Ian Scott is a Canadian telecom executive who served as the Chairperson of the

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

(CRTC) from 2017 to 2023. Scott was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. After graduating from the

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

with an honours BA in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

in 1980, Scott joined the

Competition Bureau The Competition Bureau () is the independent law enforcement agency in charge of regulating competition in Canada, responsible for ensuring that markets operate in a competitive manner. Headed by the Commissioner of Competition, the agency is ...

. From 1990 to 1994, Scott worked in the telecom directorate at the CRTC. Scott then joined the private sector, working for Call-Net Enterprises (now part of Rogers Telecom), the Canadian Cable Television Association, and

Telus Telus may refer to: * Telus Corporation, a Canadian publicly traded holding company ** Telus Communications, a telecommunications company ** Telus Digital, a technology company ** Telus Health, a health technology provider ** Telus Mobility T ...

as a lobbyist with the title of vice-president of federal government relations. Between 2007 and 2008, Scott also served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman at the CRTC. Prior to his appointment to CRTC, Scott was serving as the executive director of government and regulatory affairs at

Telesat Telesat, formerly Telesat Canada, is a Canadian satellite communications company (law), company founded on May 2, 1969. The company is headquartered in Ottawa. History Founding and privatization (1969-2005) Telesat began in 1969 as Telesat C ...

. In July 2017, Scott's appointment as the Chairperson of CRTC was announced. The announcement and Scott's background drew concerns from consumer advocacy group OpenMedia.ca. Scott's five-year term began on September 5, 2017, succeeding

Jean-Pierre Blais Jean-Pierre Blais (born ) is a Canadian lawyer, public servant and executive who formerly served as the Assistant Deputy Minister, Receiver General and Pension for Canada (2018–2022), as the Chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecom ...

in the role. He was succeeded by Vicky Eatrides. In December 2019, Scott was caught drinking beer with Bell executive Mirko Bibic (then COO of Bell, currently

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

) at D'Arcy McGee's pub in Ottawa. This meeting took place just one week after

Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...

filed their appeal of the

CRTC The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC; ) is a public organization in Canada tasked with the mandate as a regulatory agency tribunal for various electronic communications, covering broadcasting and telecommunic ...

's 2019 wholesale rates. In February 2022, Scott faced calls to

recuse Recusal is the legal process by which a judge, juror, or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or appearance of impropriety. This practice is fundamental to ensuring fairness and ...

from files related to internet competition due to alleged bias, after the meeting with Bell executive resurfaced. The call for recusal was refused by CRTC.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Ian Living people Chairpersons of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Businesspeople from Montreal Date of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)