OTTAWA — Not that this will come as too much of a surprise for Canadian wireless subscribers, but a new study commissioned by the CRTC and prepared by Nordicity Group, has found mobile phone and wireless Internet prices tend to be higher in Canada than in the other seven countries studied in the report. Canada also ranks more expensive generally speaking in the category of bundled services pricing.
On the upside, fixed telephony prices in Canada are among the least expensive when compared to the other countries. In the fixed broadband Internet category, Canadians tend to pay prices that are…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The Commissioner of Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) announced Thursday it has terminated the participation of VOIS in CCTS, having found the Calgary-based telecom service provider to be in default on its obligations, subsequent to the investigation of several customer complaints.
“The ejection of VOIS from participation was based on its failure to honour the fundamental rules of our process. CCTS investigated six separate customer complaints, and each one concluded with a binding decision requiring VOIS to compensate the customers and take other action. VOIS failed to take any of the steps required of it in these six…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) said today it has received a letter from the CRTC indicating the Commission is deferring consideration of almost 60 complaints filed against community TV channels until their cable licence renewals this fall.
The complaints were filed by CACTUS in partnership with community groups earlier this year, and were concerned with cable community TV channels operated by Eastlink, Cogeco, Shaw and Rogers. According to CACTUS, the channels either fail to air adequate local content (generally 60% of the program schedule) or adequate citizen-generated content (generally 50% of the schedule)…
Continue Reading
Bell wanted connecting links and line-sharing service included
GATINEAU — The CRTC announced Tuesday it has denied an application from Bell Canada to expand previous regulatory policy determinations regarding the unbundled local loop framework and the rates for certain wholesale legacy services.
In its Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-326 issued in July 2015, the Commission made a number of determinations regarding the regulatory framework for wholesale wireline services, including wholesale legacy services. Specifically, the CRTC determined that the provision of unbundled local loops (ULLs) would no longer be mandated and would be phased out, and that the rates for certain wholesale…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – The CRTC is asking for feedback from Canadians as it launches a review of its Wireless Code of Conduct.
The Wireless Code, which came into effect December 2, 2013, was designed to make it easier for consumers and small businesses to understand their contracts for cellphones and other mobile devices, plus outline their basic rights. The Commission said then that it would review the Code’s effectiveness within three years of its implementation.
The CRTC on Thursday issued a call for comments on the effectiveness of the Code and how the Code should be updated to reflect the evolution of…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC is reminding Canadian businesses and individuals that send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) to keep records of consent consistent with the country’s anti-spam legislation (CASL).
In an enforcement advisory issued Wednesday, the Commission said that it has observed that some businesses and individuals are unable to prove they have obtained consent before sending CEMs, noting that the onus of proving consent always remains with the person(s) sending, causing or permitting the sending of CEMs.
According to the CRTC's guidance on corporate compliance programs and guidance on consent and how to prove consent, senders of commercial…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s new policy framework for local and community television is a “crippling blow” to Canada’s community TV industry, says the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
The new policy framework, released June 15, sets new minimum thresholds for local news on the country’s private TV broadcasters plus seeks to establish a new fund for independent stations. But CACTUS, which appeared at the CRTC’s hearings in to local and community TV, was critical of the new Independent Local News Fund which it says “redirects money for community TV to private news production in a…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Ottawa’s blues and rock station 101.9 DAWG FM (CIDG-FM) may soon sound a little different.
While renewing the broadcasting licence for the Torres Media Ottawa-owned station through August 31, 2023, the CRTC also deleted CIDG-FM’s condition of licence relating to the broadcast of Canadian jazz and blues selections, noting a requirement in this regard is now set out in the Radio Regulations, 1986.
The Commission also approved the broadcaster’s request to delete a condition of licence relating to the broadcast of special interest music, but denied its request to delete conditions of licence regarding the broadcast of Canadian popular music selections.
www.crtc.gc.ca
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has ruled that Videotron’s proposed rate increase for carriage of French-language sports services RDS and RDS2 is “more reasonable” than that proposed by the channels’ parent Bell Media.
Once their own negotiations stalled, Videotron and Bell Media asked the Commission in April to initiate a final offer arbitration process on the per-subscriber wholesale rate to be paid by Videotron to Bell for distribution of the two services in a linear programming package.
After hearing final offers from both companies, the CRTC said Tuesday that Videotron’s offer is “the better offer”, after taking into account the relevant factors…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canada’s television service providers saw their overall revenues dip 0.1% in 2015 amidst a continuing erosion of subscribers, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released Tuesday.
Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings – Statistical and Financial Summaries 2011-2015 said that combined revenues remained steady at $8.9 billion, while subscribers fell from 11.4 million in 2014 to 11.2 million for the year ended August 31, 2015. Total expenses increased by 1.3% to $7.2 billion, and as a result, the sector's operating margin decreased to its lowest level in five years, but remained healthy at 19%.
Despite these…
Continue Reading
