By Doug Barrett
FOR SOMEONE AS QUEASY as me worrying major chunks of the Canadian broadcasting system might end up in the hands of foreign owners, Denis Carmel’s article (Will Bill C-10 do away with Canadian Ownership?) last week was not particularly reassuring.
Mr. Carmel quoted a statement provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage which said:
“The Bill makes no changes regarding the requirements for Canadian ownership and control of traditional broadcasters. The CRTC will continue to license traditional broadcasters. Only Canadian individuals, companies and organizations, as defined in the Direction to the CRTC on the Ineligibility of Non-Canadians, will…
Continue Reading
Not so fast, say opposition members
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In second reading debate Wednesday and Thursday, on Bill C-10, the amendments to the Broadcasting Act, many issues were debated but we noted that the minister of Canadian Heritage wanted to proceed rapidly.
“Divisions only benefit large multi-billion dollar companies, not our constituents. That is why I am urging all members of the House to work together constructively and ensure that this important bill passes through second reading hastily, so that the committee can start doing its important work to amend, improve and move forward,” said Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault.
He got…
Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
WHEN BILL C-10 WAS TABLED by Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault on November 3, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting noted some amendments to the Broadcasting Act could, as a consequence, wipe out foreign ownership restrictions on broadcasters.
Friends said it is “concerned by the fact that multiple sections of the Broadcasting Act have been repealed or amended to remove protections for Canadian culture… It also removes language that the broadcasting system should be owned and controlled by Canadians, opening the door to foreign companies to buy up what’s left of Canada’s traditional broadcasting system.”
So, we asked the department of Canadian…
Continue Reading
“Just marketing for now,” says Pruneau
By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – The monetization of next-generation mobile wireless technology will depend on what it’s used for and, currently, it’s about bringing customer defections under control, Quebecor executives said Thursday.
“I think because it’s just marketing for now, it’s just a question of reducing or stabilizing churn,” Jean François Pruneau, president of Videotron, said on the company’s third-quarter conference call last week. “But we’re going to have to see more user cases on the residential front or on the business front to be able to see real, true monetization plans from us and from…
Continue Reading
Transparent measure follows Telus
By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – Bell Canada may begin formally separating its mobile phones from tablets and other connected devices in future financial reporting, which will better isolate subscriber figures for 5G-connected peripherals and enhance transparency and comparability with competitors in the industry.
Back in 2018, Telus – which had trailed its competitors on paper when it came to new wireless subscribers – declared that it actually had similar, if not better, smartphone-specific new additions in its base versus its major competitors for certain quarters. The problem was that it, and its competitors, didn’t separate the “quality” smartphone…
Continue Reading
And can we please deal with all the delays?
By Lynn Greiner
TORONTO – The regulatory world is a strange and often not-too-wonderful place, and annually the ISP Summit’s regulatory panel takes a look at its current state. The panel’s theme this year: To Compete or Not Compete in Canada’s Telecom Sector – That is the Question.
This year, moderator Greg O’Brien, editor and publisher of Cartt.ca was joined by panelists Christian Tacit, principal, Tacit Law; Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law, University of Ottawa; Laura Tribe, executive director of OpenMedia, a community-driven organization that…
Continue Reading
Briefing call shows urgency, sticking points, for large players on broadcast changes
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – As major Canadian broadcasters fired off rote responses to media requests saying they are still reviewing proposed changes to the Broadcasting Act announced Tuesday, Cartt.ca has obtained early reactions to potential landmark amendments that could see the CRTC enforce foreign online contributions to the benefit of Canadian content.
On Tuesday, Heritage held separate technical briefings with reporters and industry about the proposed amendments under Bill C-10, with Cartt.ca obtaining audio of the latter. The comments and questions in that call suggest an industry in relief,…
Continue Reading
By Greg O’Brien
GIVE THE DEPARTMENT OF Canadian Heritage and Minister Steven Guilbeault some credit for coming up with amendments to the Broadcasting Act which seem, at least upon first reading, like they can actually be turned into law in a minority Parliament.
This is something Guilbeault said would be coming some weeks ago, knowing there is only so much change for which the federal government can marshal support from its political rivals. He told an industry town hall in September: “One of the things we had to think long and hard about is do we go with this massive…
Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU and TORONTO – There is a general rule in Ottawa that one should not steal the spotlight from public officials, especially Ministers of the Crown. They, of course, had to be elected while officials are merely appointed. And the chairman of the CRTC, a distinguished official, did not derogate from that rule.
As luck would have it, while Ian Scott was addressing the Competitive Network Operators of Canada’s 10th annual ISP Summit being held virtually Tuesday and Wednesday, Steven Guilbeault, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, was in Ottawa introducing significant changes to the Broadcasting Act at the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – While tomorrow’s news will be utterly dominated by the U.S. election, November 3, 2020 will be the launch day of a new Broadcasting Act as Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault is expected to table the long-awaited amendments (and some other Acts, too, apparently) to the law.
While things could change at the last minute, the Heritage Ministry has scheduled technical briefings for the new proposed amendments with the both the press and the industry – and the federal government doesn’t do that unless and until it has first tabled the bill in the House of Commons.
According to the Continue Reading
