House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology (INDU)

CIPPIC is a public interest technology law clinic based at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and I am testifying before you today from my home in Ottawa, which sits on unceded territory of the Algonquin Nations. [...] A national broadband plan could also address the management of key INDU | Study of Affordability and Accessibility of Telecommunications Services | Page 2 of 4 inputs such as spectrum and access to poles in a more strategic and coordinated manner. [...] Canada is 31st out of 37 OECD countries in terms of the number of per capita subscribers. [...] However, the current process incentivizes incumbents to propose favourable rates at INDU | Study of Affordability and Accessibility of Telecommunications Services | Page 4 of 4 the outset, and as a result competitors are persistently at a disadvantage. [...] Given the degree to which our regulatory system is currently dependent on wholesale mechanisms for imposing price discipline, it is of central importance to expedite the availability of more accurate wholesale rates while the final rate setting process resolves itself.