Quebecor has labelled Ottawa’s promise of blocking the wholesale transfer of Shaw Communications Inc.’s wireless licenses to Rogers Communications Inc. as part of its takeover effort a “step in the right direction.”
The Chief Executive of Quebecor, Pierre Karl Péladeau, reveals it is necessary to create conditions that are necessary for real competition to give consumers more choice, lower prices, better services and more innovation.
The $26-billion deal to buy Shaw and its Freedom Mobile wireless business by Rogers has encountered stiff opposition from academics, consumer groups, customers and others.
Currently, the deal is being reviewed by three different federal regulators which include the Competition Bureau and the CRTC as well as spectrum regulator Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).
Federal Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said recently that the wholesale transfer of the wireless licenses of Shaw to Rogers is fundamentally not compatible with the policy of the government for spectrum and mobile service competition.
Rogers and Shaw have disclosed that they are continuing to work constructively with the government and regulators.
