By Mel Cohen
THE CRTC REVERSED ITSELF last Thursday, declaring that it erred in 2019 when it set lower rates for wholesale customers of the major telephone and cable companies. Wholesale customers are the dozens of smaller companies that compete with the majors and each other to provide internet services used every day by Canadian homes and businesses.
They are companies you might know – Distributel, Primus, and other members of the Competitive Network Operators of Canada. The consequence of the CRTC decision is that Canadians will soon pay higher prices to use the internet.
What is particularly frustrating about this…
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MARKHAM, Ont. — Yet another independent ISP says it is being forced to halt network investments it hoped to make due to the CRTC’s decision last month not to lower Internet wholesale rates, with Markham, Ont.-based CIK Telecom announcing last week it is not going ahead at this time with a $300-million fibre network project which it announced in January.
When CIK Telecom announced the Markham project, it said it was “anticipating that the CRTC will lower the wholesale rates and expecting the incumbents to refund the overcharges retroactively to third-party internet providers dated back from April 2016…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC this week opened a new proceeding asking anyone interested to comment on whether there is a need for a three-digit number, such as the 9-8-8 three-digit code in the United States, for a national mental health crisis and suicide prevention service.
For what it’s worth, this is almost sure to happen, however, “the CRTC is examining the advantages, challenges and costs associated with the deployment of this three-digit number,” says its announcement. This is something mental health advocates and the federal government is already backing.
The Commission is seeking answers to the following questions:
Should…
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Report says putting Corus and Bell together would strengthen Canadian industry
By Greg O’Brien
WITH DIGITAL PLAYERS already claiming the bulk of the revenue and a huge swath of viewing time in Canada, Bell Media and Corus Entertainment must come together if they are to survive amid the growing presence of global streaming players, according to a new report from Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan.
The report gets to the point in its title: “More Canadian Media Consolidation is Necessary and Inevitable.”
Noting American telcos have recently abandoned their content dreams of late because they need the cash and resources to feed 5G…
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USING GOOGLE’S OFFICIAL CANADA blog, Jeanette Patell, head of public policy for YouTube Canada, posted a statement today about Bill C-10, the bill which would modernize the Broadcasting Act, in which she says the company supports the federal government’s goal of modernizing broadcasting and promoting Canadian artists, but adds concern about the potential negative impact of such legislation on YouTube’s Canadian creators.
In the blog post, titled “A Note on Bill C-10: Standing with Canadian creators and their fans”, Patell writes: “Making sure that people can find and enjoy all of this quality Canadian content is a big priority…
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MONTREAL — In a press release on Wednesday, Quebecor’s Videotron couldn’t resist taking a jab at Bell subsidiary Cablevision du Nord de Quebec which was ordered by the CRTC the previous day to pay for router upgrades in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of western Quebec to add capacity to its third-party Internet access (TPIA) service which Videotron wants to use as it expands services in the region.
On Tuesday, the Commission also denied Cablevision’s September 2020 application to withdraw its 50 Mbps downstream/5 Mbps upstream (50/5) service plan, because the Commission said it considered the application to be “premature”.
“he…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC announced today it has approved an application by Stingray Group to change the broadcaster’s Stingray Hits channel into a French-language service.
When the CRTC issued a licence in March 2020 for the previously exempt Stingray Hits channel, it was designated as an English-language discretionary service by the Commission.
In January 2021, Stingray submitted an application to amend Stingray Hits’s licence (which expires August 31, 2025) so it would be designated as a French-language service. Stingray indicated its intention was always to offer Stingray Hits as a pop music video clip service for the Francophone market.
In approving the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The federal government has heard rural broadband stakeholders that download speeds of 50 Mbps may already be insufficient and that federal programs are falling short of their needs, according to notes Cartt.ca obtained from a roundtable held in late January.
The roundtable was hosted on January 29 by Minister of Rural Economic Development Maryam Monsef and touched on major areas of concern for connectivity in rural regions. The participants were not named in the notes.
“The 50/10 standard will soon be eclipsed by the need for additional speed and capacity, if it hasn’t been already,” the meeting…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – The CRTC requires a reassessment of its role as a telecom regulator following its decision last week to reverse its 2019 decision to set lower wholesale broadband rates for third-party internet access providers, NDP telecommunications critic Brian Masse told Cartt.ca during a news conference on Tuesday.
“There is such a variance amongst the predictabilities necessary for a modern administrator that it requires a review,” he said. “The leadership has undermined itself.”
However, the Windsor West MP stopped short of joining several independent ISPs who called for Scott’s removal as CRTC chief.
“He’s put himself in…
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WOODSTOCK, Ont. — Saying it is surprised and disappointed by the CRTC’s decision last week to overturn its August 2019 ruling to lower wholesale Internet rates, independent carrier Execulink Telecom said today it is now considering its next steps in the wake of the Commission’s decision.
“At this time, Execulink is evaluating its market and pricing strategy in light of the CRTC’s new regulatory direction that inhibits competitor success, and the outcome for its customers,” reads the company’s press release.
After the Commission originally decided in 2019 to lower the wholesale fees independent ISPs have to pay the large incumbents,…
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