VANCOUVER – The Federal Government told the CRTC Thursday that it wants to be kept in the loop on how Canadians feel about unbundling their television channels.
“As stated in the most recent Speech from the Throne, our Government believes Canadian families should be able to choose the combination of television channels they want,” said Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, in a statement. “This decision is an important step in defending Canadian consumers, who want choice and flexibility in their television services. Our request will ensure that the CRTC develops a more complete…
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OTTAWA – With the Throne Speech still ringing in our ears, the Feds were quick to applaud the CRTC’s ‘Let’s Talk TV’ discussion which kicked off this week.
Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, issued a statement Thursday reiterating the government’s pledge to unbundle TV channels while also protecting Canadian jobs.
“Consistent with that commitment, the Canadian Radio-television Communications Commission has today launched a dialogue with Canadians on the future of television”, the statement reads. “The dialogue launched today will play a part in fulfilling our Speech from the Throne…
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INDUSTRY MINISTER JAMES MOORE has fair sized reservoir of stamina. After two full days of going west to east talking wireless with just about everyone who’ll ask for his time – and with three days of that still lying ahead – he sounded fresh and combative when it was our turn Tuesday afternoon to talk with him.
For readers not vacationing incommunicado for the past two months, Minister Moore has taken this week to tour the country to talk up the federal government’s wireless policies in the face of an all-out onslaught of sustained criticism from…
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NETWORK EXPANSION NEWS
Recent launches:
Bell Aliant continues FibreOp expansion with $20 million investment in North Bay, Timmins
NORTH BAY and TIMMINS, ON – Bell Aliant’s new $7 million fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) expansion in Timmins announced Wednesday brings the total of the regional telco’s recent investments in Northern Ontario to $20 million. The FTTH network will reach approximately 15,000 premises in Timmins.
Last week Bell Aliant also announced it is investing $13 million to launch its FibreOP network to about 20,000 households and business in North Bay.
While both communities are part of Bell Aliant's operating…
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TORONTO – Here’s some news that might help cool you down if you’re in the midst of southern Ontario’s heat wave this week: CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada announced late Friday that its 2013-14 NHL season will kick off on October 1.
HNIC returns for the 2013-14 NHL season with a full slate of games, kicking off with NHL Face-Off from Montreal on October 1 as the Canadiens host their longtime rivals, the Toronto Maple Leafs. In all, CBC’s schedule includes 94 games featuring 33 all-Canadian match-ups, 16 Original Six games and four installments of the “Battle of Alberta” between the Calgary…
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TORONTO – While recent events, including the possible entry of US behemoth Verizon into Canada and Monday’s cabinet shuffle, have left many in the investment community wondering how these will affect the regulatory landscape, the telecom sector won’t see an impact on the bottom line just yet.
Financial results for the second quarter of 2013 will not reflect any of these regulatory concerns, says BMO Capital Markets Second analyst Tim Casey.
“We expect Verizon will continue to quietly negotiate with the owners of the existing new entrants – Wind and Mobilicity – with…
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TORONTO – The Canada Media Fund (CMF) announced Tuesday that Alain Cousineau and Chris Frank, former Bell TV vice-president of programming, have been nominated to the CMF’s board of directors.
Cousineau, who is currently chair of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, was also elected chair of the board following the CMF's annual general meeting held in Montreal. He takes over from outgoing CMF board chair Louis L. Roquet.
Frank was a founding officer at ExpressVu Inc. (later Bell ExpressVu and Bell TV). During his 16 years at ExpressVu he held executive management positions…
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OTTAWA – Fifty-five campus and community radio stations will receive $996,371 to implement projects to improve local programming thanks to the second round of funding of the Community Radio Fund of Canada’s Radiometres program.
The goal of Radiometres is to increase the development, volunteer participation, and sustainability of campus and community radio stations.
And there are as many ways to meet these outcomes as there are stations. For example, this year the CRFC will fund such initiatives as an educational program on Aboriginal languages, capsules on families that have shaped Acadian history, a new program…
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TORONTO – TVO is set to debut its first commissioned drama series that tells the story of eight medical students and the challenges they face practicing rural medicine in Northern Ontario.
Featuring a Canadian ensemble cast headed by actor Patrick McKenna, Hard Rock Medical premieres with two 30-minute episodes on June 9 at 8 p.m. ET.
Loosely inspired by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, TVO says the series provides a fresh and entertaining look at the unique challenges of delivering healthcare in Ontario’s north. Hard Rock U's…
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GATINEAU – Amanda Cliff will be joining the CRTC as executive director, communications and external relations, the Commission announced Friday
In a memo to staff, CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais told staff that Cliff will be responsible for CRTC communications (including the web and client relations) and relations with external stakeholders such as Parliament, other government departments and agencies, other levels of government, non-governmental organizations and academia. She will also provide support to the Regional Commissioners, acting as the liaison between them and the head office in Gatineau.
Since 2006, Cliff has been director general of broadcasting and digital communications within the…
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