Demand Choice

*image courtesy of ting.com | Want to view this page in French? The Globe and Mail is reporting that Big Telecom giants like Rogers and Telus have started a process to take over Canada’s independent mobile providers.1 We need to act now to stop them. → We can’t let a few big telecom companies take over scarce wireless assets.2 If we do, they’ll get even bigger, jack up your bill, and guarantee that Canadians have only three mobile giants to choose from. Killing mobile choice is bad for our digital economy, bad for our wallets, and bad for our country as a whole. This Big Telecom takeover goes against Canadian rules and right now Industry Minister Paradis is about to decide whether he'll enforce those rules. Will he feel the pressure from you, or only from the Big Telecom lobbyists who want more control and more ability to price-gouge? Save our independent mobile providers before it’s too late. → 55,852 signatures (and counting). Privacy Policy Share:   Additional background and outreach resources >>>

Footnotes

[1] You can see the details and background of Rogers plan to obtain assets that were set aside by the government for new telecom options for Canadians here. Read about Telus’ talks about acquiring Mobilicity, and about the potential sale of Public Mobile here.

[2] In 2008, the government reserved a set amount of Canada’s wireless spectrum for new entrants, calling it the “the new entrant set-aside”. If the backroom deal goes forward Rogers, Canada’s largest incumbent cell phone company will get control of this resource. Source: Industry Canada

Additional Information

For an explanation of why your high cell phone bill has nothing to do with Canada's size, check out this article by OpenMedia.ca's Catherine Hart.

Industry Canada clearly stated that only "new entrants" were eligible for the AWS wireless spectrum set aside in 2008. Industry Canada further stated that “changes made after the application deadline which create an Association with another applicant are not permitted, and any applicant who has formed such an Association will be disqualified from participating in the auction.” Source: Industry Canada

Canada’s wireless industry is overwhelmingly dominated by Bell, Telus, and Rogers. Source: The Globe and Mail

*OpenMedia.ca joined experts and advocates to send a letter to our Industry Minister about this issue. Find the full letter here. [PDF]