Rapacious Corporate Hissy-Fits

"For us it's never been about whether Verizon themselves come to Canada or not -- it's always been about fair access to spectrum, which as you know is the lifeblood of our industry. It doesn't change the fact that those spectrum auction rules could still be attractive to an international player that could come in and take advantage of them."
Josh Blair, chief corporate officer, Telus

"It's significant news, but the regulatory loopholes that give advantages to big foreign carriers remain and should be closed. Canadians have said they want competition, but only if it's fair competition.
Mark Langton, BCE

"I don't think there's any time -- unless the government delays the auction further -- there's no time to find another foreign white knight as they would see them -- and if you delay the auction further, now you're really opening yourself up to [criticism]. 
"Given this huge onslaught of public pressure from demonstrations in the street, pensioners, unions, right wing think-tanks, left wing think-tanks, opinion polls ... I don't blame them for not coming."
Dvai Ghose, Canaccord Genuity

It seems Canada's telecom giants protest overmuch. While claiming to be resistant to the government's intention to auction off access to spectrum, to ensure that Canadians are seeing that fair competition gives them fair pricing opportunities their attitudes are irritatingly hypocritical. At the present time the cost of using electronic devices dependent on the Canadian wireless industry's non-competitive, stiff rates, is much above the average seen internationally.

All the hysteria over the government plans to open a wireless auction with the intention of warning the country's wireless industry that their prices smack of collusion and unfair advantage, and that opening the airwaves to foreign investment and presence resulted in massive public relations and advertising costs by Telus Corp., Rogers Communications and BCE. All of those advertisements sought to manipulate public opinion in their favour.

And each time another week went by with newspaper and other media advertising eating up space at huge cost, some people may have responded by digging in their heels and banking on the entry of Verizon to shake up the industry. Doesn't look likely now that Verizon will enter Canada's cellular market. It's anyone's guess how the auction will go down given its restrictions permitting bids on two of four blocks of spectrum for new entrants (international), limiting the present voracious-chargers to bidding on one block only.