By Ahmad Hathout
Internet service provider Fibernetics is asking the CRTC to stop Eastlink from decommissioning legacy facilities it relies on to provide service to customers in Nova Scotia.
The wholesaler said in a Part 1 application, made public Thursday, that it was notified in February that Eastlink was completing a technology upgrade in Sydney that would transition its network from coaxial to fibre by September 1, meaning its third-party internet access service (TPIA) would no longer be available for two of Fibernetics’s customers.
Fibernetics claims it asked Eastlink to either suspend decommissioning until after the CRTC makes a Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday it is eliminating fees that it believes are keeping customers stuck in internet and wireless service plans.
The regulator said it is targeting fees on activation, changing and canceling of those plans – with some exceptions. The fees will continue to apply where a subsidized device is provided by the wireless service provider – which represents a real cost to the business – and in a situation where the internet service provider is doing an installation at the customer’s home.
“If you were to buy or purchase a cellphone through a service provider, we already…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TekSavvy is once again asking the CRTC to stop Cogeco from decommissioning copper facilities it relies on to provide internet service to customers in Ontario.
In a Part 1 application made public Thursday, the largest independent internet wholesaler said it received notices from Cogeco about its move away from hybrid fibre-coaxial facilities (HFC) to pure fibre in parts of Windsor, Burlington, Kingston and its hometown of Chatham.
Until it can make a final decision on its application, TekSavvy is asking the CRTC to order an immediate suspension of any decommissioning before April 1, which is when it said it…
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New wireless competitors took over half of mobile sub adds in 2024
By Ahmad Hathout
Independent wholesale-based internet service providers lost half of their market share since 2020, according to a report from the CRTC.
The market share dropped from a high of 8.4 per cent in 2020 to 4.2 per cent in 2024, according to the Canadian Telecommunications Market Report, released Tuesday. And it’s been steady in between: falling to 8 per cent in 2021, 6.1 per cent in 2022 and 5 per cent in 2023.
“With shifts in the internet service market and in…
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iDREAM, a Canadian non-profit organization committed to advancing racial equity and inclusivity within media and creative industries, last week announced the opening of applications for the second annual iDREAM Awards.
The iDREAM (Inclusivity, Diversity, Racial Equity Award in Media) Awards recognize and support extraordinary contributions of underrepresented and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour) creators and innovators across five categories: Art, Entrepreneurship, Film, Music and Sport.
“Individuals and organizations doing innovative, community-shaping work in these categories are encouraged to apply through the iDREAM website for the opportunity to receive $1…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday turned down Cogeco’s request to argue that the CRTC neglected to consider the editorial impact of allowing Quebecor’s internet station QUB Radio to operate on the traditional FM airwaves.
The court did not provide the reasons.
Cogeco filed the leave to appeal application in November, claiming the CRTC did not adequately weigh the impact of Quebecor’s influence on editorial voices when, in a decision the month prior, it found no issue with a commercial arrangement that allowed QUB Radio to continue operating in the primetime hours,…
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By Linda Stuart
Pension fund La Caisse (formerly CDPQ) announced after markets closed on Monday it intends to sell a block of shares of Cogeco Communications — representing nearly 11 per cent of the telecom company’s issued and outstanding subordinate shares — at a gross price of $67.45 per share.
La Caisse said in a press release the transaction is part of its periodic portfolio rebalancing and is expected to generate gross proceeds of approximately $229 million. Given the $67.45 share price, this seems to suggest La Caisse is selling nearly 3.4 million shares.
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By Ahmad Hathout
A judge ruled earlier this month that the Federal Court will not hear a complaint filed by Cogeco and Eastlink asking to review whether cabinet erred by denying their request to toss a CRTC decision to allow the three largest telecoms to access the wholesale internet regime.
In short, the court ruled that the regional telecoms have better avenues to challenge the underlying decision, effectively accepting the application of the attorney general to reject the request based on the same reasons.
While the complaint specifically challenged cabinet’s alleged lack of sufficient reasons explaining…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Cogeco executives said Thursday that the company will soon launch an Oxio-style brand in the United States, owing to the wholesale internet service’s success in Canada and the need to gain American market share it believes is right there for the taking.
CEO Frederic Perron said on a first-quarter 2026 earnings conference call that its U.S. brand Breezeline will launch an “Oxio-like” fully digital brand in its operating territory next month. Cogeco purchased Montreal-based Oxio’s internet business in 2023 as a digital-only second brand leveraging the wholesale internet access regime.
“We are … super excited about…
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The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) received a record number of complaints from telecom and TV customers this past fiscal year, with billing problems continuing to be the leading complaint issue, according to the CCTS’s annual report published early Wednesday.
Between Aug. 1, 2024 and July 31, 2025, the CCTS accepted 23,647 complaints from customers across Canada. This represents a 17 per cent increase from the previous year and is the highest number of complaints accepted in the CCTS’s history.
The top 10 issues raised across all service types were: incorrect charge for…
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