Trump targets telecom rules in NAFTA summary

It’s unclear from the summary of NAFTA negotiation goals released Monday if the Americans want a loosening of foreign ownership restrictions in the sector, or simply better wholesale terms for reselling incumbents’ services.

Donald Trump is targeting the rules that guard Canada’s telecom industry, pressing for “reasonable” access for U.S. carriers to the domestic market dominated by Bell, Rogers and Telus.

Still, it’s unclear from the summary of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiation goals the U.S. president and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer released Monday if the Americans want a loosening of foreign ownership restrictions in the sector, or simply better wholesale terms for reselling incumbents’ services.

The U.S. is the first member of the Mexico, Canada and U.S. agreement to outline its objectives for negotiations scheduled to start next month and wrap up by the end of the year. However, a reignited fight over telecom and financial services, another scared cow targeted by the U.S., could stretch discussions out over a number of years……..

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