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By Timothy Denton
Do you remember the Maltese Falcon: the movie whose plot turned on possession of a ceramic bird? The Maltese falcon is a MacGuffin, the thing around which the plot moves. Telecommunications policy is filled with MacGuffins. Coming to a political theater near you will be several MacGuffins used to justify the Rogers takeover of Shaw. Think 5G. Think rural broadband. Watch the dogs chase the ball.
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Timothy Denton: Time to change Canada's failed telecom strategy Back to video
The news that Rogers intends to buy out Shaw Communications presents the government with the bankruptcy of many decades of competition policy in telecommunications. Successive federal governments have tried to foster competition in cellular communications by giving preferences to new entrants with advantageous conditions on radio spectrum. By awarding spectrum for free or at lower prices than the big players were allowed, governments have sought to introduce three or more competitors into each region in Canada. It was well-intentioned policy, and it has failed, not once, but by my count, four times in the past 30 years.