The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) last week announced that municipalities and telecommunications companies can now refer to a model municipal access agreement to facilitate negotiations regarding the installation of telecoms infrastructure. The regulator’s chairman Jean-Pierre Blais stated: ‘Telecommunications companies often need access to streets and other municipal property to install, upgrade or maintain their facilities, which include fibre-optic cables. The model agreement will help municipalities save time and money in their negotiations, and enable telecommunications companies to provide high-quality services to Canadians.’ The watchdog’s release added that the model agreement was developed, at the CRTC’s request, by a working group that included representatives from municipalities and the telecoms industry. Certain terms will need to be negotiated between the two parties, which will allow the final agreement to accommodate unique needs and circumstances. The CRTC expects that the model agreement will streamline the negotiation process and reduce the prospect of disputes between municipalities and network operators.
Telecom Decision CRTC 2013-618: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2013/2013-618.htm
Model municipal access agreement: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/cisc/eng/ciscmanu.htm.