News Release

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
4:00 PM

Policy Review Panel Says Telecommunications Policy Framework Needs Fundamental Reform

Ottawa -- The revolution in telecommunications brought about by the emergence of the Internet, and the resulting convergence of previously distinct information and communications technologies, means that Canada's laws, regulations, policies and institutions governing telecommunications need to be fundamentally reformed.

This is the key advice from the Telecommunications Policy Review Panel, which delivered its report today to the Minister of Industry. The Panel was established in April 2005 to review Canadians policy framework government telecommunications, and recommend steps to modernize it.

In a statement issued following public release of the Report, Panel Chair Dr. Gerri Sinclair said reform of the policy framework needs to begin now.

"Although our telecommunications policy has served Canada well, we have concluded that it is now time we started to make fundamental changes. Otherwise, our competitiveness and productivity will lag, and Canadians will be deprived of the full benefits of continuing technological innovation and the increasing competitiveness of our telecom industry.

According to Panel Member Hank Intven, the Panel's 400-page report is the most comprehensive review of Canada's telecommunications sector in almost 30 years.

He said the Panel's advice "reflects the lessons learned in Canada and other countries in recent decades about letting the marketplace and competition work, and about using targeted government measures only when the market will not achieve our economic and social goals.

Andre Tremblay, also a member of the Panel, said the Panel made every effort to deliver advice that is highly practical: "We believe we have outlined an implementation plan for our recommendations that the Government can adopt, and that will bring about fundamental change in a timely and phased manner."

At a news conference following the release of the Report, panel Chair Dr. Sinclair thanked the hundreds of industry and consumer representatives and telecommunications experts who participated in the extensive consultation and research activity that informed the Panel's recommendations.

"I'm grateful to all who participated, I'm proud of the Report we have been able to produce, and I'm pleased that all of us on the Panel have been able to complete such an enormous task in such a short period of time."

For information, contact:

Andrew Skaling
613-946-1798

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Media Background

Highlights of the Report Of The Telecommunications Policy Review Panel

The report contains 127 recommendations. Highlights include:

• Changes to the objectives outlined in the Telecommunications Act to put the focus on promoting affordable access to telecommunications services throughout Canada, enhancing the efficiency of Canadian telecommunications markets and the productivity of the Canadian economy, meeting the special access needs of disabled Canadians, enhancing public safety and security, protecting personal privacy and limiting public nuisance through telecommunications networks;

• A call for explicit guidelines in the Act to promote reliance on market forces to the maximum extent possible to achieve the goals set out in the Act, and to limit the use of regulation to instances where market forces are unlikely to achieve these goals;

• Reforming Canada's regulatory framework for telecommunications to accelerate the deregulation of markets, while retaining essential protections for consumers, and for the maintenance of competitive markets;

• Establishment of a joint CRTC and Competition Bureau "Telecommunications Competition Tribunal" to serve as a transitional mechanism to expedite the change from the traditional Canadian approach to telecommunications regulation to the more competitive deregulated approach called for in the report;

• Strengthening and clarifying key areas of technical regulation to ensure the safe and efficient use of telecommunications facilities and networks, clarify the CRTC's regulatory powers and legal authority so it can deal more effectively with access disputes involving telecom infrastructure, and move responsibility for spectrum management from Industry Canada to the CRTC;

• Including in the Telecommunications Act an affirmation of consumer access rights to the Internet and to Internet applications, as well as the creation of a new industry-funded "Telecommunications Consumer Agency" to resolve complaints from individual users and small business customers about any telecommunications service provider;

• A new initiative by Government to accelerate the adoption of advanced Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) by Canadian governments, businesses and institutions, and the completion of a "Ubiquitous Canadian Access Network" (U-CAN) by 2010 so Canadians will have access to broadband Internet services no matter where they live;

• Changes to Canada key policy-making and regulatory institutions to strengthen the policy-making capacity of Industry Canada, and to streamline and enhance the professional capacity of the CRTC.

The Panel calls on Government to adopt the policy and regulatory changes outlined in the Report that can be implemented without legislative change as soon as possible, and to introduce legislative change soon afterwards.

The Report concludes with an Afterword dealing with the future evolution of Canadian Broadcasting Policy, an issue the Panel found to be inextricably linked to the matters reviewed under its mandate. The Panel calls for the establishment of a comprehensive review by independent experts of Canada's broadcasting policy framework.

