CHATHAM – A TekSavvy request to have CRTC chair Ian Scott investigated for alleged wrongdoing has been referred to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (CIEC) by the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.
TekSavvy originally asked the federal Integrity Commissioner to investigate Scott in March. The disclosure filed by the independent Internet service provider at the time contained evidence, “which shows Mr. Scott held numerous ex parte meetings with telecom lobbyists during open regulatory proceedings concerning pricing of internet and mobile services,” a TekSavvy press release says.
The Integrity Commissioner has since notified TekSavvy…
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WHITEHORSE – Northwestel announced today at the Arctic Indigenous Investment Conference in Whitehorse it is selling its fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) assets in Yukon to a group of 13 Yukon First Nations development corporations.
“For the first time in Canada, the vast majority of a province or territory’s in-community fibre assets are now Indigenous-owned,” according to a Northwestel press release.
As part of a new partnership called the Shared Pathways network, Northwestel will make “regular payments for the fibre network’s full use for 20 years, guaranteeing direct economic benefits to participating Yukon First Nation communities for decades. Northwestel will operate and maintain the network…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
IN AN OPINION PIECE regarding C-11, the Online Streaming Act, Douglas Barrett on April 8 pointed out that the bill allows the CRTC to determine what constitutes a Canadian program for the purpose of act. He asked the logical question:
“How are they to do this? The first and most obvious approach would be to require the streamers contribute to a fund in the same manner as the BDUs currently contribute to the CMF. This could be a completely new fund established just for online undertakings.
The big question is – OK. But who would have access…
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By Douglas Barrett
IN MY LAST PIECE for Cartt.ca (Observations on the definition of a Canadian program, April 8, 2022), I focussed on the various rules concerning the certification of a program as Canadian and analysed the differing approaches of the CRTC and the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office. I also posited that, “When Bill C-11 is passed and the CRTC takes over, the real question will not be whether the foreign streamers are required to make a contribution to the system, it’s who will ultimately own and control the contribution they make.”
Digging a little deeper into this I am…
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TORONTO — The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) today named its new council for the two-year term from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024.
WGC members re-elected Alex Levine (Orphan Black) as central region councillor, and he will resume his role as council president, says a press release.
Other re-elected WGC councillors include council vice-president and central region councillor Marsha Greene (The Porter), WGC treasurer and Atlantic region councillor Michael Amo (Pure), and Quebec region councillor Anne-Marie Perrotta (Big Top Academy).
The WGC announced three newly elected councillors. Jeremy Boxen (above, left; Killjoys) has been elected as central region councillor, and…
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By Howard Law
This is part three of a three-part series – read part one here and part two here.
What will “television” look like in 10 years?
Looking into the future of particular services and companies, the Commission expects that vertically integrated companies (companies that own or control programming services as well as distribution services), for their part, will continue to have the opportunity to leverage their resources and audience reach to acquire popular and lucrative programming as well as be well positioned to produce high-quality programming made by Canadians. Their critical mass provides these companies with the financial…
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AHMAD HATHOUT’S ARTICLE in the 27 April 2022 edition of Cartt.ca reports on the Commission’s proceeding looking into the possibility of subsidizing 9-1-1 services in Canada, more specifically the latest evolution of 9-1-1: NG9-1-1 service.
In 2017, five years ago, the Commission determined that Canada should migrate from E9-1-1 to NG9-1-1. In its landmark decision on the matter Telecom Regulatory Policy 2017-182, the Commission designated all Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers – small and large ILECs alike – as NG9-1-1 network providers. These companies are under no less than a condition of service, imposed via section 24 of the…
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By Peter Menzies
THIRTY-SIX YEARS AGO last week, the Calgary Flames scored one of their most famous triumphs – a 3-2 Game 7 playoff victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers.
Back then I was sports editor of the Calgary Sun and that playoff run to the finals (Calgary lost to Montreal in 5) dominated my days. But by night I was secretly just as excited that by June I’d be in Mexico covering Canada’s debut at World Cup ’86.
In Canada, being a proper football fan has been a pretty lonely, often mocked, existence. Sports departments considered soccer merely…
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OTTAWA – Telus has not successfully addressed concerns expressed by the CRTC in its 2018 renewal of the company’s regional licences for its terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) serving locations in Alberta and British Columbia, a letter from the Commission to Telus’ director of regulatory affairs, Lecia Simpson, says.
In its 2018 decision, the CRTC expressed concern the company’s “community television model did not allow for a significant amount or a wide variety of locally produced and reflective programming to be produced by a range of individuals within a community,” the letter, published earlier this week on the CRTC’s website, says.
“As…
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OTTAWA – Consumer advocacy groups the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) today filed a petition to the federal cabinet, asking for the CRTC’s recent decision to approve Rogers Communications’ acquisition of Shaw Communications’ broadcasting assets to be set aside.
If cabinet decides not to set aside the decision, the organizations have asked for the decision to be referred back to the Commission.
“Consumers shouldn’t pay for these mergers,” said John Lawford, executive director and general counsel of PIAC, in a press release announcing the petition was filed. “This Petition is a result of…
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