Federal regulators yesterday fined Bell Canada $7.5 million for breach of the Telecommunications Act. The media giant was cited for unfair practices in denying rivals’ access to its telephone pole network for home hookups..“It is vitally important that the market for telecom services be fair and competitive,” Ian Scott, CEO of the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), said in a statement..“We will not hesitate to use the tools at our disposal to take action to promote compliance when a company’s actions violate these principles,” he added..According to Blacklock's Reporter, Videotron Ltd. in 2016 complained Bell denied or delayed 26% of its applications to license existing Bell telephone poles to serve customers..Videotron lawyers argued Bell “by blocking or delaying competitor access to its support structures could expand and upgrade its own network and could therefore take advantage of the opportunity to retain customers who would have benefited from alternatives it not for Bell Canada’s conduct.”.“Bell Canada granted itself a preference and imposed an undue and unreasonable disadvantage on Videotron,” wrote the Commission. Delays in processing Videotron applications were unlawful, it said..Bell unsuccessfully petitioned the CRTC to avoid the fines. Delays in licensing poles were “unintentional,” it said. “Infallibility cannot be the standard for pole owners that face thousands of construction projects on a yearly basis,” Bell lawyers wrote the Commission..Feuds over use of telephone poles are longstanding. Ontario Superior Court in 2016 upheld a request by the Hydro One utility to raise pole leasing fees charged telecom providers from $22 to $41 per pole annually, an 86% increase..“One of our members in northern Ontario had to sell his headquarters to pay retroactive bills to Hydro One,” Chris Edwards, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, said in an earlier interview..The CRTC in a separate 2014 case ordered an audit of the number of telephone polls in Atlantic Canada after a local telecom provider Eastlink accused Bell of inflating charges. “It’s not the first time companies have gone into disputes over this,” David Christopher, then-organizer for the consumer group Open Media, said at the time..“In terms of the internet it is really a key issue of how companies get access,” said Christopher. “There should be a cost-base access to the networks and a cutting of red tape and extra fees to ensure companies all have access to networks on a level playing field.”
