CRTC outlines telecom competition and consumer protection agenda in Canada

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CRTC telecom competition agenda

Highlights

CRTC Broadband Fund projects have improved high-speed Internet and cellphone service for almost 54,000 homes in 318 communities, including 131 Indigenous communities.
CRTC finalized wholesale fibre access rates in April 2026, enabling dozens of competitors to offer services and expand regional mobile provider competition under temporary access rules.
CRTC reduced ownership decision processing times from around nine to five months in 2024 and cut Part 1 decision times by 55% amid a 43% increase in filings between 2023 and 2025.

Connectivity expansion and competitive access

As outlined in a speech published by Canada.ca, citing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Chairperson and Chief Executive Vicky Eatrides says the regulator is working to balance network investment with stronger retail competition across fixed and mobile services. She says nearly 90% of Canadian households can access gigabit-speed Internet and 5G networks reach 94% of the population, but significant gaps remain in the three Territories and on First Nations reserves.

The CRTC says its Broadband Fund supports projects in rural, remote and Indigenous communities where commercial deployment is difficult to sustain. Projects backed by the fund have improved high-speed Internet and cellphone services for almost 54,000 homes in 318 communities, including 131 Indigenous communities, while the regulator is also revising the program to make applications faster and more accessible for First Nations, Inuit and Métis applicants.

Eatrides also points to wholesale fibre and MVNO frameworks as key tools to widen choice without undermining infrastructure investment. She says the CRTC finalized wholesale fibre access rates in April 2026 after reviewing network construction costs, and adds that dozens of competitors are already using the regime to launch services and win customers, while regional mobile providers are expanding under temporary access rules tied to continued network buildouts.

Consumer controls and faster regulatory decisions

The regulator is also focusing on how easily Canadians can manage and change their telecom services. Eatrides says the CRTC has been requiring self-service options for modifying or cancelling Internet and cellphone services and is barring fees that create obstacles to switching providers, arguing that competition works best when customers can act on their choices without unnecessary friction.

On service transparency, the CRTC says it recently adopted a standardized methodology for mobile coverage reporting, with three levels of outdoor signal strength and phased implementation beginning with the first level in early 2027. The measure is intended to make provider claims more comparable and help identify gaps between advertised coverage and user experience.

Eatrides says the agency is also reviewing its consumer protection codes to create a clearer and more consistent framework across Internet, wireless and television services, with a public hearing scheduled for next month. At the same time, she says the CRTC is cutting processing times, noting that ownership decisions have fallen to roughly five months from about nine months in 2024, and that decision times for Part 1 applications have dropped 55% despite a 43% rise in filings between 2023 and 2025.

In our earlier article on Malaysia’s review of enforcement measures for foreign product and business entry, we covered the government’s push to protect fair competition as digital trade accelerates and overseas e-commerce players expand. The piece also outlined plans to coordinate policy across ministries, advance an e-Commerce Bill, and boost local SME participation through initiatives such as the “Jom Beli Produk Malaysia” campaign and Budget 2027 support for bringing rural products onto digital platforms.

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