OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC has released an “action plan” designed to improve Canadians’ access to current 9-1-1 services and to prepare for a review of next-generation 9-1-1 services.
Next-generation technologies are expected to improve how Canadians communicate with 9-1-1 call centres by enabling them to send text messages, pictures and videos, as well as interact with emergency operators through other means. The CRTC said Wednesday that adoption of these technologies will occur gradually over the next few years, and that it will launch a proceeding in early 2016 to ensure telecommunications service providers’ networks can support new technologies when 9-1-1…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC will be awarded Public Service Awards of Excellence at a ceremony this fall in the areas of Official Languages, Employment Equity and Diversity, and Policy.
The Public Service Award of Excellence recognizes employees who have demonstrated excellence in achieving results for Canadians and who reflect the priorities of the public service, while demonstrating key leadership competencies.
The Commission said Thursday that CRTC employees will receive an award in the Official Languages category for the high degree to which the use of English and French was promoted in all aspects of the CBC/Radio-Canada licence renewal proceeding. Throughout…
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GATINEAU – Quebec lawyer Yves Dupras has been appointed as a full-time member of the CRTC, designated for the Quebec Region, for a five year term effective August 11, 2014.
Dupras has been a senior business and securities lawyer with the Montreal law firm Spiegel Sohmer Inc. since 2010. He has over 30 years of experience in the areas of business, entertainment, media, communications, and strategic and regulatory affairs, and served on the CRTC as a part-time member in 1992 and as a full-time member for the Quebec Region from 1993-1998.
"I am pleased that Mr. Dupras is joining the CRTC…
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ELLIOT LAKE, ON – The DiversityCanada Foundation wants the Governor in Council to quash a section of the Wireless Code of Conduct regarding prepaid wireless service cards, after the CRTC declined to do so.
The Foundation and the National Pensioners Federation submitted a joint petition Monday seeking to overturn a provision in the Code that they say “permits Bell, Rogers, Telus and other wireless providers to place expiry dates on cash held in the accounts of 3.7 million prepaid wireless consumers”.
The petition claims that the CRTC breached its duty of procedural fairness by ignoring evidence that prepaid wireless accounts hold…
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GATINEAU – New entrants and would-be wireless providers find themselves trying to again convince the federal telecom regulator that it needs to intervene in the wireless market. At the same time however, the incumbent operators tell the CRTC everything is working just fine as it is.
The comments come as the CRTC is studying the wholesale wireless services market with the goal of determining if the market is competitive enough or whether it needs to impose more regulations on roaming, tower and site sharing and others. All interventions can be found here. The public hearing is scheduled for September…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Cable companies reported modest growth in revenues and subscribers in 2013, while satellite companies recorded a decline in both categories, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released Thursday.
According to Broadcast Distribution 2009–2013: Cable, Multipoint Distribution Systems and Direct-to-Home, combined revenues for both cable and satellite companies increased by 4.8% from $14.1 billion in 2012 to $14.8 billion in 2013. The total number of subscribers, (which includes customers subscribed to IPTV services such as Bell’s Fibe TV or Telus’ Optik TV, but excludes independent cable companies with less than 2,000 subs and who…
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TORONTO and GATINEAU – Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. has lobbed pretty serious accusations at VMedia Inc., alleging the company is using the public Internet to deliver TV services and that it’s distributing unauthorized foreign services to its subscribers. VMedia says ECGL has all it all wrong.
Now though, the CRTC has decided to hear more fully from both parties. In a letter posted on its website on May 5, the Commission has removed VMedia’s applications for additional BDU services in several Atlantic Canadian markets as well some in Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan, as well as a national video on…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Two-thirds of Canadians would prefer a basic cable service that is the lowest price possible, and more than half prefer to ‘pick a pack’ of television channels rather than ‘pick and pay’. That’s according to the results of the Let's Talk TV Choicebook questionnaire, released Thursday by the CRTC.
In total, more than 6,300 people filled out the interactive questionnaire issued in February as the second phase of the Let’s Talk TV initiative.
A self-selected group of Canadians undertook the Choicebook process by going to a public site, encouraged to visit through outreach and advertising by the CRTC…
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OTTAWA – GATINEAU – Canadian specialty, pay, PPV and VOD television services generated revenues of $4.09 billion in 2013, an increase of 3.1% over the $3.97 billion earned the previous year, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial report for this sector released Wednesday.
For the broadcast year ended August 31, 2013, national advertising revenues for this group increased by 2.8% over 2012 to $1.27 billion, and subscriber revenues exceeded $2.7 billion.
Revenues for these television services have climbed by an annual average of 7% over the past five years, to surpass $4 billion in 2013 for the first time. During…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC last week unveiled an ambitious three-year plan that lists its priorities as modernizing the regulatory framework for the Canadian broadcasting system, improving access to advanced and competitive communication services, strengthening the security and safety of Canadians through the communication system, and building a high-performing organization.
Those initiatives are among a number of goals that the Commission has outlined for completion during 2014-17 under the pillars of “connect,” “create”, “protect”, and “management excellence.”
The CRTC added that its shorter term activities include a public consultation on the television system and initiating a review of the basic telecommunications…
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