[ExDilbert]

It's not an hourly quota like cancon rules. Rogers is required to spend money on programming and donate to national programming funds.

 

[LONSat]

Rogers, Shaw say Competition Bureau commissioner plans to oppose $26-billion merger

Telecom companies say they intend to oppose the commissioner’s application to block the takeover

www.theglobeandmail.com

So are they just looking for a better buyer of the wireless assets. Quebecor keeps getting mentioned. Not sure that that makes sense either when they are primarily Quebec based. Maybe if Shaw Direct was thrown in they (Quebecor) would have something more National to bundle. Is Rogers even that interested in the Satellite side of things?

 

[Dr.Dave]

The Globe article is behind a paywall, so here's a similar one:

Canada’s Competition bureau plans to oppose Rogers’ $26-billion takeover of Shaw

Canada’s Commissioner of Competition is reportedly planning to oppose the $26-billion takeover of Shaw by Rogers at the Competition Tribunal.

mobilesyrup.com

Here are the highlights of the joint statement issued by Rogers and Shaw: Rogers and Shaw Remain Committed to Merger Following Notification by the Commissioner of Competition - About Rogers

Rogers and Shaw remain committed to the Transaction and have offered to address concerns regarding the possible impact of the Transaction on Canada’s competitive wireless market by proposing the full divesture of Shaw’s wireless business, Freedom Mobile. Rogers and Shaw are engaged in a process to sell Freedom Mobile. The outside date of the Transaction has been extended to July 31, 2022.

----

I don't think Quebecor would be interested in buying Shaw Direct just to bundle wireless. I think they bought spectrum in the last auction to expand outside of Quebec, so they've already made moves in that direction and they said they were interested in buying Freedom Mobile. Rogers seems to prefer selling to Xplornet. Anthony Lacavera from Globalive has already made an offer. (former owner of Wind Mobile, which became Freedom Mobile).

EDIT: My understanding is that Rogers will have to pay a $1.2 billion reverse termination fee to Shaw if the deal is not approved.

 

[ExDilbert]

My understanding is that Rogers will have to pay a $1.2 billion reverse termination fee to Shaw if the deal is not approved.

That may explain why my Rogers bill has gone up 20% in the last year. It amazes me how Canadian broadcasters manage to find billions of dollars to throw at takeovers, mergers and misguided projects while complaining to the CRTC that they must excessively inflate consumer and wholesale prices due to rising costs. It's time that the CRTC reins these behemoths in.

 

[bigoranget]

The fact that the CRTC approved the merger of broadcasting and cable assets just shows how corrupt and out of touch that arm of the government is. There is no way a single cable operator should be able to control so many markets. They would literally be the main cable operator in every major city outside Quebec except for Regina and a few Atlantic cities like Halifax and Charlottetown.

 

[ExDilbert]

I think the rationale is that Bell, Telus and other telcos are competition but the reality is that there is very little competition between those companies in price and other service aspects. They act more as a cartel to keep prices high and third party competition out. In a lot of places they don't compete at all as there is only one service available. That's why prices for Ontario and some other areas where Rogers and Bell "compete" have higher prices than places like Quebec where other competition exists.

 

[gzink]

I live in a small town and even in the rural areas here Telus competes with Shaw and there are new deals available. When I think of what I got for $40 30 years ago the current price is one heck of a deal. Change providers every two years, having your own email addresses and enjoy

 

[gzink]

The fact that the CRTC approved the merger of broadcasting and cable assets just shows how corrupt and out of touch that arm of the government is. There is no way a single cable operator should be able to control so many markets. They would literally be the main cable operator in every major city outside Quebec except for Regina and a few Atlantic cities like Halifax and Charlottetown.

So Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg are not major cities? We exist out west you know, 5,000,000 in BC

 

[bigoranget]

So Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg are not major cities? We exist out west you know, 5,000,000 in BC

Where are you getting that I'm leaving out those cities? All those cities are Shaw territory. I mentioned Regina because it would be the only major city in the west that wouldn't be under Rogers if the Rogers-Shaw deal ultimately passes.

I live in a small town and even in the rural areas here Telus competes with Shaw and there are new deals available. When I think of what I got for $40 30 years ago the current price is one heck of a deal. Change providers every two years, having your own email addresses and enjoy

It's not just about having a choice in providers. If Rogers is allowed that much more territory, it gives them more lobbying power with regulators.

 

[gzink]

Guess I just don't understand your logic since it would be under SHAW/Rogers but also Telus and in some cases some other smaller companies.🤷‍♂️

So we'll leave it at that.

 

[Tridus]

I think the rationale is that Bell, Telus and other telcos are competition but the reality is that there is very little competition between those companies in price and other service aspects. They act more as a cartel to keep prices high and third party competition out. In a lot of places they don't compete at all as there is only one service available. That's why prices for Ontario and some other areas where Rogers and Bell "compete" have higher prices than places like Quebec where other competition exists.

We saw that with MTS too. Manitoba got better prices, then Bell bought them. Trouble is that only some of those other competitors function as effective competition, while others don't really have much impact or just go at the same price level.

The deal is clearly a concern on the wireless side. But on the cable side I really can't care. Rogers and Shaw aren't competitors there already, it changes very little in the overall landscape.

 

[ExDilbert]

Shaw Direct competes nationwide with Bell satellite, cable operators and other TV services. That reduces competition in eastern Canada by one. We had a choice of three companies. After this acquisition, it's two. As I already stated, apart from offering limited signup deals for new customers, Rogers and Bell do not seem to really compete. After the new customer deal ends, it's a choice of paying full price, begging for a retention deal or switching back to the other company for a better price.