Shaw Cablesystems is asking the Canadian telecommunications regulator to order telecom giant Telus to cease its “predatory” Internet pricing practices.

Shaw’s application filed with the Canadian Radio-television Commission (CRTC) called on the commission to stop Telus’s “anti-competitive” pricing of DSL Internet services, ensuring “fair and sustainable” competition in the high-speed Internet access market.”

Shaw said that over the past five months, Telus has offered at least 18 different promotions for Internet service to customers in Alberta and British Columbia.

“These promotions are priced well below Telus’s cost of service and extend beyond reasonably accepted periods of time for promotions,” said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications Inc.

“If these predatory pricing practices are permitted to continue, it could significantly reduce competition in the Internet access market in Western Canada, that is not in the best interests of serving Internet customers,” said Jim Shaw, CEO of Shaw Communications Inc.

Shaw has specifically asked the CRTC to forbid Telus from offering Internet promotional pricing at below-cost rates for periods in excess of three months.

It also asks the CRTC to:

* declare the promotional pricing for the Internet service of Telus contravenes the Telecommunications Act;

* declare that Telus’s ‘Student Bundle’ combining local telephone service, long distance, Internet access and other services breaches the commission rules on bundling;

* forbid Telus from offering the Student Bundle;

* order Telus to comply with CRTC regulations on all future promotional, bundling and pricing activities and on the bundling of local telephone service and competitive services.

Both companies charge a standard rate of $42.95 a month. Since May 2003, Telus has been offering promotions as low as $16.95 a month for new customers.

Shaw said all of these promotions are priced below Telus’s cost of service.

Calgary-based Shaw Cablesystems (SJR.B-TSX, SJR-NYSE) is Canada’s second-largest cable and Internet service provider. Communications services provider Telus has more than 95 per cent of the residential telephone market in Alberta and British Columbia.