CRTC GIVES THUMBS UP TO AT&T DEAL
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has given U.S.-based AT&T Corp. the OK to own 33% of AT&T Canada. The CRTC ruled that the 1996 agreement that gave AT&T its stake conforms to Canadian telecommunications law. But AT&T's Canadian long distance subsidiary, AT&T Long Distance, must make changes to the agreement to ensure the board has a right to appoint all senior managers. The CRTC was looking into complaints by the Stentor phone consortium and Call-Net Enterprises that the deal with AT&T Corp. violated Canada's telecommunications law by allowing a U.S. company to control AT&T Long Distance. The Canadian subsidiary is also owned by the Bank of Nova Scotia, Toronto Dominion Bank and the Royal Bank of Canada. It was formerly known as Unitel Communications.