On the question of foreign ownership rules, the Panel recommends that no changes be made to the current limits on foreign ownership of telecommunications firms which are also licensed broadcasters, pending the review of the sector.

The Report recommends, however, a phased liberalization of foreign ownership rules for telecommunications carriers that are not involved in broadcasting, with the Minister of Industry empowered to use a "public interest" test to review all new foreign investment.

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Media Background:

The Consultation Process

• The three-member Telecommunications Policy Review Panel was established in April 11, 2005.

• In order to meet its mandate, the Panel solicited input from the public and the telecommunications sector in Canada and internationally.

• On June 6, the Panel issued a discussion document that posed 106 questions structured around three main themes: regulation; access and ICT adoption.

• The Panel requested submissions from all interested parties. Over 200 interested parties registered on the website to participate in the consultations.

• The first round of the consultation ended August 15 with 108 submissions received. These submissions were posted on the Panel's website.

• There was then a 30-day period for parties to reply to the posted submissions of other parties, ending September 15. An additional 90 second round submissions were received.

• The Panel also held two consultation forums:

  • In September, a live online interactive forum attended by 50 interested parties on-site and 150 on-line was held in Whitehorse Yukon on Broadband Access.

  • In October, a forum attended by 160 interested parties was held in Gatineau, Quebec on the Telecommunications Policy Framework. This forum was broadcast in real-time on the web, and also rebroadcast on CPAC.

• So as to better understand the global setting for telecommunications, and to learn from the experience of other countries, Panel members also met with regulators and industry leaders in Japan, Korea, Dublin, London, Brussels, and Washington.

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Objective

The government’s objective is to ensure that Canada has a strong, internationally competitive telecommunications industry, which delivers world-class affordable services and products for the economic and social benefit of all Canadians in all regions of Canada.

The panel is asked to make recommendations that will help achieve this objective.

Structure

A panel of three Canadians has been named by the Minister of Industry. It is expected that the panel will:

• receive submissions from interested parties as its primary means of gathering information;

• hold public consultation with the aim of gathering additional information or clarifying submissions; and

• commission a limited number of contextual reports (e.g. an international benchmarking of policy and regulatory frameworks, or an analysis of the applicability of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms).

Timing

The panel is asked to make recommendations to the Minister of Industry before the end of 2005.

Areas of Interest

Creating the right framework for telecommunications involves maintaining an up-to-date regulatory regime, fostering an environment that improves access for all sectors of the economy, and encouraging the adoption of advanced applications and services. The panel is asked to study and report on three areas that must continue to evolve in order to keep pace with rapid changes in technology, consumer demand and market structure: regulation, access, and information and communications technologies (ICT) adoption.

Regulation

The existing regulatory regime was designed to facilitate the introduction of competition into an industry previously structured around monopolies. The development and deployment of advanced technology, such as Internet Protocol-based services, high-speed Internet access and wireless broadband communications, combined with maturing consumer demand, have had a profound effect on the telecommunication industry and have started to change the shape and structure of the industry. Governments face the challenge of regulating the industry as it exists today and protecting the interests of its users, while at the same time not standing in the way of progress or restricting the benefits and adoption of advanced telecommunications networks and services.

The panel is asked to make recommendations on how to implement an efficient, fair, functional and forward-looking regulatory framework that serves Canadian consumers and businesses, and that can adapt to a changing technological landscape.

Access

A key objective of Canada’s telecommunication policy is the provision of reliable and affordable telecommunications for Canadians in all parts of the country, and in all sectors of the economy. Great success has been achieved in providing basic telephone service thanks in large part to internally generated cross subsidies. However, the increasingly competitive nature of the industry substantially limits the ability to cross subsidize. At the same time, consumer expectations have grown. Access beyond traditional voice services to advanced telecommunications connectivity and high-speed networks is now expected. Challenges remain, not only in closing the existing service and accessibility gaps, but also in ensuring that Canada keeps pace with ever-changing technology and consumer demand.

The panel is asked to recommend mechanisms that will ensure that all Canadians continue to have an appropriate level of access to modern telecommunications services.

ICT Adoption

A primary principle of Canadian telecommunications policy is that the telecommunications system should safeguard, enrich, and strengthen the social and economic fabric of Canada. Not only is telecommunications an important sector in its own right, it is also a powerful enabler within the economy and society as a whole; a new platform for the delivery of traditional services, such as health care and education, as well as for innovative new services. Research and development efforts continue to produce innovative ICT. Given the impact ICT has on productivity, Canada must ensure that its levels of technology adoption remain competitive with the world’s other leading economies.

