By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is mandating that all service providers report the origin of nuisance or spam calls, rejecting a request by some smaller service providers to be spared from the new condition of service.
“The Commission considers that excluding specific types of TSPs could leave a loophole for nuisance calls to enter Canada through TSPs excluded from the traceback process,” the CRTC said in a decision Friday.
“Requiring all TSPs that provide voice telecommunications services to participate in the traceback process would enable Commission staff to respond to complaints from customers of any TSP” and “prevent a TSP from ignoring…
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The CRTC told Cogeco in a letter last week to maintain TekSavvy’s access to its network, after the latter informed the commission that Cogeco was on the verge of decommissioning copper facilities that TekSavvy currently relies on to provide internet service to customers in Ontario.
The CRTC has instructed Cogeco to continue providing wholesale access to TekSavvy either by maintaining existing hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) wholesale infrastructure at four Ontario locations targeted for decommissioning or by providing TekSavvy access to newly installed fibre facilities at the current HFC available speed and…
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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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