Meeting notes show pole replacement and refurbishment listed as significant barrier, but it’s about speed
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Rogers and Cogeco were among several internet service providers that met with stakeholders in the Ontario government in November 2020 to address wireline pole attachment issues in the province – but the rates to attach equipment were not identified as a significant barrier, according to notes from the meeting obtained by Cartt.ca.
At around $43 per attachment, per pole, Ontario has the country’s highest cost to attach telecommunications equipment on the wood poles, which run along highways and are a primary alternative…
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Assessment revealed through judicial review request in Federal Court by China Mobile
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A Chinese state-owned company that resells services on the Telus network was told by the federal government last month it must divest its operations in Canada over national security concerns, according to court documents.
The federal government’s decision on August 6 to force China Mobile to divest from the country was revealed when the mobile virtual network operator filed a request to review the decision in Federal Court on Tuesday.
In the application, China Mobile said Innovation Canada was wrong to refer the company to the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
ONTARIO – The Ontario government announced Thursday it has launched a request for qualifications for a series of reverse auctions it hopes will set in motion its goal to connect the entire province to high-speed Internet by 2025.
The qualification screening is intended to ensure bidders meet specified criteria in the hopes of facilitating a rapid build with minimal failure.
Internet service providers will need to register at www.merx.com, a press release said. After qualifying submissions are made, the government will make a shortlist of candidates who will be invited to respond to a request for proposals on their…
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OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) today called on Canada’s political party leaders to explain during the two upcoming leaders’ debates how they would reform the country’s access to information system if elected.
“Canadians’ right to know is so frequently poorly-served by our crumbling federal access to information system,” said CAJ president Brent Jolly in a press release.
“Looking at the party platforms, there is scant mention of plans for reforms, which is a Houdini-like act of deception aimed at keeping citizens perpetually in the dark about how government decisions are made.”
The CAJ press release indicates the…
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By Denis Carmel
QUEBEC – On Aug. 4, 2021, the Government of Québec filed an application for leave to appeal the decision of the Québec Court of Appeal regarding a measure adopted in the provincial budget of 2015, which required Internet access providers to block online gambling sites.
The Supreme Court made the application public last Friday in a news release listing recent applications.
There is a long process involved, and few doubt its outcome. Firstly, of the roughly 500 leave applications the Court receives each year, 89% are rejected. Secondly, the lower courts have made it clear the purpose of Continue Reading
CANADIAN ISP SUMMIT organizers Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) and Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) announced today new additions to the schedule for the event being held virtually Sept. 28-29.
Leonard Brody, a business and technology visionary, will give a keynote speech on Sept. 28. He “has been called “a leader of the new world order” and was recently named one of top 30 management thinkers in the world,” according to a press release.
“In his compelling, customized talks – for clients ranging from the United Nations to Visa and Pepsi – Brody addresses the rapid pace of change, innovation,…
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Three parties, three different solutions
By Amanda Oye
THE LIBERALS, CONSERVATIVES AND NDP all agree there is an issue with access to high-speed Internet in Canada, particularly in the country’s rural, remote and Indigenous communities, and that cellphone and Internet bills in the country are too high. All three parties have different ideas on how to fix these problems.
Access to high-speed Internet
All three parties agree high-speed Internet is essential and want to make sure everyone in the country has access to it. Rural, remote and Indigenous communities are a high priority in this regard. The parties, however, differ in…
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And will the next government modernize the Broadcasting Act?
By Amanda Oye
THE ELECTION MAY have killed Bill C-10, the legislation designed to modernize the Broadcasting Act, but its memory lives on in the pages of the official party platforms released by the Conservatives, the NDP and the Liberals.
All three parties address issues related to the Broadcasting Act and to funding Canadian broadcasting in their platforms. They outline plans to protect Canadian media, tax digital giants, move forward with (or without) CBC/Radio-Canada, and of course, modernize the Broadcasting Act.
Protecting Canadian media
The Conservative party acknowledged there is a crisis in…
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CHATHAM, Ont. — In its latest salvo aimed at the CRTC and its May decision not to lower wholesale Internet rates, independent ISP TekSavvy today issued a press release and an election backgrounder in an effort to rally Canadian voters to visit paylesstoconnect.ca — where they can “demand concrete federal action that will lower monthly internet bills,” the release says.
“In this election, affordability remains top-of-mind for most voters. Recent polling by Abacus Data shows that 64% of Canadians believe the cost of things you use day-to-day have gotten worse over the past 2 years,” the press release reads.
“In another poll conducted by…
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WHITEHORSE — Far north telecom provider Northwestel announced today it has submitted two tariff applications to the CRTC asking for permission to increase the Internet speeds of its most popular residential fibre and cable Internet plans and to also lower the rates of these plans by $10 a month.
A subsidiary of Bell Canada, Northwestel’s Internet packages and rates are regulated by the CRTC and can only be changed with the Commission’s approval.
“The proposed changes would see download and upload speed increases and rate decreases in every residential unlimited Internet plan,” reads a Northwestel press release.
“For example, a residential Internet…
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