The Quebec-based telecom said Bell is delaying and blocking access to its telephone poles, which means Videotron can’t install its own equipment and then offer competing internet services. Videotron is seeking $12.7 million in damages. (The Logic)
Talking point: Videotron and Bell are in a protracted fight for Quebec market share. The former asked the Competition Bureau to investigate Bell before, in October 2019. The federal watchdog generally doesn’t comment on the possibility of ongoing investigations, but it is broadly looking into telecommunications competition. Videotron has seen more immediate results by appealing to a different federal body: the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), which sided with it against Bell on complaints about Quebec competition in both September and December 2019.