The panel is asked to make recommendations on measures to promote the development, adoption and expanded use of advanced telecommunications services across the economy. In this context, the panel is also asked to report on the appropriateness of Canada’s current levels of ICT investment.

In addition to these specific areas of interest, the panel is encouraged to study and report on any other issues that, in its opinion, are essential to creating a modern telecommunications framework.

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CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY:

Good afternoon and thank you for being here.

I'm Gerri Sinclair, chair of the Canadian Telecommunications Policy Review Panel. With me this afternoon are fellow panel members André Tremblay and Hank Intven.

I'd like to provide some quick background information on the three of us to shed some light on what each one of us brings to this endeavour and, presumably, why we were chosen by the government to lead this telecom policy review.

Hank Intven is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault LLP, a leading Canadian law firm. He is an internationally renowned lawyer with a specialized practice in telecommunications law that spans over twenty five years. He has advised government and industry clients in over twenty countries on telecommunications related matters.

André Tremblay is an accomplished business person who has been a leader in the business development of a number of telecom organizations. He was, for a decade, the CEO of Microcell Telecommunications.

As for myself, my career spans the fields of both academic research and business -- from my technology lab at Simon Fraser University, I spun-out an Internet start-up which was acquired by Microsoft 4 years ago, after which I went on to become the General Manager of MSN Canada.

I'd also like to begin by thanking the team of topnotch professionals, from both the public and private sectors that contributed so much expertise, time and effort to this report. We are proud of the work that the team produced and we are also proud that we were able to produce such a comprehensive report in such a relatively short period of time - 392 pages in English, 436 pages in French containing 127 recommendations -- in less than a year's time.

In terms of process today, each of us will speak to different components of the panel's report and then we'll welcome questions.

I'd like to begin by explaining a little about how the panel came to be and how we arrived at our recommendations to the Minister of Industry. Last April, the Federal Government mandated the three of us to review the current environment and markets and to make recommendations in order to bring the telecommunications policy and the regulatory framework up to the realities of 21st century technology and markets.

It has been almost thirty years since a comprehensive review of telecommunications policy and regulation took place. This report is timely and necessary. Since 1976, the industry has changed profoundly. The industry is no longer monopolistic but highly competitive. Plain old telephone service and 12 channel cable have been replaced by high speed internet protocol platforms, digital television, thousands of IP applications and wireless services of all kinds. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that Information and Communications Technologies, or ICTs, have become 'general purpose technologies' that are essential to many aspects of Canada's economic prosperity and the social well being of its citizens.

The way we exchange information and communicate has changed dramatically and we have concluded that Canada's telecommunications policy and regulatory framework must change too in order to reflect the new environment.

As part of our review, the panel undertook extensive consultations to gather data and information from stakeholder groups and experts across the country. We heard positive suggestions and feedback but we also heard about problems and obstacles. We received 200 submissions from industry, consumer groups, communities, institutions, provincial and municipal governments, and individual Canadians. We poured through thousands of pages of documents and spoke to hundreds of individuals and groups. We conducted a forum on Broadband access in Whitehorse and a 3 day Telecom Policy Forum in Gatineau. We traveled to Korea, Japan, Ireland, the UK, the EU and the US in order to learn about the advanced telecom policies of some of our trading partners. We also commissioned our own research. The panel took into consideration everything we heard and learned from all of these groups and individuals. We proposed what we believe is the best path forward for a strong and internationally competitive Canadian Telecommunications Policy.

In the end we believe we have delivered a solid report and set of recommendations. We believe…

• Our report is timely in that we have concluded that it is now time to make fundamental changes to our telecom policy and regulatory framework. Otherwise, our competitiveness and productivity will lag and Canadians will be deprived of the full benefits of continuing technological innovation and the increasing competitiveness of our telecom industry.

• It's balanced in that we have considered the need for positive investment and innovation by business and also the need to continue to protect consumers while using telecom to promote social goals.

• It's comprehensive. Our report calls for an integrated approach with a full range of fundamental policy, institutional, legislative, regulatory and non-regulatory changes.

• It's progressive as the report incorporates lessons learned from smart regulation and the experiences and best practices of other OECD countries. And a number of our recommendations will significantly benefit Canadian consumers, ensuring they will be able to take advantage of the efficiencies and innovation that a competitive market can produce.

