CRTC chair Ian Scott denies breaking any rules

CRTC chair Ian Scott replies to critics calling for his resignation and the idea that the regulator is too cosy by having beers with Big Telecom after sudden U-turn on rates recommendation - Feb 01, 2022

OAKVILLE - February 1st, 2022: The Toronto Star today published an exclusive interview they had with CRTC chair Ian Scott in regards to increased pressure from critics for him to resign as he is accused of being too cosy with the large industry players he’s supposed to regulate.

“The simple answer is that nothing inappropriate was done,” says Scott in an exclusive interview with the Star in his first public comment on the issue.

“I went for a beer with someone I have known for many years …. And it ended up he chose to address a broadcasting issue a little of what Bell might be doing in the future,” says Scott in the wide ranging, nearly hour-long interview."



However, critics are suspicious of the December 19th, 2019 meeting's timing that Ian Scott had with Bell CEO Mirko Bibic at Ottawa's Darcy McGee's pub as it took place only 10 days after Bell filed their appeal with the CRTC in opposition to the CRTC's decision to reduce incumbent access rates earlier that year.

The CRTC eventually decided to grant the appeal made by Bell and other large telecom incumbent providers by fully reversing their 2019 decision back on May 27th, 2021 putting the blame on calculation "errors". This was done even though the CRTC's own previous chair Jean-Pierre Blais stated back in 2016 that it was “very disturbing” that the Canadian telecom giants “did not respect accepted costing principles and methodologies” when proposing their rates, and that Canadians’ access to a choice of broadband services was at stake.

There are also concerns as the meeting only started being recorded once it was already underway after a picture was taken of both men sitting down at a table and having beers. As per Canada's lobbyist regulations, meetings of this type are supposed to be documented on the public record before they begin.


About SkyChoice Communications
Since 2013, SkyChoice has been offering innovative and value added television, home phone and high speed Internet services across Canada. In addition to DSL and Cable, SkyChoice also offers Internet service direct to the home or business via its own WiFibe wireless fiber network which continues to expand on a regular basis. For more information, please visit: www.skychoice.ca
Home > News > Conservatives issue plan to lower telecom bills

Conservatives issue plan to lower telecom bills

Three-Pronged Strategy Promises to Lower Mobile and Internet Bills for Canadians - Sep 09, 2021

OAKVILLE - September 9th, 2021: On Tuesday September 7th, the Conservative Party of Canada released a new strategy to lower cell and internet bills for Canadians as part of their Secure The Future campaign. Canadians already pay among the highest prices in the world for these essential services which will increase even more as a result of the CRTC's May 27th, 2021 announcement to reverse its 2019 decision to lower wholesale access rates.

A recently published plan by the CPC sets out a three-pronged strategy to lower cell & Internet bills for Canadians:


Source: Conservative Party of Canada

With the CRTC's recent decision to abolish its planned 2019 decision to lower wholesale rates for incumbent network access, it is encouraging to see that the Conservative Party of Canada is taking a stance on reducing the high bills that Canadians are paying for telecom services which are some of the highest in the world. said SkyChoice CEO Serge Cormier.

Of particular interest is the first phase of the Conservative plan which has an objective in Increasing competition to drive down prices by supporting smaller providers to take on the national telecommunications giants.

The CRTC's recent May 27th announcement to cancel its 2019 decision is currently under appeal to Cabinet.


About SkyChoice Communications
Since 2013, SkyChoice has been offering innovative and value added television, home phone and high speed Internet services across Canada. In addition to DSL and Cable, SkyChoice also offers Internet service direct to the home or business via its own WiFibe wireless fiber network which continues to expand on a regular basis. For more information, please visit: www.skychoice.ca
Home > News > SkyChoice starts formal arbitration against CCTS

SkyChoice starts formal arbitration against CCTS

Agency refusing to honor code of conduct resulting in increased costs and lack of choice for consumers - Aug 04, 2021

OAKVILLE - August 4, 2021: SkyChoice Communications Inc. engaged the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada (ADRIC) to proceed with formal binding arbitration against the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) after the agency failed to abide by their code of conduct and breached their participation agreement by refusing several attempts to participate in informal arbitration since November 2020.

The ADRIC Arbitration Rules along with Ontario's Arbitration Act dictate that any organization who has an mandatory arbitration clause in their agreement shall not refuse any reasonable arbitration request filed in good faith to resolve disagreements between two parties unless the agreement itself is deemed invalid under a court of law.

"By refusing arbitration, the CCTS is acting in bad faith by essentially trying to shield themselves against any legal liability for failing to abide by their agreements as the courts will generally refuse to hear most cases when a mandatory arbitration clause is in play" said Serge Cormier, SkyChoice CEO.

The issue at hand is the lack of rights for consumers in choosing which third party organization they wish to use when resolving escalated telecom provider disputes. Currently, the CCTS is attempting to dictate that they are the sole organization capable of handling telcom complaints even though as per their agreement, they are legally not allowed to hear any complaints which are being or have already been heard by another agency capable of handling complaints such as the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

By rehearing complaints which have already been processed by other agencies, the CCTS is not only wasting valuable time and resources but is also forcing unnecessary costs to be incurred as participating service providers such as SkyChoice are charged fees of up to $1006.68 for each complaint filed with the CCTS in which providers eventually have to be recover from all consumers with subsequent service rate increases as fees can't be charged to individual customers even if they file a false or invalid complaint.

"With these excessive fees being charged by the CCTS along with the CRTC's rescinding of their 2019 decision to lower wholesale Internet rates, it is no surprise that Canada is amongst the top 5 most expensive countries when it comes to Internet". said Cormier.

More than ever especially given these challenging times, SkyChoice remains committed in providing fair and affordable high quality TV, Internet and home phone services for Canadians. Get the latest updates on our arbitration efforts with the CCTS on our website at https://www.skychoice.ca/cctsarbitration


About SkyChoice Communications
Since 2013, SkyChoice has been offering innovative and value added television, home phone and high speed Internet services across Canada. In addition to DSL and Cable, SkyChoice also offers Internet service direct to the home or business via its own WiFibe wireless fiber network which continues to expand on a regular basis. For more information, please visit: www.skychoice.ca