I have never been one to shy away from an opportunity to take a shot at the CRTC. That is a fact to which regular readers of this site can easily attest. I think taking shots at the CRTC is a basic part of our heritage. We drink coffee, eat donuts, kvetch about the CRTC while r-r-r-olling up the r-r-rim.
But the editorial in today’s itbusiness.ca Update crossed the lines of fairness.
I’ll leave aside many of the attacks that don’t merit the effort to address, nor the attention, other than to dismiss the comments as petty rants. But the body of the article is just void of fact-based criticism.
Case in point:
The single most significant moment in the CRTC’s history came earlier this year at a telecommunications conference which staged a “regulatory blockbuster” roundtable featuring the main incumbents and their cableco rivals. Theirs was a spirited, sometimes acrimonious debate, and it was followed up by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier’s appearance where he said he would steer the CRTC away from regulating in favour of market forces. Where was Dalfen?
I am honoured that the writer considers that The 2006 Canadian Telecom Summit hosted the single most significant moment (wait ’til you see The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit, June 11-13). But, where was the Chair? Uh, he was the closing speaker at that event. And he spoke at each of the previous 2 events as well. We have photos to prove it. The Globe and Mail even had a story about it.
The editorial concludes with:
Dalfen’s successor has to do more than speak behind press releases. He or she needs to prove not only well-versed in emerging technologies but capable of capturing the attention of the Canadian public. … The next CRTC leader needs to be a voice that cannot – will not – be ignored.
Can anyone really say that our current chair has a voice that can be ignored? C’mon.
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