Ottawa to block CRTC plans on VoIP

The Haper government will announce today its intention to rewrite the CRTC's key ruling on Internet-based telephone services, a highly unusual move that could mark a big step toward a more open and consumer-friendly sector. Industry Minister Maxime Bernier will say in a speech in Toronto that the Conservative government will again block the CRTC's repeated efforts to regulate phone services that run over the Internet. The move increases the odds that digitally based telephone services will become even more common in the near future, which could be a boon for consumers.