The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Oct. 7, edition that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is taking step to bolster competition in the market for home Internet services by slashing the rates large providers can charge for access to their networks, criticizing the companies for proposing prices that were unfairly high. The Globe's Christine Dobby writes that to encourage competition at the retail level, Canada's incumbent cable and telephone companies are required to sell wholesale access to their broadband networks to smaller competitors that then sell end customers high-speed Internet service as well as home phone and television service in some cases. The CRTC sets the rates the incumbents can charge for that access based on evidence the companies provide about what it costs them to operate their networks. The CRTC, however, said Thursday that cost estimates the companies provided in a recent proceeding to establish updated rates were too high and said it would temporarily set lower rates. Seven large companies, including Bell, Telus, Rogers Communications and Cogeco, submitted rates the commission said were too high.