Industry Minister James Moore released a statement in response to the publication of the list of applicants for the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction:
Today, Industry Canada published the list of applicants for the 700 MHz spectrum auction scheduled for January 14, 2014. This high-quality spectrum will soon be deployed across Canada, providing Canadians with dependable, high-speed wireless services on the latest technologies.
Well before this summer’s public debate on wireless policy, our Government introduced a number of measures to create more choice in Canada’s wireless market and to defend consumers. As a result, prices have come down, the number of jobs in the wireless sector has increased and consumers have more choices. This trend will continue as a result of January’s auction.
In addition to this auction, our Government will continue to aggressively pursue policies that ensure consumer interests are at the core of all Government decisions.
Some have read the last sentence as a threat for the government to introduce strong regulatory measures. As I told the Globe and Mail earlier this month, the government has already made a number of changes to the regulatory landscape – most of which have not yet been in place sufficiently long for the impact to be measured:
Over the past year and a half, it has liberalized foreign ownership regulations, implemented a stringent code of conduct for wireless providers, added new mandatory roaming and tower sharing rules and changed the conditions for transfer of spectrum licenses. The government needs to take stock of the impact of all of these changes and reflect on whether these are the most appropriate measures to encourage investment and provide consumers with a vigorous competitive marketplace.
In an interview on BNN, I suggested that perhaps it is time to ask the Competition Bureau to conduct an independent review of the state of wireless competition.