Canada’s leading telephone carriers aren’t wasting any time in taking advantage of the federal government’s recently announced deregulation scheme, which allows telecom incumbents to set their own prices for local telephone services.

After decades of having prices set for them by the government, companies like Bell Canada, Aliant, and Telus Corp. are finally being given the freedom to offer market-based pricing in cities and towns where competition exists.

Bell Canada has already submitted a flurry of applications to set its own prices in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Hamilton, and Quebec City, while its maritime affiliate, Aliant has applied for the same privilege in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Western Canada’s dominant carrier, Telus, has filed applications in the cities of Vancouver and Edmonton, and plans to do the same for Victoria and Calgary in the coming days.

The reaction of telecom carriers throughout the country just goes to show the high level of demand this long-overdue change in Canadian telecom policy.