TORONTO – Expect network investment to plummet, the growth of the digital economy in Canada to stall and an invasion of well-heeled foreign broadband resellers if the recent CRTC decision on third party internet access wholesale rates is not overturned, says a report published this week by TD Securities.
While saying he expects the decision to be challenged and overturned or at least revised, TD telecom and media analyst Vince Valentini pulls no punches in his analysis, saying the Commission-set wholesale rates and retroactive rebates are bad for the incumbent carriers, their customers and Canada as…
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LONDON – Non-profit regional broadband project SWIFT has issued its first round of RFPs for the design and construction of high-speed broadband networks within the 20 municipalities it covers.
Prequalified Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have been invited to submit network proposals aimed at connecting business facilities, public buildings and residences within the counties underserviced areas, says the company.
Actual construction dates and network designs will be provided by the ISPs in their proposals and SWIFT says it anticipates releasing implementation plans later this Fall, including detailed construction timelines.
SWIFT also announced 13 new additions to its Vendor of Record (VOR) list…
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TORONTO – Broadcaster Asian Television Network says it is continuing to feel the sting of piracy as its revenue continues to decline, but that it is hopeful the Broadcast and Telecom Legislative Review Panel might have a lifeline for it come January.
For the second quarter, ended June 30, operating revenue came in at $2.9 million, down from $3.9 million in the second quarter of 2018. Net loss for the period came in at $941,000, more than double Q2 2018’s $426,000.
“Declining revenues are predominantly as a result of increased internet piracy and consumers shifting towards illegal digital IPTV set-top…
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CEO Pruneau wants it to be the in-home hub for Quebecers
MONTREAL — Vidéotron has officially joined the IPTV family, announcing Tuesday its Helix platform is available to the general public as of now.
Using Comcast's X1 technology, which is also deployed by Rogers (Ignite) and Shaw (BlueSky), it includes features like cloud-based DVR, restart of missed live TV programs, voice-controlled remote, intelligent Wi-Fi and combined search of live TV, video-on-demand and three streaming apps: YouTube, Netflix and Videotron's own Club Illico.
But those three apps are it for now. No Amazon Prime Video, or Bell's Crave, or DAZN, or Radio-Canada's Tou.tv,…
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Eastlink says it'll slow network spending because of CRTC. Videotron, Shaw to review network investments; estimated costs now over $300M
WHILE LARGE INCUMBENT network operators mull their legal options in the wake of last week’s CRTC decision to decrease the wholesale rates third party ISPs must pay them, three more have said the decision not only costs them millions, but will cause them to rein in network expansion, which will affect rural broadband builds.
The Commission’s decision to retroactively impose the rates with the decision that took more than three years to complete also threw…
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Bell to cut rural broadband rollout by 20% in response; Other carriers equally disappointed, angry
MONTREAL – Bell Canada spent the weekend crunching numbers (update: Rogers did the same) and announced today that last week’s CRTC decision to slash the rates paid by independent third party internet access (TPIA) providers – retroactively, too – will have a cost which will be paid by rural Canadians.
Bell said Monday morning it has estimated the impact of the CRTC’s decision to lower wholesale fees, retroactively, to be $100 million, and in order to pay for that, it will reduce…
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GATINEAU – In a long-awaited decision, the CRTC today set final rates for wholesale access to the high speed wired networks of Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Telus, and Vidéotron.
The process had started in May 2015 and interim decision was rendered in October 2016. That said, this is a fight that has been going on for more than a decade.
The rates released today (which are paid by independent third party ISPs like TekSavvy and Distributel) are lower than the interim rates and retroactive to 2016. The monthly capacity rates are 15% to 43% lower…
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MONTREAL – Today, Montreal radio listeners had a new morning show to get to know on Bell Media’s 95.9 Virgin Radio as Vinny Barrucco and Shannon King comprise the new morning team (pictured).
“Shannon and ‘Cousin Vinny’ – who’s making his triumphant return to Virgin,” says the press release, sees Barrucco rejoin the station after eight years with Cogeco’s The Beat 92.5. Those two stations compete for listeners and The Beat has been beating Virgin of late.
Barucco and King replace longtime Virgin morning duo Frank Depalo and Natasha Gargiulo, who were let go last week.
“The chemistry between Vinny and…
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LOUISVILLE, Colo. – CableLabs, the cable industry’s standards setting and research and development body, has appointed Mariam Sorond as its new senior vice president and chief research and development officer.
In this role, she will lead R&D, directing the execution and adoption of new technologies for CableLabs’ members and the industry and will help drive technical thought leadership, vision and strategy for the future of connectivity. She will report to president and CEO Phil McKinney
“We’re thrilled to welcome Mariam to CableLabs, bringing her depth of experience and expertise to our members and the industry,” said McKinney. "As we advance…
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GATINEAU – All large internet service providers will have to abide by the CRTC’s new Internet Code of conduct as of January 31, 2020.
The new code, which will apply to Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, Northwestel, Rogers, Shaw, Sasktel, Telus, Vidéotron, and Xplornet has been created to try to ensure consumers receive easier-to-understand contracts, documentation and policies surrounding service calls, outages, security deposits and disconnections, reads the release. It’s worth noting here this new code does not apply to mobile wireless internet providers. (Correction: An earlier version of this story mentioned the code will apply to small…
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