And finally, these recommendations and these directions are doable. We've outlined a plan that government can adopt in a phased, logical and effective manner.

I'd now like to turn to my colleagues to elaborate on different components of the report. I'd ask Hank to give you a quick overview of the policy and regulatory changes.

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CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY:

…Thank you. As Gerri has indicated we have been involved in an intensive 11 month process -- analyzing submissions, conducting research, consulting with telecom experts and learning from the experience of other countries on telecommunications policy making and regulation.

We've looked closely at industry trends in Canada and we looked at other countries that are experiencing the same trends.

So what did we conclude? Let me summarize the main points.

First, we concluded that the current policy objectives set out in the Telecommunications Act were outdated, and to some extent inconsistent with each other. We propose that these be clarified to focus on three objectives:

• promoting affordable access to advanced telecommunications in all regions of Canada;
• enhancing the efficiency of telecommunications markets and the productivity of the Canadian economy; and
• achieving certain specific and important social objectives, such as providing access to telecommunications for the disabled, enhancing public safety and security, protecting public privacy and limiting public nuisance through telecommunications

In addition to clarifying the policy objectives, we concluded that the Telecommunications Act should establish specific guidelines for government and regulatory action. These should ensure that regulatory and other government measures should only be adopted where a) market forces are unlikely to achieve telecommunications policy objectives within a reasonable timeframe, and b) where the costs of regulation do not outweigh the benefits.

The guidelines would also require all major government telecom policies and regulatory measures to include a statement describing how they comply with the new objectives and guidelines.

You will note that the report deals with three different types of regulation - economic, technical and social regulation.

On economic regulation, we concluded that in most of today's telecommunications markets, competitive forces can be relied on to ensure that Canadians receive good services and prices, In today's dynamic environment, the risk of distorting markets and creating unintended effects through over-regulation and government intervention can be greater than the risk of relying on market forces.

Therefore, we concluded that it's time to reverse the current presumption in the Telecommunications Act that all services should be regulated unless the CRTC issues a forbearance order. This should be replaced with a presumption that telecommunications services will not be regulated except in specified circumstances, where regulation is clearly necessary to protect consumers or to maintain competitive markets.

We made a number of specific proposals that will have the effect of significantly deregulating telecommunications markets - that is removing requirements for CRTC approval of the introduction, pricing, and packaging of services by all telecom companies.

One significant proposal will phase out the regulation of the wholesale prices and conditions on which the major telecom companies make their networks available to competitors. Our goal here is to provide incentives for telecom companies to invest in new advanced infrastructure - and not just to buy it from the major companies at low regulated rates.

We recognize that economic regulation will continue to be necessary in areas, such as rural markets, where there are monopolies or what economists define as 'significant market power'. However we have made a number of recommendations to streamline regulation in those areas.

The report also recommends a new approach to controlling anti-competitive conduct in telecommunications markets. We propose that this should largely be done on the basis of complaints made and on an after the fact basis rather than by prescribing detailed before the fact restrictions - that is before there is any evidence of anti-competitive conduct.

Since dealing with such complaints will require a combination of telecommunications industry expertise and competition law expertise, we have recommended a new approach to dealing with them. This approach, will involves a new form of 'joint-panel' of the CRTC and the Competition Bureau -- which we've called the Telecommunications Competition Tribunal -- staffed by the experts of both organizations.

In our chapter on Technical Regulation, we've made several proposals to promote rapid deployment of advanced telecommunications networks throughout Canada. In the past, legal and regulatory disputes over access to streets, poles, towers, buildings, rooftops and other facilities have delayed the rollout of new network facilities. To deal with these problems, we have recommended that the CRTC's regulatory powers should be clarified in the Telecommunications Act, to ensure that it has the clear power to resolve such access disputes.

We've also made recommendations on how Industry Canada should clarify its spectrum policy to facilitate the rollout of advanced wireless networks. We think the new policy should rely more on market-based approaches to spectrum management - but at the same time permit faster recovery or "refarming" of previously assigned spectrum that is unused or underutilized.

Consistent with the practice of most other western OECD countries, we have recommended that in the future, Industry Canada should focus on spectrum policy-making, while spectrum regulation and licensing should be handled by the independent regulator - the CRTC. We think the increased convergence of wireless and wireline telecommunications and broadcasting technologies calls for a more consistent and unified regulatory approach.

