CRTC calls Bell out on anticompetitive practices

December 12, 2011 – The CRTC has found that Bell Mobility breached Vertical Integration rules banning carriers from giving access to TV programming exclusively to their own subscribers. Bell gave itself a significant competitive advantage by entering into exclusive agreements for the mobile rights to popular broadcast content.

“Canadians shouldn’t be forced to subscribe to a wireless service from a specific company to access their favourite content,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC in a press release. “Healthy and fair competition between service providers will promote greater choice for Canadians.”

Broadcast content is becoming more available and more popular via Internet and mobile devices, and large, vertically integrated companies like Bell are easily able to take advantage.

“Large, vertically integrated mobile companies have both the incentive and the means by which to exercise undue preference when it comes to content,” says OpenMedia.ca Executive Director Steve Anderson. "By engaging in anticompetitive business practices that give them exclusive rights to content, these big phone companies are better able to hogtie the market, to limit diversity of carriers, and to price-gouge Canadians. We at OpenMedia.ca are pleased that the CRTC has recognized this and taken a stand in this instance."

Anderson continues: "Canada already lags behind other countries in mobile diversity, and anti-competitive behaviour could push us further to the back of the pack."

Today’s decision was triggered by a complaint filed by Telus in January, after it had unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate for rights to NHL and NFL content owned exclusively by Bell Mobility.

About OpenMedia.ca

OpenMedia.ca is a non-profit organization that safeguards the open and affordable Internet. The group works towards informed & participatory digital policy.

OpenMedia.ca empowers people to participate in Internet governance through fresh & engaging citizens’ campaigns. They are known for coordinating Stop The Meter, the largest online campaign in Canadian history, involving nearly half-a-million people.

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Contact

Lindsey Pinto
Communications Manager, OpenMedia.ca
778-238-7710
lindsey@openmedia.ca