Renewed Direction to CRTC on Telecom Policy

Summary#

This is the Order Issuing a Direction to the CRTC on a Renewed Approach to Telecommunications Policy under the Telecommunications Act. It tells the CRTC how to apply Canada’s telecom policy goals, replaces earlier directions, and came into force when it was registered on February 10, 2023.

What it does#

• Replaces the previous policy directions from 2006 and 2019 and gives the CRTC new guidance on priorities such as competition, affordability, consumer interests and innovation.
• Requires the CRTC to keep a regulatory framework that mandates wholesale access for fixed Internet. It must continue an aggregated wholesale high‑speed access option until the Commission is satisfied that broad, lasting competition exists without it.
• Directs the CRTC to ensure wholesale options include a variety of speeds and lower‑cost choices so consumers have affordable options.
• Tells the CRTC to set or reform tariff processes more quickly and to monitor the wholesale framework and adjust it proactively when needed.
• Keeps a facilities‑based approach for mobile wireless competition (including conditions for MVNO‑type access) but requires monitoring and adjustments if that approach does not generate adequate competition — including consideration of challenges in lower‑density or remote areas.
• Requires the CRTC to strengthen consumer protections, including boosting the capacity and governance of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom‑television Services (CCTS), improving clarity of pricing and sales practices, making it easier for consumers to cancel or change services, and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.
• Directs the CRTC to support universal access and deployment, including administering and reviewing funding mechanisms and addressing barriers to building networks (for example, better access to poles and conduits).
• Makes the Order binding on the CRTC for matters pending when it came into force.

Who's affected#

• Consumers of home Internet and mobile wireless services across Canada.
• Incumbent network operators and smaller or wholesale‑based Internet service providers (ISPs).
• Mobile wireless carriers and companies that might operate as or rely on MVNO‑style access.
• The CRTC and the CCTS, which must follow and implement these directions.
• People in rural, remote and Indigenous communities who face gaps in access and affordability.
• It is unclear exactly how costs and timelines will fall across specific companies until the CRTC decides how to implement the direction.

Why it matters#

• The Order aims to preserve and strengthen rules that let competitive ISPs buy wholesale access. That can mean more provider choices and potentially lower prices for home Internet.
• It signals the federal government’s priorities: faster CRTC decisions, clearer wholesale rules, stronger consumer protections, and attention to rural and remote coverage.
• For consumers, this could mean clearer pricing, easier cancellations, better complaint handling, and more information about service quality.
• For the telecom industry, it provides policy direction that could affect investment decisions, network access rules, and how wholesale rates and services are set.