MARKHAM, Ont. – Versant Solutions Group today announced that Mediacom Communications, a top-10 U.S. cable operator, has selected its NetVersant automated network design solution, and is set to commence deployment in early 2021.
The NetVersant Design solution will allow Mediacom to run multiple design scenarios to produce technically compliant, cost-optimized preliminary designs for access network upgrades “in hours and days rather than weeks and months,” reads the press release. “NetVersant Design delivers significant time and cost savings to operators by using software-based automation to do what it’s best at, while maximizing the effectiveness of their valuable network planners and engineers.”
“We…
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TORONTO – ACTRA National announced today the hiring of Raj Shoan as general counsel, effective February 16, 2021.
Shoan “brings with him a solid understanding of Canada’s regulatory framework after having spent the past 18+ years working in our broadcasting, telecommunications, and entertainment sectors,” reads the announcement sent to members from ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) executive director Marie Kelly. “Raj’s extensive knowledge of entertainment law and regulatory policy and compliance will help support our union’s objective of improving the working lives of Canadian professional performers.”
Shoan held various roles with the CRTC over the years, including…
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By Doug Bingley
AS A RADIO BROADCASTER, I’ve seen governments and their policies to support Canadian culture come and go. The formation of the CRTC in 1968 ushered in an era where a key goal was to ensure Canadian artists and Canadian content creators receive the exposure they deserve.
Creating and supporting Canadian content remains an important part of the work I do today, through the three stations I own in Ontario. I am proud of the creative output of our talented staff; I see how important our stations have become to the communities we serve, and equally important, how we…
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By Etan Vlessing
OTTAWA – As Canada hopes to modernize its broadcasting laws via Bill C-10, CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Catherine Tait (right) and CMPA president and CEO Reynolds Mastin (left) on Tuesday debated how best to steer U.S. streaming dollars to Canadian content production without forcing local indie producers to give up their intellectual property rights – and Canada its cultural sovereignty.
And the solution both industry execs agreed on after touching on Hollywood scenarios involving France, Lionsgate founder Frank Giustra and I May Destroy You creator Michaela Coel standing up to Netflix was for the Canadian TV industry…
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But captures much of it anyway, and that’s a big problem
By Len St-Aubin
BILL C-10’s GOAL IS TO engage online streamers with Canadian creators in the production of Canadian stories for Canadian and global audiences. To do that, Bill C-10 proposes to modernize the Broadcasting Act by sweeping-in online (internet) audio and video.
The rationale is the impact of growing competition from unregulated internet audio and video on the regulated ‘broadcasting system’, as outlined in the report of the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Policy Review (BTLR) Panel.
The first article in this series showed how Bill C-10 is problematic for Canadian broadcasting,…
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GATINEAU — While renewing the broadcasting licence for Bell Media’s AM radio station CKGM Montreal (TSN 690) today, the Commission denied Bell’s request to reduce the amount of local programming the station broadcasts each week.
TSN 690 wanted to cut its local programming from 96 hours to 63 hours per broadcast week. The sports station’s condition of licence regarding local programming dates back to 2013 when the Commission approved Bell’s acquisition of Astral Media’s broadcasting undertakings, which included Montreal radio stations CJAD, CHOM-FM and CJFM-FM Montreal. Bell already owned CKGM Montreal, and in approving Bell’s acquisition of Astral Media’s stations,…
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But, Ajax/Pickering in Ontario lacks capacity to support a new station
GATINEAU — In two separate decisions released today, the CRTC has decided the community of Salt Spring Island (located about 85 km west of downtown Vancouver and 50 km north of Victoria) has the market capacity to sustain a new radio station, but the market of Ajax and Pickering (located east of Toronto) cannot support the addition of a station at this time.
Salt Spring Island (pop. 10,500) currently has no radio station of its own. The region is reached by various radio services serving Vancouver and Victoria. The only…
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GATINEAU — In a letter issued February 8, the CRTC has told Bell Canada and payphone operators SDI Telecom and AFX Communications (now defunct) that it will not step in to settle an ongoing dispute over toll-free call compensation.
In September 2020, in an application to the CRTC, Bell accused SDI Telecom of making illegitimate toll-free calls to inflate its billing charges to Bell, and asked the Commission to allow Bell to withhold payment of the disputed charges. Similarly, in August 2020, Bell had accused AFX Communications of doing the same thing and sought permission from the Commission…
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OTTAWA — The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is asking the CRTC again for public disclosure of confidential information submitted by Canadian wireless service providers to the Commission regarding the number of unauthorized mobile telephone number transfers (ports) and SIM swaps that have occurred within their services.
Starting January 11, 2021, wireless service providers (WSPs) have been required by the Commission to file monthly data regarding the occurrences of SIM swapping. (Cartt.ca has written before about the issue of SIM-swap fraud, or wireless number porting fraud.)
A Commission letter on December 22, 2020, required mobile carriers to provide, for…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Bill C-10 and other forthcoming federal government legislation was top of mind for Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault on Monday when he participated in a question-and-answer session at the Canadian Media Producers Association’s (CMPA’s) first virtual Prime Time conference.
He explained that in promoting diversity under C-10, which received first reading in the House of Commons last November and would amend the Broadcasting Act, the government will among other things, in a policy directive to the CRTC, ask the regulatory body to “incentivize the role of racialized minorities and Indigenous people in key creative positions”…
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