The Competition Bureau has filed an application to block Rogers Communications Inc.’s purchase of Shaw Communications Inc. because it claims the transaction would lead to worse service and higher prices, though experts say the move isn’t necessarily the end of the road.
The federal regulator is asking the Competition Tribunal to prevent the $26-billion deal from proceeding and seeks an injunction to stop the two companies from closing the deal until the bureau’s application can be heard.
The merger will lead to “higher prices, poorer service quality and fewer choices,” the bureau said, particularly in the wireless sector, where Rogers, Bell and Telus Corp. currently serve about 87 percent of Canadian subscribers.
…