By Ahmad Hathout
The Alliance Nationale De L’Industrie Musicale (ANIM), a representative for francophone and Acadian music, filed an appeal late last month against a Federal Court decision that denied it the right to damages from the CRTC for a nine-year old decision that allocated more broadcast funding to an English-language music fund than a French-language equivalent.
In 2012, the CRTC released a decision that forced Sirius XM Holdings Inc., as a condition of license, to allocate 20% of 4% of its gross revenues to the English-language fund, called Factor, and just 10% to Factor’s French-language counterpart, known as Musicaction.
In 2019,…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is now allowing Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. (CPAC) to participate in the proceeding dealing with the broadcast side of the proposed Rogers/Shaw transaction as an interested party, thereby granting it several new rights.
In a letter dated Oct. 7, the CRTC authorized CPAC to appear at the upcoming hearing into the matter in its own right and granted CPAC the right for its representatives to participate in any in camera discussions that may be held regarding its governance.
The CRTC also granted CPAC “the right to file a reply to intervenors in accordance with section 27…
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Panelists talk C-10, competition and of course, the Rogers/Shaw deal
By Lynn Greiner
TORONTO – Every ISP Summit, a highlight session is the regulatory panel. The CRTC always seems to generate enough controversy to make the panel entertaining as well as interesting.
This year was no different.
Moderated by Monica Auer, executive director of the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, the panel featured two CRTC alumni who are less than impressed with the way the organization has operated recently.
Konrad von Finckenstein, a consultant and arbitrator, was CRTC chair from 2007 to 2012, and Timothy Denton, now chairman of the Internet…
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Stein talks of “betrayal” by the CRTC and incumbent “bullies”
By Amanda OYE
TORONTO – The game may not be fair, but that will not stop independent Internet service providers from competing, Matt Stein (above), chair of the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) and a director of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) told audience members during his keynote speech Independents unite: How we are fighting for a fairer today and a stronger tomorrow, at the ISP Summit today.
“The challenges our industry has faced over the past 18 months are incredible,” he said.
“As independent internet service providers, we always seem…
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PIAC supports it and Cogeco remains silent
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On May 4, 2021, Data on Tap (dotmobile) filed an appeal to Cabinet of the CRTC’s review of mobile wireless services, which dealt with access by Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNO) to facilities of the three large wireless operators.
In a nutshell, the CRTC gave access only to players that already had facilities.
To that extent Québecor directly benefited from the policy and subsequently acquired more facilities at the last 3500 MHz auction, as did 11 other regional competitors.
And in their Sept. 22 comments on dotmobile’s petition, written in…
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TORONTO – It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
This sums up the past year for members of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA), who shared today some of the challenges and opportunities they have faced and continue to face in a talk on day one of the annual Canadian ISP Summit, hosted by the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) and CCSA.
The talk, called Future forward in video and broadband delivery: Operator perspectives from across Canada, featured Ken Naylor, general manager of Mornington Communications Cooperative Limited, George Burger, co-founder of VMedia, Marie-Eve Rocheleau, executive…
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While “deeply interested” in launching wireless services, will only proceed under the right circumstances
By Amanda Oye
It is no secret Cogeco wants to offer its customers wireless services. The question yet to be answered is when?
Cogeco has been trying to get into wireless since 2018. The company has made advancements towards this goal, including its recent purchase of 38 licences for $295 million in the 3500 MHz spectrum auction that closed in July.
Another step forward came a couple of years prior, in 2019, when Cogeco proposed a Hybrid Mobile Network Operator (HMNO) model to the CRTC…
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By Denis Carmel
Several Internet service providers and related groups have now officially weighed in on TekSavvy and the Competitive Network Operators of Canada’s (CNOC) petitions to the Governor in Council, requesting cabinet overturn CRTC Decision 2021-181.
Unsurprisingly, competitive high-speed access (HSA) providers appealed CRTC Decision 2021-181, which reversed the Commission’s own Decision 2019-288, setting final rates on HSA. The rates had been interim ones since 2016.
This reversal came after the Federal Court of Appeal confirmed the CRTC’s 2019 decision and the Supreme Court denied the incumbents’ appeal to the Highest Court. It also came after the government refused to send…
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A commentary on what our PM could have said in response
By Denis Carmel
Dear Mr. O’Brien,
THANK YOU FOR providing your opinion on how to deal with a Bill to Modernize the Broadcasting Act.
One of the main perks of my job is all the free advice I get all the time, all the time.
You will appreciate that part of the way forward I cannot control nor predict but let me share as candidly as I can my thoughts at this venture.
I am inclined to appoint someone new to serve as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Steven Guilbeault did serve with…
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PIAC asks CRTC to strike CPAC reply from the record
GATINEAU – Rogers Communications maintained in its reply to interventions received regarding its application to acquire Shaw Communications’ broadcast holdings, submitted to the CRTC yesterday, that approval of the application will provide a myriad of benefits to the Canadian broadcast sector and consumers.
“Clearly, the transaction will enhance competition, will benefit consumers, Canadian programming services and independent producers and will, therefore, further public interest and contribute in an appropriate manner to the achievements of the policy objectives outlined in subsection 3(1) of the Broadcasting Act,” Rogers’ reply reads.
According to the…
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