CRTC orders Canadian ISPs to report on wholesale fiber and DOCSIS 4.0 data

This regulatory expansion forces transparency on how wholesale mandates impact the underlying unit economics of fiber and cable infrastructure. By scrutinizing out-of-territory forecasts and retail bundle discounts, the CRTC is assessing whether incumbent carriers are effectively competing against their own wholesale customers. For video service providers, this data will highlight where high-capacity infrastructure—necessary for 4K streaming and low-latency gaming—is being prioritized or stalled due to regulatory pressure. Watch for whether these reports trigger a downward revision of fiber capital expenditures by major telcos in late 2026.

The CRTC’s request for data follows its landmark August 2024 ruling, which mandated that major telephone companies like Bell and Telus provide competitors with access to their fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. Per Telecoms.com (August 2024), Bell Canada responded to the initial framework by cutting its planned fiber capital expenditure for 2024-2025 by C$1 billion, citing a regulatory environment that discouraged private infrastructure investment. The 2024 policy was designed to foster competition by allowing smaller ISPs to lease high-speed lines, though new fiber builds were granted a five-year exemption period to incentivize deployment.

Support for the framework has been mixed across the Canadian telecom landscape. While Bell and Rogers campaigned for the federal government to overturn the ruling, Telus utilized the framework to expand its reach. Per CBC News (August 2025), the Canadian federal government officially upheld the CRTC’s decision, confirming that incumbents must offer wholesale access outside their core operating regions. The government stated the policy was necessary to lower internet prices and improve consumer choice, especially in Ontario and Quebec where competition had stagnated.

In October 2024, the CRTC set interim wholesale rates for FTTP access, ranging from approximately C$69 for speeds up to 1.5 Gbps to C$78 for higher tiers, per official CRTC filings. These rates were intended to ensure network operators could recover costs while enabling independent providers to offer competitive retail plans. The current demand for data indicates the regulator is now moving to evaluate the actual market impact of these rates, as independent ISPs continue to argue that high fees limit their ability to compete with the incumbents’ own retail brands.