The Canadian government's wireless policy is clearReader Rating: 3.75
The Canadian government's
wireless policy is clear.
More choice. Lower prices. Better service.
Cut through the noise
Canada's largest wireless companies have suggested the government has special rules that favour major foreign companies.
Your privacy is at risk if you choose a foreign cell phone provider.
There is already enough competition in the wireless market.
Find out more.
Service to rural Canadians will be negatively affected if new competitors enter the wireless market.
The Government has not considered what Canadians think about these policies and should take more time to consult.
The Government's policies are costing Canadians jobs in the wireless sector.
Find out more.
You asked us
What is the700 MHz
spectrum auction?
Find out.
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Tweets by @ICMoreChoiceKey dates—What you need to know about the 700 MHz spectrum auction
Sept
17
12:00 noon (EDT) on
September 17, 2013
Deadline for receipt of applications to participate in the auction and 5% of the pre-auction financial deposits
- The 5% deposit due is based on the number of blocks the applicant wants to acquire.
- Each block is worth a certain number of eligibility points.
- Each eligibility point is worth $130,000.
Sept
23
September 23, 2013
Publication of the list of applicants, with beneficial ownership and associated entities information
- Beneficial ownership is the ownership structure of the applicant (who the major owners are, etc.).
- Associated entities are the companies the applicant has relationships or agreements with in relation to the 700 MHz spectrum.
- This information has been posted on the Industry Canada website.
Oct
22
October 22, 2013
Publication of the list of provisionally qualified bidders
- A list of all provisionally qualified applicants (based on Industry Canada's review of ownership and associated entities, compliance with the rules, etc.) will be published.
- Applicants are provisionally qualified until they have paid the full deposit (see next date below).
- This information will be posted on the Industry Canada website www.ic.gc.ca/spectrum, and there will be a link from www.canada.ca/morechoices.
Oct
29
12:00 noon (EDT) on
October 29, 2013
Deadline for receipt of the remaining 95% of pre-auction financial deposits
- Applicants must submit 95% of the deposit by this date to be fully qualified to bid in the auction.
Nov
8
November 8, 2013
Publication of final list of qualified bidders
- A list of all qualified applicants who have submitted 100% of their deposit and met all eligibility requirements to participate in the auction will be published.
- This information will be posted on the Industry Canada website www.ic.gc.ca/spectrum, and there will be a link from www.canada.ca/morechoices.
Nov
27
Beginning November 27, 2013
Auction preparation for qualified bidders
- Bidders will receive training on the auction software.
- Industry Canada will also hold an information session and mock auctions for qualified bidders.
Jan
14
January 14, 2014
Auction start—opening of bidding
- Web-based bidding takes place via secure specialized software at a location of each bidder's choosing.
TBD
Following
cessation
of bidding
Following cessation of bidding
Announcement and publication of provisional licence winners
Submission of ownership and control documentation (where applicable)
- The names of the provisional winning bidders, licences won and prices to be paid will be published within five days after bidding has ended.
- Provisional winners must pay 20% of the final amount within 10 business days of the announcement.
- This information will be posted on the Industry Canada website www.ic.gc.ca/spectrum, and there will be a link from www.canada.ca/morechoices.
TBD
Final
payment
Final payment
- Provisional winners must pay the remaining 80% of the final amount within 30 business days after the announcement of the provisional licence winners.
TBD
Issuance
of
licences
Issuance of licences
- Licences will be issued once all payments are made and provisional winners are found to be compliant with ownership and control requirements, where applicable.
We heard you, Canada
What Canadians have to fear from more competition in their pricey phone market is unclear.
—The Economist, September 7, 2013
[Minister] Moore, his predecessors and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have been pretty consistent in their position – they believe they have the right rules in place to encourage more wireless competition.
—Peter Nowak, journalist, blogger
Blog, September 3, 2013
Despite [the] campaign, the government should stick with its approach to encourage new competition.
—Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law
Toronto Star, September 3, 2013
I commend the government's unflinching commitment to consumers by holding the course on the wireless competition policy.
—Anthony Lacavera, CEO, Wind Mobile
Globe and Mail, September 3, 2013
The new Minister of Industry, James Moore, is strongly resisting the rent-seeking arguments of the Big Three and promoting the interests of Canadian consumers by encouraging greater competition in the marketplace. Fortunately for us, he understands the difference between business interests and the national interest.
—Christopher Ragan, Associate Professor, McGill University
Globe and Mail, August 27, 2013
Canadian consumers don't buy the industry spin—they want lower wireless prices and they know that means stopping the big three from shutting out competition.
Faced with a choice between an American company fighting to gain a foothold in a hostile market or a Canadian one who takes my hard earned money for granted, I'll pick the lesser of two evils.
—Blogger Ben Klass, "I Am Canadian, a Reply to Bell's Open Letter"
Consumers are telling us they welcome the new choices Verizon's entry will bring…We are hearing also that Consumers are offended by the extravagance of the major telecom's massive advertising program attacking the Harper Government's decision.
The public already appears to believe wireless prices are too high and supports the government's efforts to encourage more competition in the market.
—Abacus Data CEO David Coletto, in The Wire Report (subscription required)
...High cell phone prices…are acting as a dead weight on job creation and economic opportunity across the country.
—OpenMedia.ca executive director Steve Anderson, in Ottawa Life Magazine
Right now, we pay some of the highest prices in the industrialized world for some really horrible service, and that one way or the other needs to change.
—OpenMedia.ca executive director Steve Anderson, to CBC News
…With Verizon we are not proposing to gift anything, but we are offering the right to bid to buy more than a single block. Given that the incumbents hold over 90 percent of the available spectrum already, that only seems fair, and appropriate if, in fact, a little stingy in terms of a welcome.
—Seaboard Group managing director Iain Grant, to the Canadian Press
Government action timeline
June 4, 2013
Harper Government Protecting Consumers and Increasing Competition in Canadian Wireless Sector
October 30, 2012
Minister Paradis Highlights Additional Measures To Promote a Vibrant and Competitive Telecom Industry
June 5, 2012
Canadian Telecom Summit
March 14, 2012
Harper Government Takes Action to Support Canadian Families
May 31, 2011
Minister Paradis at the 2011 Canadian Telecom Summit
November 22, 2010
An Interim Report on the Digital Economy and Telecom Strategies
November 28, 2007
Government opts for more competition in the wireless sector
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