The Panel concluded that as telecom services become increasingly essential to the lives of all Canadians, there will continue to be an important role for social regulation. While we've proposed significant economic deregulation, we've made some major proposals to strengthen the rights of consumers in the new, more competitive markets. These include:

• First, a new program to expand broadband access to all areas of Canada. André will describe this program in a few minutes;

• Second, an amendment to the Telecommunications Act to impose an explicit obligation on incumbent telephone companies to continue to provide basic telephone service;

• Next, a new form of "ombuds" office, to be called the Telecommunications Consumer Agency, with authority to resolve complaints from individual and small business retail customers of any telecommunications service provider;

• In addition, we have proposed an amendment to the Telecommunications Act to confirm the right of Canadian consumers to access publicly available Internet applications and content, through the networks of public telecom service providers. This legislative right, which we think is the first of its kind in the world, would be administered and enforced by the CRTC.

So, as you can see, the Panel has proposed some major initiatives to ensure that in the less regulated markets of the future, the rights of consumers will be protected.

Our report also recommends a number of changes to the structure and process of Canada's federal policy-making and regulatory institutions. Our goal was to bring them in line with better practices of other OECD countries and to facilitate implementation of our policy proposals. The main institutional changes include:

• First, drawing a clearer line between policy-making and regulation, and enhancing Industry Canada's capacity to provide timely, in-depth advice to the Government on policy, on legislation, and through policy directions to the CRTC;

• Second, streamlining and increasing the professional capacity of the CRTC in a number of ways. These include reducing the number of Commissioners from 13 to 5, and appointing future candidates for CRTC positions based on open and professionally-run recruitment processes;

• We have also recommended a number of procedural reforms aimed at expediting the CRTC's decision-making process, and generally streamlining regulation.

As I'm sure you'll recognize, what I've just given you is a very high-level overview of a pretty comprehensive set of changes to the regulatory framework.

I'd now like to move things over to André Tremblay to discuss our recommendations on a national ICT adoption strategy and on broadband connectivity.

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CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY:

Thank you Hank…

Another part of our mandate was to make recommendations on the adoption of information and communications technology -- the so called called ICTs -- by Canadians.

As we all know, Canada lags some OECD countries, and notably the United States, in terms of productivity, a measure directly related to our standard of living.

From many submissions and economic studies received by the Panel dealing with this issue, the linkage between ICT investment and productivity is now widely recognized.

More importantly, we found that it is not just investment in ICT assets as such that drives productivity gains. What matters most is the optimal usage of ICTs in business processes and business operations so companies can better meet customer needs and, more globally, become more competitive.

So the real requirement, is not the mere investment in ICTs, it is the Smart Adoption of ICTs.

Another conclusion we reached in this area, is that, given the impact of ICTs on our productivity and prosperity, there is a leadership role to be played here by government.

Accordingly, we have recommended that the Prime Minister mandate the Industry Minister to establish a National ICT Adoption Center tasked with developing a National ICT Adoption Strategy including the following elements:

The strengthening of ICT Adoption by all sectors of Canadian business, especially small and medium size firms where the underinvestment in ICT is most pronounced. To encourage investment by such firms, we recommend that the Minister of Finance introduce an investment tax credit that will address this issue;

Other elements of the ICT strategy should include:

More effective use of ICT by governments to improve services and efficiency;

The promotion of skills development for ICT Adoption on a coordinated, national basis;

The strengthening of linkages between the R&D sector and the adoption of ICTS throughout the economy and society; and

Developing security, confidence and trust in the online environment.

An additional, integral part of our National ICT Strategy is that Canada should take steps now to ensure that we remain a world leader in broadband connectivity. The Panel recommends that Canada complete the job of providing ubiquitous broadband access throughout the country by 2010.

While the Panel understands that market forces will continue to expand broadband access in many parts of the country, we also concluded that government support will be required in some communities where there is simply no business case to support the rollout of broadband infrastructure in the near future.

Therefore, the Panel recommends the creation of a targeted government initiative - The Ubiquitous Canadian Access Network (or UCAN) - to complete the job.

We urge the government to ensure that this initiative be coordinated with other public and private efforts, and be technologically and competitively neutral. We think it should use least-cost subsidy auctions in order to keep costs to a minimum and that it be funded from general Government revenues, so as to avoid market distortions and to spread the cost across Canadian taxpayers in a progressive manner.

