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Telecommunications services in apartment and condo buildings

The CRTC’s multi-dwelling unit (MDU) access rules ensure that building owners and managers give telecommunications service providers (service providers) reasonable access to their buildings. This is so that all Canadians can benefit from more competitive and affordable choices for their Internet and other telecommunications services.

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Multi-dwelling units

A multi-dwelling unit, or MDU, is a building with two or more separate units like an apartment building, condominium, duplex, triplex or quadplex. The same access rules apply to all buildings whether they are residential or commercial, regardless of how they are set up (corporation, partnerships, condo board) or whether they are for-profit or not.

For building owners, property managers and operators

If you own, manage, or operate a multi-dwelling unit building, you must give service providers access in a timely, fair and reasonable way.

The rules apply both during construction and after the building is occupied. You cannot limit building access to favour one provider over others.

The CRTC has the authority under the Telecommunications Act to oversee access to multi-dwelling unit buildings, so that telecommunications companies can provide their services to residents. The CRTC’s role is to support competition and step in to resolve access disputes when needed.

What to do when a service provider requests access

  1. Acknowledge the request as soon as possible.
  2. Review the request as quickly as you can.
  3. Work in good faith to agree on terms and conditions.
  4. Provide access once reasonable arrangements are in place for installation, maintenance, repairs, or upgrades.

Timely access generally means responding to access requests without unnecessary delay, negotiating in good faith, and allowing access when needed.

Delays may be considered unreasonable if:

What you must allow

You must allow reasonable access for service providers, including:

If space is limited because cable pathways are full for example, you must work with providers on solutions, such as installing additional pathways, or making upgrades or replacements that use space more efficiently. Limited space on its own is not a reason to deny access.

What you may charge for

You may charge only certain types of fees and they must be reasonable and cost based.

These may include:

What you cannot charge for

You may not:

Lease clauses or building rules that limit provider choice may be brought to the CRTC’s attention for review. If the rules are found to be unreasonable, the CRTC may take a decision to enforce access into the building.

Service packages, preferred marketing and promotions

Service packages (often referred to as “bulk deals”), preferred marketing arrangements, and promotions can provide value to residents by bringing down the costs of telecommunications services. The CRTC’s rules do not prevent you from establishing these relationships, for example by negotiating a service package for residents, recommending a provider, or bundling telecommunications services with resident occupancy, as long as:

For residents

If you live in an apartment or condo building, the CRTC’s rules are intended to give you options when choosing service providers. Your building cannot limit your choices to only one provider, and your building management cannot block a provider that wants to serve you. If a provider wants access to your building, your building must allow them reasonable access.

This applies even if:

Note: If services are bundled with your rent or condo fees, you may still be required to pay those service charges even if you choose a different provider. For questions about this, contact the authority in your province or territory that handles rental or condo issues (sometimes called a “strata” authority).

What you can do if your provider choice is limited

  1. Ask your building management or condo board for clarification.
  2. Contact the provider you want to use and ask whether they have requested access to your building.

For telecommunications service providers

Service providers must respect the same rules and must support consumer choice.

Your rights

You have the right to:

Your responsibilities

You must:

Transparency obligations

To promote fairness and competition, you must:

You must also respect privacy and security. Building plans and resident information must not be disclosed.

Dispute resolution options between telecommunications service providers and multi-dwelling unit building operators

The CRTC encourages parties to resolve access-related issues directly. If that is not possible, service providers may consider staff-assisted mediation or initiating a formal Part 1 Proceeding.

Staff‑assisted mediation is confidential, informal and can often resolve disputes more quickly and at a lower cost than a formal process.

Under a formal process, the CRTC may review the dispute through a public process and may take a decision to impose conditions to ensure timely and reasonable access.

The following decisions show how the CRTC has handled access to in-building wire and multi-dwelling units in real cases. They provide examples of how the rules have been applied through formal decisions and staff-assisted mediation.

Rules for access to multi-dwelling units and in-building wire

Examples of MDU access decisions

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