glentel sales up more than 30%
telecom | 03/19/2015 4:25 pm EDT
Glentel Inc., a retailer of mobile products and services, said Thursday that its fourth-quarter revenue was up 32.8 per cent from a year earlier to $533.1 million, though its quarterly profit declined to $830,000 from $8.3...
Rogers settles with Competition Bureau on texting proceeding
Media | 03/16/2015 3:58 pm EDT
Rogers Communications Inc. and the Competition Bureau announced Monday that they had reached an agreement to end legal proceedings against the carrier in relation to so-called premium texting services...
Ont. municipality still interested in Eastlink buyout: report
telecom | 02/06/2015 7:31 pm EST
The Municipality of Kincardine in southwestern Ontario is interested revisiting the issue of selling publicly owned Bruce Telecom to Eastlink-owner Bragg Communications Inc., according to a news...
Glentel purchase could help Bell, Rogers avoid competition: analysts
telecom | 01/05/2015 9:53 pm EST
A deal announced Christmas Eve to split the ownership of wireless retailer Glentel Inc. between BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. will help the incumbent carriers stave off competition from a...
TVA purchase of Vision Globale cleared
Media | 01/05/2015 9:02 pm EST
Quebecor Inc.'s broadcasting unit TVA Group said last week that its purchase of TV production company Vision Globale has closed following approval from the federal Competition Bureau. TVA CEO Julie Tremblay said in a Dec. 30 press release that the acquisition "will enable us to diversify our revenue streams, which are heavily dependent on the advertising carried by our over-the-air television network." The Competition Bureau issued a press release the same day that said "this transaction is unlikely to result in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition due to,...
Apple ordered to provide records to Competition Bureau
telecom | 12/17/2014 5:20 pm EST
OTTAWA — Apple Inc.'s Canadian subsidiary has been ordered by the Federal Court to hand over records and other relevant information to help the Competition Bureau determine whether the...
Competition Bureau asks Apple to turn over records on iPhone contracts
telecom | 12/11/2014 10:45 pm EST
The Competition Bureau filed an application on Tuesday in federal court to compel Apple Inc. to turn over records related to an investigation into whether the company used anti-competitive language in...
TVA Group to purchase Vision Globale
Media | 11/13/2014 7:15 pm EST
Quebecor Inc.'s broadcasting operation TVA Group said Thursday it has reached an agreement to purchase film- and TV-production company Vision Globale for about $118 million. TVA said the transaction is subject to approval by...
Budget bill gives CRTC sharper teeth
telecom | 11/10/2014 7:36 pm EST
New legislation proposed by the federal government will expand the powers of the CRTC, giving it the ability to fine offenders, share information with the Competition Bureau and exert control over companies that operate telecom...
Wireline wholesale hearing to put focus on ISP access
telecom | 10/29/2014 4:55 pm EDT
The CRTC faces another major policy hearing next month, and this one has the potential to affect independent Internet service providers that depend on major telecom companies to connect them to customers. In September, the...
Government to ban paper bills for telecoms
telecom | 10/24/2014 8:16 pm EDT
The budget implementation bill introduced by the federal government in the House of Commons Thursday would forbid telecommunications companies for charging customers for paper bills. The bill would “prohibit providers of...
Quebecor says newspaper sale not connected to wireless expansion
Media | 10/06/2014 7:59 pm EDT
Quebecor Inc. says there is no connection between the $316-million proposed sale of its English-language newspapers to Postmedia Network Canada Corp. and its intention of expanding its mobile services...
Bell Aliant makes concession on Ontera purchase
telecom | 10/01/2014 7:28 pm EDT
The Competition Bureau said Wednesday that Bell Aliant Inc. has responded to the bureau's concerns surrounding its purchase of an Ontario-government-owned telecommunications provider. The bureau said in a press release Bell...
Eastlink no longer buying Bruce Telecom
telecom | 08/15/2014 5:34 pm EDT
Bragg Communications Inc., which operates Eastlink, won’t be buying Bruce Telecom, the Competition Bureau said Friday. The bureau said in a press release that it reviewed the proposed acquisition and concluded that had it “proceeded as proposed, it would have likely resulted in a substantial lessening or prevention of competition in the towns of Port Elgin and Paisley, [Ont.], where the two firms are the only providers of wireline telecommunications services.” The two companies “ultimately decided to abandon the proposed transaction,” it added. The...
Regulatory uncertainty could hurt innovation: experts
telecom | 06/16/2014 9:18 pm EDT
TORONTO — Ongoing interventions by Industry Canada, the Competition Bureau and the CRTC into Canada’s wireless industry are likely to harm future investments by telecom companies, Brookings Institute economist Robert...
Competition Bureau not appealing Chatr decision
telecom | 03/24/2014 6:37 pm EDT
The federal Competition Bureau said Monday it will not appeal a court decision that hit Rogers Communications Inc. with a much lighter penalty than it had sought in relation to Rogers’ claims that its Chatr wireless service...
High roaming rates ‘likely’ hurting competition, says bureau
telecom | 01/29/2014 8:15 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said high roaming rates charged to domestic wireless competitors are “likely” hurting the level of wireless competition in Canada. On Wednesday, the bureau said in...
Competition bureau cites telecommunications as area of concern
telecom | 12/05/2013 8:37 pm EST
The Competition Bureau said Thursday that Canadians have identified telecommunications as an area the office should target in advocating for increased competition. The bureau said in a news release...
Competition Bureau wants closer cooperation with CRTC
Media | 10/03/2013 9:05 pm EDT
Last month's deal for more cooperation between the Competition Bureau and the CRTC is “a first step, baby step,” Commissioner of Competition John Pecman said Thursday at a conference in Ottawa. “What really needs to be done to make that relationship much more coherent between our two agencies is to have some framework change that allows us to exchange confidential information. Right now there is an impediment,” he said during a question and answer session at the Canadian Bar Association's annual competition law conference. “Our view is that we would like...
CRTC, Competition Bureau sign cooperation agreement
Media | 09/25/2013 8:30 pm EDT
The CRTC and the federal Competition Bureau reached a deal to encourage more cooperation between the two organizations, the CRTC said. In a release Wednesday, the commission said the deal will mean the two regulatory bodies share...
Pecman named commissioner of competition
Media | 06/13/2013 1:57 am EDT
John Pecman was named to a five-year term as new commissioner of the Competition Bureau, Industry Canada said Wednesday. Pecman has served as interim commissioner since former commissioner Melanie Aitken stepped down last year,...
Chatr hearings wrap up
telecom | 05/21/2013 9:31 pm EDT
The Ontario Superior Court wrapped up hearings in Toronto last week on the Competition Bureau's lawsuit against Rogers Communications Inc. for alleged "misleading advertising" related to its discount Chatr wireless brand. Final arguments finished last week for the Competition...
Competition Bureau supports regs for shorter wireless contracts, free device unlocking
telecom | 02/07/2013 10:48 pm EST
The CRTC should introduce rules to prevent wireless carriers from hindering customers who want to switch providers and require carriers to provide clearer service and pricing...
Rogers says judge can ‘light a match’ to Competition Bureau case
telecom | 08/09/2012 10:40 pm EDT
TORONTO—Rogers Communications Inc. conducted industry standard tests to support its “fewer dropped calls” advertisements in 2010 that proved the ads to be true and now provide a...
Competition Bureau investigating Bell Media carriage agreements: court documents
Media | 08/01/2012 5:03 pm EDT
The federal Competition Bureau is investigating whether BCE Inc. is using its stable of “high-demand television” channels to place “anti-competitive” restrictions on competing...