Finally, before concluding my remarks, I will make some comments about the Afterword included in our report to address two important topics that we felt were highly related and relevant to our inquiry, and should be addressed, although they were not specifically part of our mandate.

The first of these topics relates to Canada's overall broadcasting policy framework.

In this regard, the Panel recognizes the importance of public policies to protect and promote Canada's identity, Canadian content, and our cultural industries.

But we need to recognize that times have changed, and that the same technology and market forces that have revolutionized the telecom industry, are equally at work on the broadcasting industry, changing its fundamental dynamics.

As we know, there was a time when broadcasting and telecommunications were two distinct industries, when we could logically establish rules affecting one sector without necessarily affecting the other.

Indeed, there was a time when most information and entertainment content received by Canadians was controlled by broadcasting sources, a situation which made it possible to enforce Canadian content rules, and to create financial cross-subsidies to support Canadian content.

However, with the technology and market trends of today, all that is changing. Broadcasting distributors have also become telecommunication carriers and they are no longer part of a closed ecosystem limited to broadcasting activities which can be regulated as such. The same also applies to the traditional telecommunication companies which have now entered the broadcasting markets.

Furthermore, new technologies have also blurred the traditional distinctions between content production, content distribution and content consumption, challenging any regulatory approaches based on controlling content at the source.

For these and other reasons explained in our report, we believe the government should initiate a full review of Canada's broadcasting policy and regulatory framework. This review should be conducted by an external and independent panel that would be mandated to make appropriate recommendations for change.

The second topic we cover in the Afterword relates to the current foreign investment restrictions in telecommunications.

On this matter, the Panel noted many benefits that can flow from Canada's otherwise open trade and investment policies. These include wider access to capital for Canadian companies, technology and know how transfer from foreign companies, possible job creation, and increased competition which will benefit consumers.

The Panel is also sensitive to the legitimate policy concerns related to foreign ownership, such as national security, possible loss of head office functions and high tech jobs, and the need for symmetry of treatment between broadcasting and telecommunication companies.

Accordingly, we are recommending a balanced approach to achieving the benefits of foreign investment, while addressing potential policy concerns.

In particular, we are recommending a phased approach to liberalizing of the current rules, starting with replacing the current rigid restrictions with a more flexible "public interest test" that Cabinet can use to assess new foreign investment.

During this first phase, we propose that investment in new start-up telecom carriers, and any level of investment in carriers which control less than 10% of a given telecommunication market, should be deemed to be in the public interest, unless proven otherwise.

We also recommend that a second phase of liberalization follow the broadcasting policy review. In this phase, the ownership rules governing the "carriage business" of companies acting under the Broadcasting Act and the Telecom Act would be aligned.

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Dr. Gerri Sinclair

Dr. Gerri Sinclair is an Internet technology consultant to industry and government. The former General Manager of Microsoft Network Canada, she is a director of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, sits on the board of directors of the Communications Research Centre and was recently appointed to the new British Columbia Competition Council. She has broad public and private sector experience, having served with the Information Highway Advisory Council and CANARIE Inc., and on the boards of TELUS and BC Telecom. She is the recipient of the 1999 Canadian Women in Communications’ Woman of the Year Award, the 1999 Canadian Women in New Media Pioneer Award, the 2000 Influential Woman in Business Award, as well as the 2003 Sarah Kirke award for the most outstanding Canadian woman in high tech.

Hank Intven

Hank Intven is a partner in the Toronto office of McCarthy Tétrault LLP, a leading Canadian law firm. He has over 25 years of experience in issues related to the telecommunications industry in Canada and in more than 20 other countries. Over this time he has worked with telecom, cable, satellite and other wireless service providers, investors, governments, regulators and consumers. He has been involved in many of the major legal, regulatory and business developments that have affected the Canadian and international telecommunications industries. He has also served as counsel for the Consumers’ Association of Canada and was Executive Director of Telecommunications at the Canadian Radio–television and Telecommunications Commission from 1981–85.

André Tremblay

André Tremblay has more than 20 years experience in the telecommunications industry, where he has been actively involved in the conception, financing and management of several companies. For almost 10 years, Mr. Tremblay served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Microcell Telecommunications Inc., which he led from its formation on through the different phases of its evolution. He has also provided early–stage financing, along with strategic advice and direction, for start–up technology firms. Mr. Tremblay regularly lectures in the areas of corporate finance and management, and sits on the boards of directors of a number of corporations and non–profit organizations.