Bell Canada to appeal CRTC VoIP decision

Bell Canada will appeal the decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to regulate prices for VoIP services provided by Canada's established phone companies, including Bell.


Canada is the first major industrialized nation to regulate retail rates for Internet telephony.


Bell Canada said it was unfair that only VoIP services offered by incumbent local telephone companies such as Bell to be price regulated, while others, such as the large incumbent
cable companies, will be free to offer services and bundles unencumbered by price regulation.


"IP is a disruptive technology that is changing the telecom
industry and the way it enables the Canadian economy. The Commission has misunderstood this new competitive paradigm in what may turn out to be an historic mistake with significant consequences," said Lawson Hunter, Executive Vice-President and Chief Corporate Officer, BCE and
Bell Canada. "There is no incumbency in VoIP," concluded Mr. Hunter. "In a new market where barriers to entry are virtually non-existent, no one - including foreign companies - should have a regulatory advantage."http://www.bell.ca"IP is a disruptive technology that is changing the telecom
industry and the way it enables the Canadian economy. The Commission has misunderstood this new competitive paradigm in what may turn out to be an historic mistake with significant consequences," said Lawson Hunter, Executive Vice-President and Chief Corporate Officer, BCE and
Bell Canada. "There is no incumbency in VoIP," concluded Mr. Hunter. "In a new market where barriers to entry are virtually non-existent, no one - including foreign companies - should have a regulatory advantage."