(OTTAWA) The Competition Tribunal’s public hearings into the proposed $26 billion takeover of Shaw Communications by Rogers Communications begin Monday as the telcos seek to complete the deal.
Posted at 11:05 a.m.
The hearing will aim to resolve the standoff between the competition commissioner and Rogers and Shaw, and comes after weeks of talks and a short period of mediation in late October that ended in an impasse.
The Competition Bureau is one of three regulators that must approve the deal before it can go ahead, along with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) and Innovation, Science and Canada Economic Development (ISED).
Last week, the Competition Bureau stepped up its intention to block the deal completely.
He reiterated his position that the planned sale of Freedom Mobile, a Shaw-owned wireless service provider, to Quebecor’s Videotron is not enough to eliminate his fears that the merger will lead to a deterioration of services and an increase in prices for consumers.
Hearings are expected to last four weeks with oral arguments scheduled for mid-December.
Chief Justice Paul Crampton will lead the Competition Tribunal panel during the hearing.
Rogers hopes to complete the deal with Shaw by the end of the year, with a possible further extension until January 31, 2023.
Companies in this story: (TSX: RBI.B, TSX: SJR.B, TSX: QBR.B)