By Ahmad Hathout
Bell has “drastically degraded” wholesale last-mile fibre service to Telus in Ontario and Quebec, a move that increased its market power and harmed customers of the third-party service provider, the Vancouver-based telco alleges in a heavily-redacted application to the CRTC dated Tuesday.
Telus claims in the unjust discrimination and undue preference complaint that the issue started on the evening of January 14, 2026. “With only a few hours’ notice, Bell drastically degraded the mandated wholesale FTTP service … that it provides to TELUS,” it said in the complaint, which asks the CRTC to act urgently. The CRTC on…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is asking the Federal Court of Appeal to review whether the CRTC erred when it approved a request by Timeless Inc. to have staff-assisted mediation instead of accepting its own proposal to privately negotiate terms to carry OneSoccer.
The cable giant said in the judicial review application filed Monday that it proposed to carry the OneSoccer channel on similar terms as the three directly comparable channels on Rogers TV, thus claiming to resolve an undue preference decision made against it in March 2023.
Instead, the application claims, the CRTC approved in a letter last month…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell is asking the CRTC in a review and vary application, made public Friday, to revisit how it came to a significantly lower attach rate for its poles across Ontario and Quebec after it increased the telco’s attach rate that fell well short of what it was asking for.
Historically, the regulator calculated the attach rate by taking the number of billing units, which represented the number of poles, and divided that figure by the average number of third parties per pole. The rate assists the telcos in recouping their costs in managing the poles, and was made…
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Michele Austin has been named president and managing director of the Canadian affiliate of the Motion Picture Association (MPA-C), effective January 19.
Austin will succeed Wendy Noss, who will leave the trade group after leading it for 15 years. She will lead strategic advocacy across the country on all priority issues, including copyright law, production incentives, digital media policy, and content protection, said a Thursday press release announcing her appointment.
“Michele’s deep knowledge of Canada’s policy landscape and political dynamics will make her a powerful voice for our member studios and our creative community,” Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the…
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Proceeding on new mobile reporting standard launched
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday that it will begin making certain annual telecom coverage data public.
The previously confidential coverage data includes internet and mobile service by provider, technology and speed down to the 250-metre road segment level, which the regulator said will make it easier for Canadians to easily find services available in their area at a more granular level.
The data will be shared with Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which will use that it to update its national broadband map.
The decision comes in response to a request by British Columbia’s…
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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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Still had impact on subscriber base
By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Corus said Wednesday that the removal of some of its kids channels has boosted other brands in unprecedented ways.
“Our thoughtful rationalization of our kids specialty portfolio to better reflect viewer demand has resulted in some audience consolidation into our remaining kids brands,” John Gossling said on a first-quarter earnings conference call Wednesday.
“We saw YTV and, for the first time ever, Boomerang position within the top 20 networks this fall,” he continued. “These achievements underscore the effectiveness of our strategic programming decisions and the continued appeal of our brands to…
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The CRTC last week approved the change in ownership and effective control of ethnic radio station CJRJ-AM Vancouver (formerly operating as Spice Radio).
Through the transaction, Spice Radio owner Shushma Datt’s shares in I.T. Productions Ltd. (the station’s licence holder) are being acquired by numbered company 1101651 B.C. Ltd., giving Kulwant Singh Dhesi effective control of the station. CJRJ-AM has been operating as Radio Swift 1200 AM since last summer, serving the local South Asian communities in the Vancouver area.
Given the $2.77 million value of the transaction, as determined by the CRTC,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Eastlink is expressing disappointment Friday after the CRTC blocked it from destandardizing certain internet speeds for third-party service providers that it no longer offers to its own retail customers.
In March last year, the regional telecom asked the CRTC to allow it to eliminate the 100 Mbps download/10 Mbps upload and the 300/10 Mbps speed tiers from competitor access as it stopped offering those tiers to new retail customers in December 2024. The telecom said the proposal was part of its effort to streamline and consolidate its service offerings.
But the CRTC denied the change Friday on the basis…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC approved Friday a proposal it made this past fall that would allow broadcasters to introduce spoken word programming on the FM dial.
The regulator will allow licensees of commercial FM radio stations to devote more than 50 per cent of weekly programming for that type of content for a one-year trial period.
The companies must notify the commission by letter within 30 days of the end of the broadcast week that they have participated in the trial and whether they intend to continue and for how long. If before the end of one year,…
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