On a conference call on Tuesday, Minister Bernier indicated that he wants to move forward on Telecom Act amendments in order to implement more the of the recommendations of the report of the Telecom Policy Review panel.
We need to recognize some practical realities. This is, after all, a minority government. It returns us to the challenge of gaining opposition party support for telecom policy reform, a process, incidentally, that was launched by the last Liberal government.
Among the reforms that require legislative change is relaxation of foreign ownership. Some observers believe this may be the best way to provide meaningful wireless competition. The consultation for the next wireless auction, alluded to in Quebecor’s response to Monday’s Ministerial announcement, will be issued by Industry Canada early in the New Year.
What will it take to get support for further telecom policy reform?