Includes $20.5 million from CRTC Broadband Fund and $41 million from UBF and CTI program; plus more construction announced for SWIFT projects
GATINEAU, OTTAWA, MANITOBA and SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO — The CRTC and the federal and Ontario governments all made separate announcements today about government-funded projects to improve Internet access or mobile wireless services in rural communities across the country.
The CRTC announced 10 projects will receive up to $20.5 million in funding from the Commission’s Broadband Fund, which will potentially benefit 3,625 households in 46 communities, including 16 Indigenous communities, in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and…
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OTTAWA — The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) announced today telecom services provider MySignal.ca Solutions Inc. is in violation of a mandatory CRTC order to join the CCTS and participate in its complaints-handling process.
MySignal.ca provides Internet, phone and TV services in Canada, and must participate in the CCTS as a regulatory requirement.
After receiving a customer complaint about MySignal.ca in March 2018, the CCTS notified the company of its regulatory obligation to join the organization. Having made repeated attempts to sign MySignal.ca up without success, the CCTS referred the matter to the CRTC in June 2018.
“After a public…
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Parliament’s intent was to give CRTC broad powers, court says
By Ahmad Hathout
THE FEDERAL COURT OF APPEAL denied an application by Groupe TVA on Wednesday, which challenged the CRTC’s authority to regulate economic disputes between parties after the regulator forced TVA to continue supplying Bell with its sports channel signal in 2019 despite a disagreement on the financial terms of the arrangement.
In April 2019, on the first night of the NHL playoffs, TVA owner Quebecor cut the signal of its TVA Sports channel to Bell viewers because it felt the terms of distribution were unfair. Since the original agreement in…
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OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada announced today the provisional results of the 3500 MHz auction, which earned a total of $8.91 billion.
The auction began in June and concluded July 23. Winning bidders have until August 13 to submit 20% of their final payment and until October 4 to submit the remaining 80%. The money will be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund administered by the Receiver General of Canada, according to an ISED press release.
In total, 15 Canadian companies were awarded 1,495 licences, 757 of which went to small and regional players.
“Results of the…
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GATINEAU, QC – The federal government launched a public consultation today into its proposed approach for addressing harmful content online, which includes a last resort mechanism that would allow for court orders to be used to require telecommunication service providers to block repeatedly offending sites.
The consultation is part of the government’s commitment “to taking concrete action to combat serious forms of harmful online content, specifically hate speech, terrorist content, content that incites violence, child sexual exploitation content and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images,” according to a government press release.
The public is being asked to consider and comment on a…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC announced today it will not regulate access to fibre in-building wire (IBW) in multi-dwelling units (MDUs) across the country, stating it found “that access to fibre IBW is not an essential service.”
This decision was outlined in Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2021-239, which follows a public proceeding announced in December 2019.
The notice of consultation itself followed a series of decisions and statements on the issue of fibre IBW in MDUs starting in 2018 when Cloudwifi, an independent ISP, alleged Bell disconnected its customers at two Ontario properties where the company had been using Bell fibre…
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Bureau notes past Shaw comments about its influence in the market
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau has asked the Federal Court to compel the disclosure of records from four telecoms related to its inquiry into the proposed purchase of Shaw by Rogers.
The competition watchdog filed the first in a possible series of document requests on July 22, which, if approved, will force Bell, Telus, Quebecor, and Xplornet (respondents) to disclose related information on mobile wireless activity in the shared operating provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Manitoba, and outside.
That information, which falls roughly within the timeframe between…
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MONTREAL — Cogeco Connexion, the Canadian cable subsidiary of Cogeco Communications, announced today it has appointed Nancy Audette as vice-president and general manager for the Quebec region, effective today.
Most recently, Audette (above) was vice-president and general manager of Fido Mobile, a position she held since 2016.
With more than 25 years of experience in Quebec and internationally, Audette has served in several senior management and executive roles in sales, marketing and operations in companies such as Transcontinental (TC) Media, Rogers Communications and Microcell. Her international telecom experience includes working with Telesystem International Wireless (TIW), in Brazil, Czech Republic and Morocco.
“I am…
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GATINEAU – OUTtv, Canada’s only specialty service dedicated to LGBTQ2+ communities, submitted a letter to the CRTC this week, replying to interventions submitted on its licence renewal application and calling out Rogers and Bell for using double-standards.
“Regrettably, while claiming to support OUTtv’s service, programming and mandate to serve and reflect LGBTQ2+ communities, both companies are opposed to OUTtv’s request to ensure that OUTtv is widely offered to Canadians and properly compensated by a fair and adequate wholesale fee,” the letter reads.
OUTtv’s renewal application requests a distribution order that would require Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings (BDUs) to carry OUTtv both on…
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OTTAWA — The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) announced yesterday it has terminated the participation of SkyChoice Communications Inc. for a series of breaches and for not responding to multiple contact attempts from the CCTS to fix those breaches.
The CRTC requires all Canadian telecommunication service providers participate in the CCTS complaint-handling process.
Oakville, Ont.-based SkyChoice Communications, a provider of Internet, TV and home phone services, has participated in the CCTS since October 2017.
The CCTS says the breaches committed by SkyChoice include: failure to implement a binding CCTS recommendation; failure to cooperate in the CCTS process and abide…
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