Published on 3 Apr 2023 on Financial Post via Yahoo Finance
Champagne's threat: Can the industry minister really force big telcos to lower phone bills?
competition-champagne-gs0330
In the process of giving his blessing to the Rogers-Shaw deal, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne also issued a threat to the entire telecommunications industry in Canada. He said he would allow Shaw Communications Inc. to sell Freedom Mobile to Quebecor Inc.’s Vidéotron, which cleared a path for Rogers Communications Inc. to finish its $26-billion deal to take over Shaw.
Champagne said he had also secured commitments that will effectively enshrine Freedom/Vidéotron as a legitimate fourth player with the wherewithal to force the other three to compete on price. Then came the threat.