The CRTC has approved an application by the Chetwynd Communications Society (CCS) for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language low-power community TV station in Chetwynd, B.C.
The CCS, a not-for-profit organization, had continuously held a licence to operate the station, CHET-DT, from 1997 to 2020, at which point the licence expired and was not renewed due to an administrative error. The new licence approved Monday by the CRTC will expire Aug. 31, 2030.
CHET-DT will continue to operate on channel 28 with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 21 watts (a directional…
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The CRTC has asked the Canadian Telecommunications Contribution Consortium (CTCC) — which oversees the operations of the commission’s National Contribution Fund (NCF) — to provide information on whether or not the proposed changes to the NCF’s collection practices put forward by Rogers in a Part 1 application are administratively viable.
In its June application, Rogers asked that the CRTC direct the Central Fund Administrator (CFA) to suspend requests for new contributions that support the commission’s $750-million Broadband Fund while instead drawing down contributors’ uncalled funds — amounts telecommunication service providers (TSPs) must be ready…
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The CRTC via an Aug. 12 letter is asking telecommunication service providers (TSPs), as well as intervenors, for their input on a potential increase to the $10-million revenue threshold for participation in the commission’s National Contribution Fund (NCF) and payment of annual telecom fees.
An April 2024 application by the Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) had requested the revenue threshold be increased from $10 million to $25 million. Large telecoms, including Bell, Quebecor, Telus and Rogers, have argued against the increase, while the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) and the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Shaw Rocket Fund is asking the CRTC to rule that Rogers must continue funding the Certified Independent Production Fund (CIPF) through to the next licence renewal period or hold a public consultation on its intention to cut off payments at the end of this month.
The fund, which bankrolls children’s programming, has been receiving $2.2 million in tangible benefits spread over seven years (around $300,000 annually) from the cable giant as a condition of its purchase of Shaw’s broadcasting assets, which was approved by the CRTC in 2022. At issue is the approximately $4.7…
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The CRTC is looking to hire a contractor to gather data about telecom and TV retail sales practices using secret shoppers as part of the regulator’s ongoing assessment of misleading or aggressive sales practices in the communications services sector.
This new secret shopper project is to continue the work already undertaken on behalf of the CRTC in 2019-2020 and 2021-2022. The commission’s primary research objective is to gain a better understanding of how front-line employees of service providers sell communications services and how consumers experience the sales process.
The CRTC’s…
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By Monica Auer, executive director of the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC)
Parliament established the CRTC in 1968 to implement a new Broadcasting Policy for Canada and added telecommunications to its responsibilities in 1975. The CRTC must follow this and other legislation, such as the Accessible Canada Act and other requirements of other federal departments. In 2024, for example, the Treasury Board issued a Trust and Transparency Strategy setting out three strategic objectives for government departments and agencies such as the commission: transparency, accountability and public participation.
The Treasury Board describes “transparency” as the availability…
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The CRTC has approved the change in ownership of two AM radio stations in Montreal — French-language CFNV (AM940) and English-language CFQR (CFQR 600).
The stations are being sold by 7954689 Canada Inc., a privately owned radio broadcasting company controlled by Nicholas Tétrault, Rajiv Pancholy and Paul Tietolman, to Ronald Richards Realty Inc. (RRRI), which is wholly owned by Ronald Richards. RRRI is in fact acquiring all of the shares of 7954689 through the transaction and, as the sole shareholder, Richards will exercise effective control of the two radio stations.
After the CRTC’s…
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By Connie Thiessen
The CRTC has issued a follow-up decision approving a number of Certified Independent Production Funds (CIPFs) to receive contributions from online streaming services.
The approvals – which include applications from the Bell Fund, the Independent Production Fund, and the Telus Fund – follows the commission’s 2024 decision on base contributions under the Online Streaming Act, requiring certain audio-visual online undertakings to contribute five per cent of their Canadian revenues as a base contribution to support the Canadian broadcasting system.
That decision outlined that the new funding stream be directed to areas of immediate need, including producers from official language minority communities (OLMCs) and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell said Thursday it has agreed to sell its home security and monitored alarm assets, in a transaction that aligns with its efforts to focus on its core businesses.
The transaction to Toronto-based a.p.i Alarm Inc. is part of a strategy of focusing on its telecommunications, enterprise solutions and media businesses, the company said Thursday. Closing is expected in the second half of this year.
The deal, whose top-end value is estimated at $170 million, comes nearly eight years after it purchased Alarm Force for $166 million – a move that it said would boost its…
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Eastlink says it is suspending planned upgrades
By Ahmad Hathout
The federal government will not send back the CRTC’s decision to allow the three largest telecommunications companies to ride on the internet networks of others, pointing to competition and lower costs.
“Canada’s new government has a strong mandate to bring costs down and to build one, strong, Canadian economy – one that aligns with our core values as a nation,” Industry Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement late Wednesday.
“According to the policy direction, the CRTC is responsible for considering how its decisions affect all forms of competition and investment, as well…
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