Also offers up new best practices: PIAC says not far enough
GATINEAU – While noting Canadian subscription TV carriers are operating within the rules, the CRTC made the unprecedented decision to renew the large carriers' broadcast distribution undertaking licenses for just a single year, as opposed to the usual seven-year term.
To the CRTC, this continues its efforts to put consumers at the centre of the Canadian broadcasting system. In the November 21 decision, the Regulator offered what it sees as the best practices that broadcast distributors should undertake to ensure that Canadians are aware of small basic packages, their limits and offers related to them.
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that will see the two regulators work more collaboratively on the growing threat that unwanted robocalls pose to citizens in Canada and the United States.
This agreement will enable the CRTC and the FCC to facilitate research and education related to robocalls and illegitimate caller ID spoofing, says Thursday's press release. “The organizations have also committed to sharing knowledge and expertise through training programs and staff exchanges, as well as inform each other of legal developments in their respective jurisdictions,” it reads.
The agreement, signed…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – According to sources close to the process, Judith A. LaRocque, a former long-serving deputy minister of Canadian Heritage, will very soon be announced as the new vice-chair broadcasting at the CRTC by the federal government.
(UPDATE: Since our original report Sunday, the CRTC has since confirmed LaRocque's appointment. See below. Update #2: Click here for the official order-in-council.)
Cartt.ca has learned that LaRocque has been appointed for an initial six-month term – and that she will begin immediately as her hiring was expedited due to the French-language TV license renewal hearing beginning November 22 in Laval….
Continue Reading
TORONTO – With more than 350 delegates, a strong group of sponsors and vendors and 21 educational sessions, the 2016 Canadian ISP Summit was the biggest edition yet.
Focused on independent ISPs like Teksavvy, Distributel, Sogetel and Execulink, the annual gathering is a place to hear war stories, get the latest and greatest in tech developments, hear marketing successes and, of course, regulatory wins and losses.
2016 has featured a few wins for the independent ISPs on the wholesale wireline front, especially (even though that still isn’t over, yet).
The final session…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has ordered Rogers Communications to allow TekSavvy Solutions to provide Internet access services to its customers at a Toronto townhouse complex.
The Commission said Wednesday that Rogers must continue to provide TekSavvy with access to its existing and new retail end-users in the complex by way of aggregated wholesale high-speed access (HSA) service provisioned over Rogers’ fibre-to-the-premises access facilities, subject to the conditions set out in its decision. Furthermore, Rogers must provide other ISP competitors with access to their existing and new customers at that complex through the same service, and subject to the same conditions set…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling on the country’s telcos to step up and help clamp down on the number of unwanted telemarketing calls plaguing Canadians.
The Commission told telecommunications service providers (TSPs) on Monday that they have 90 days to develop technical solutions to block blatantly illegitimate nuisance calls within their networks by working the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC). These calls include those that appear to originate from telephone numbers that (i) match the telephone number of the person being called; (ii) are “spoofed” with a number that is local to the person being called, in the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Ontario city of Brampton and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador may soon each have a new radio station after the CRTC issued a call for comments on market capacity and on the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications to serve the two areas.
The Commission said Friday that it issued the calls after receiving applications from Priya Datta, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, and Antoine Karam, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, each for a commercial ethnic station to serve Brampton. It also received an application from Andrew Green and Jordan…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Ottawa-Gatineau region may soon have a new radio station after the CRTC issued a call for comments on market capacity and on the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications in that market.
The Commission said Thursday that it issued the call after receiving an application from Antoine Karam, on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated, for a commercial ethnic radio station to serve that region.
Interventions are due by December 5 and the deadline to file replies is December 15, 2016. Following receipt of comments, the CRTC said that it will conduct an assessment of the market’s capacity…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has released a working document designed to help direct the discussion and debate during the upcoming hearing into the renewal of the television licences held by the large English- and French-language ownership groups.
The Commission said Wednesday that it intends to discuss the imposition of the standard conditions of licence, expectations and encouragements for television stations, discretionary services (i.e., pay television and specialty services), and on-demand services (i.e., pay-per-view and video-on-demand services), also published Wednesday, as well as any exceptions to these conditions sought by the various ownership groups.
The public hearing will begin on November 22 at Palace Convention…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC today told Alberta-based VOIS Inc. it must show cause why it should not be found in violation of its requirement to participate in the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).
The Regulator also said it is considering an administrative monetary penalty (an AMP, or a fine) for VOIS’ actions. According to its web site, independent network operator VOIS provides TV, Internet and phone to subscribers in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Winnipeg, Regina, Red Deer, Edmonton, Calgary, Fort McMurray, Abbotsford, and Vancouver.
On August 5, 2016, CCTS terminated VOIS’…
Continue Reading
