CRTC sets interim rates for wholesale fibre internet access

The national telecommunications regulator says it has set the payment rates at which smaller internet providers will be able to use rivals’ fibre networks to offer their services to customers across Canada.

The CRTC says the interim rates are based on an analysis of detailed costing information filed by the large telephone companies that own fibre internet networks, such as Bell Canada BCE-T, Telus Corp. T-T and SaskTel, and are meant to reflect the costs those companies incurred to build them.

The move comes after the CRTC announced in August it would require those companies to give competitors access to their networks for a fee – a decision that applies to networks countrywide as of next February. The regulator said at the time it would decide on interim rates this year.

A previous CRTC ruling late last year temporarily required Bell and Telus to provide competitors with access to their fibre-to-the-home networks only in Ontario and Quebec.

In the summer, the commission said its latest decision, meant to boost competition and give consumers more internet choice, applies only to existing fibre networks, in recognition “that building out fibre is expensive.”

Any new fibre infrastructure built by the large telecoms won’t be made available to competitors for five years.