| reply to R0CKY
Re: Details... Give them Hell Rocky...
This is some info to add for the misinformed...
When Rogers wanted to get into the phone business back in the 1990's the CRTC said (simplified version for the sake of brevity) "let's see what Bell says"... Bell said "sure, but we want into the TV business".. They basically agreed at the behest of the CRTC..
Sounds fine, eh? Too bad Rogers had a number of years head start (handicap) to get their fledgling phone service off the ground before Bell was even allowed to enter the TV space.
This is Fredrick von Shitenstein and the other ivory tower no-minds at the CRTC creating dual-monopolies and protecting them from each other at the same time. The goal of the CRTC/govn't at the time was not to financially impact or cause massive sell-offs in the stock market of either Bell or Rogers' shares.
Rocky: You must face one fact; The CRTC is a country club filled with ex-monopoly (Bell/Rogers) employees.
If you are the biggest Bell/Rogers corporate shill in history you get rewarded with a position at the CRTC. Because the CRTC (using circular logic) must fill its' ranks with experts and those all must work for Bell/Rogers in the eyes of the government.
Complicating this matter is Bell's (BCE) attempt to keep their profit projections strong enough to land the investment from the Teachers Pension Fund. Bell needs this investment or they could be in very serious trouble financially, yes I said they are in trouble. So the CRTC which is run by our fine Tory government are not about to let this happen, not in our lifetime.
And yes these are the same fine folks who allowed the sale of our forestry industry (too many to mention, but now just Weyerhaeuser), our steel industry (Stelco and Dofasco), our mining industry (Inco/Falconbridge), and of late apparently our highly govn't funded space industry.
Anything to make sure the monopolies stay strong and most important stay monopolies. The government doesn't care who makes our toilet paper, our car parts, our metals, or our space ships just as long as no-one else (other than our Tory government) tells us what to think. Telling Canadians what to think is the sole monopoly of the Canadian federal government.
They are (CRTC) far more concerned about foreign investment, I mean keeping foreign investment from swallowing us whole than they are about effecting the livelihood of a couple smaller companies. We do need to worry about the likes of SBC, Verizon, AT&T, etc.. in addition to our own domestic monopolies. All of the American telco's are freakin huge and their draconian business style does not bode well for our quasi-socialist ways here in Canada.
IMO Unless something was about to change for BCE (foreign investment) the Teachers Pension Plan wouldn't be seriously interested in a company that is so dependent on government hand-outs. These investors types do not like government involvement, it slows them down and gets in the way of them making money. Ergo, get ready for the announcement of a major portion of Bell being sold off to some big foreign entity. As likely from Europe or Asia as from the USA...
Oh that's right, the Teachers Pension Plan IS the vehicle for foreign investment in Bell while carefully side-stepping our current laws.
Aside from your micro-economical views ie. the plight and future of your business and its' employees.
Cogeco did it and so can you! They put in their own fiber and other required infrastructure, and wired customers right to the home. Even if they ran crap old PDP-11's in the beginning. Do the same as them buy up all of the old(er) telco gear you can find, start wiring and give them hell.
Cogeco Cable should be looked upon as the model for succeeding in the face of stiff opposition in Canada.
Shouldn't you guys be pissed off that Toronto Hydros' IP network is being sold to Cogeco? This is even more of the tax-payer's dollars hard at work. Muni-telecom was supposed to be the answer to thwart the Bell/Rogers monopoly. Now it seems "muni-telecom" was a clever way for other players (all cable co's) to get a finished working system without paying for all of the mistakes made during the projects' life cycle.
MONTREAL - Toronto Hydro Telecom Inc. is an under-utilized gem that will provide great growth opportunities for its new owner, Cogeco Cable Inc. (TSX:CCA) president Louis Audet said Thursday.
The Montreal-based cable company is buying the Toronto Hydro Corp. subsidiary for $200 million in a deal that will give Cogeco Cable an important foothold in the lucrative Toronto market.
Rocky I would suggest you partner with your local muni-fiber guys as they can and do/have run new infrastructure all over the place. Hydro has right of ways also, and they can be utilized for telecommunications infrastructure in addition to power as they have been doing for years.
Perhaps, you can partner with Cogeco the third head of the Hydra...
Rocky in all seriousness I applaud your determination and efforts on behalf of all of us. Regardless of what a bunch of mis-informed piss ants say..
I say hat's off to Rocky for having a spine. He must be a Canadian, eh?
L@tency |
