CRTC orders Rogers, Telus, and Bell to pay CAMP legal costs

The decision formalizes the role of anti-monopoly advocacy groups in rate-setting proceedings that dictate the underlying economics of streaming delivery in Canada. By forcing incumbents to subsidize the research that challenges their markup levels, the CRTC is ensuring a more diverse evidentiary record for wholesale pricing. If markups are lowered in future proceedings, independent streaming providers and third-party ISPs could see significant reductions in structural overhead. Conversely, high markups remain a primary friction point for competitive streaming entry. Watch for the CRTC's final determination on the 30% markup, which will set the baseline profitability for independent network operators through 2029.

The award of legal costs is part of a broader regulatory push by the CRTC to increase competition within Canada’s concentrated telecommunications market. Per CRTC filings from August 2024, the regulator issued a landmark decision requiring large telephone companies to provide competitors with access to their fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks. This framework, fully implemented in early 2025, allows independent ISPs to sell services over infrastructure built by Bell and Telus, though the rates for such access remain a point of intense litigation.

The Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project has emerged as a frequent intervenor in these disputes. Per The Hub (October 2024), the 'Big Three' providers still control the vast majority of Canada's internet, cable, and wireless infrastructure, a legacy of the 1993 Telecommunications Act. More recently, in July 2026, the CRTC issued warnings to Rogers, Bell, and Telus regarding new consumer fees that allegedly circumvent regulations banning activation and cancellation charges, showing the regulator's increased willingness to use its enforcement powers to protect market access.

Simultaneously, the streaming landscape is shifting due to the Online Streaming Act. Per American Action Forum (November 2025), the CRTC has mandated that non-Canadian streaming services with over $25 million in domestic revenue pay a 5% tax to subsidize local content production. Combined with the ongoing review of wholesale broadband markups, these regulatory maneuvers are significantly altering the cost-to-serve for both domestic and international platforms operating in the Canadian market.