The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has launched an inquiry regarding the use of satellite services to provide telecommunications services to northern and remote communities in Canada.
CRTC Commissioner Candice…
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has launched an inquiry regarding the use of satellite services to provide telecommunications services to northern and remote communities in Canada.
CRTC Commissioner Candice Molnar is leading the review that will look at the provision of and marketplace for these satellite services and recommend the regulatory and funding options that are available to the state.
Molnar is expected to complete her review and report her findings to the commission by October 2014.
The inquiry is the result of a public proceeding that took place late last year regarding rural telecoms operator Northwestel. The CRTC was looking at the regulatory framework for the company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Canada, as well as whether to provide subsidies for Northwestel’s 5-year, C$233m plan to modernize its network.
As part of the process, the commission identified a digital divide between rural communities that receive telecoms services over terrestrial facilities and those that are served solely by satellite.
The CRTC determined that it did not have sufficient information on how satellite services are used by telecoms operators to provide voice and internet services to remote regions of the country, a key objective of the country’s Telecommunications Act.
The resulting review will therefore focus on two key areas: the services provided by satellite operators to Canadian telecoms services providers (TSPs), and the use of satellite services by TSPs to provide telecommunications services.
Among the issues that Commissioner Molnar will look at are the current and future availability of satellite capacity needed for these services, the pricing and cost of such services, and the competitive options available to TSPs that rely on these technologies to provide their services.
The CRTC, which reports to Industry Canada, said that the report will help steer its plan to establish a mechanism to fund infrastructure investments that improve the provision of telecoms services in these remote regions.
