By Ahmad Hathout
A letter to the Federal Court of Appeal this month signaling the federal government’s intention to eliminate the CRTC’s base contribution requirement on streamers is not causing panic among some creatives, who say they want to see the government’s new policy direction before drawing conclusions.
The attorney general informed the court on July 17 of the federal government’s “intention is to eliminate the base contribution requirement on streaming services and to provide government funding to replace those contributions.” The five-per-cent financial obligation levied on streamers in 2024 was expected to draw some $200 million into…
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The CRTC on Tuesday launched a consultation on the market capacity and the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications for a new station to serve Kelowna, B.C.
The broadcasting regulator’s call for comments comes after it received an application from CIAM Media and Radio Broadcasting Association for a licence amendment to operate a rebroadcasting transmitter to serve Kelowna. The applicant operates the English-language community FM station CIAM-FM Fort Vermilion in Alberta and is proposing to use one of the last known frequencies in Kelowna — 92.3…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal on Tuesday ruled that the CRTC made no error in determining that revenue from leased spectrum is eligible for the purpose of determining the amount collected for the National Contribution Fund, which subsidizes telecom builds.
In 2022, Terrestar wanted to deduct from its regulatory fee obligations the revenue it collected from subordinating its spectrum, but the CRTC said in 2023 that it couldn’t do that because that revenue was an incidental part of its business, per section 23 of the Telecommunications Act, which defines a “telecommunications service.”
The Montreal-based mobile satellite and cell…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TbayTel is asking the CRTC for an additional 12 months to implement a self-service mechanism allowing customers to change or cancel their internet and wireless phone service plans as part of the regulator’s new rules to more easily facilitate switching.
The Thunder Bay-based telecom service provider said in a Part 1 application, made public Monday, that it is “facing unforeseen technical constraints” to implementing the system mandated by the CRTC by April 26, 2027 to allow customers to make changes or cancel plans without having to go through a customer service representative. The regulator broadly defined the mechanism…
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The CRTC informed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) via a letter last week that it will not consider an application from the industry association requesting the elimination of one-year trial periods for spoken word programming on FM and for AM-to-FM simulcasting, which the regulator first proposed in October and finalized in January.
The CAB’s March 25 application had argued the rules applied to the CRTC’s one-year limit for trialling spoken word content on the FM dial and AM-to-FM simulcast were too restrictive and could…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has not provided reasons for why it believes Rogers, Bell and Telus are violating the regulator’s new rules on activation fees, even after the companies provided justifications for charges related to device handling and SIM cards, according to submissions by the Big Three.
As such, Rogers and Bell are backing a procedural request by Telus this month to bifurcate the CRTC’s inquiry: first, establish a proceeding to consider whether a violation has been committed by any of the companies, and, if required, establish a proceeding to consider if any enforcement remedies are necessary in the event…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Wholesale-based internet service providers are asking the CRTC to revisit rates it set for access to the last-mile fibre networks of the largest telcos, claiming they’re too high to compete against those same telcos that are simultaneously undercutting them in the market.
In April, the regulator finalized the rates for access to the fibre networks of Bell, Telus and SaskTel (cable companies are exempt from this regime). The final rates for that access are similar to the interim rates the CRTC established in November 2023, which drew statements from wholesale-based competitors that warned this could…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Beanfield is asking the CRTC to assist in the renewal of a support structure agreement (SSA) with Rogers.
The Toronto-based fibre internet service provider is asking the regulator to establish just and reasonable rates and terms after Rogers said it would not renew the agreement.
“The Commission’s intervention is necessary for Beanfield to continue offering competitive telecommunications services without disruption to the hundreds of premises served over the facilities in question,” the telecom claims in a Part 1 application to the commission, made public on Tuesday.
Beanfield claims Rogers told it in a March letter that it would terminate a…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Rogers said Wednesday that priority lanes of traffic on its 5G wireless network, via network slicing, “continues to be an opportunity and in play” to drive higher value on its premium plans.
In April, Rogers launched the 5G+ Ultimate plan, which includes unlimited high-speed data, up to 2 Gbps speeds, roaming in up to 64 global destinations, unlimited calling to 27 countries, free access to Rogers Satellite for 24 months, and priority network access that gives subscribers front-of-the-line access to the fastest speeds available, even during peak times.
“If you look to each…
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The CRTC last week approved an application from Arsenal Media to acquire a trio of BPM Sports radio stations in Quebec from RNC Media.
The three French-language stations being purchased include CFTX-FM Gatineau (BPM Sports 96.5 FM) and its transmitter CFTX-FM-1 Gatineau (Buckingham), CKLX-FM Montreal (BPM Sports 91.9 FM), and CHXX-FM Donnacona (BPM Sports 100.9 FM) and its transmitter CHXX-FM-1 Sainte-Croix-de-Lotbinière.
Arsenal Media has said it intends to maintain the current direction of the stations operated under the BPM Sports brand, with some music programming incorporated into their format. The Montreal station (CKLX-FM) will continue to feature primarily…
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