GATINEAU — The CRTC today launched a new consultation on its proposed network-level blocking framework to limit botnet traffic and strengthen Canadians’ online safety.
Botnets are harmful networks of malware-infected computers which are under the control of a malicious actor and are known to facilitate some of the most damaging cyber attacks, including ransomware and identity theft. Botnets also enable spam distribution and distributed denial-of-service attacks.
“Malicious botnet attacks are a serious and recurring concern. Almost every week, we see another organization victimized by ransomware or hear of a fellow citizen lured in by a phishing scam. With the launch of…
Continue Reading
By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL — This week, the CRTC began a two-week hearing into the renewal of CBC/Radio-Canada’s licences, a process which began more than a year ago. There will be days of questioning, dozens of intervenors appearing, and discussions of everything from children’s programming to the fees for CBC News Network to diversity, local news, online distribution and official minority communities.
But one thing that probably won’t be discussed is a service the public broadcaster is specifically required by legislation to provide, relatively few know about, but that the company has seemingly treated like a forgotten stepchild: Radio Canada International.
Last…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU — High costs, frequent network outages and slow speeds are the main complaints from Northern Canadians who expressed dissatisfaction with their home Internet service in focus groups and surveys conducted by Environics Research for a report released today by the CRTC.
The report was commissioned as part of the CRTC’s review of its regulatory framework for far north provider Northwestel and the state of telecommunications services in Canada’s North, a proceeding that was launched in early November.
Environics’ research was conducted between September and October 2020 and gathered information from residents in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) on Friday submitted a Part 1 application to the CRTC asking for “an expedited and temporary resale remedy for competitive access to incumbent fibre-to-the-premises facilities.”
CNOC says it’s making the application because it has been more than five years since the Commission’s last wholesale wireline review resulted in its CRTC 2015-326 decision in July 2015 that “promised service-based competition over Incumbent FTTP access facilities,” CNOC says — a promise it notes has yet to be fulfilled.
“Without a viable wholesale FTTP option, competition in the provision of retail broadband services, which…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU — The CRTC today announced it is extending the deadlines for interventions and replies to its radio policy framework review proceeding.
In its updated notice of consultation (CRTC 2020-374-1), the Commission says it decided to extend the deadlines after receiving a joint procedural request from several associations representing the music sector.
The deadline to submit interventions is now March 29, 2021. The deadline for replies is April 28, 2021.
Continue Reading
GATINEAU — In two separate decisions issued today, the CRTC concluded it doesn’t need to take any enforcement action against several telecommunications service providers who at one point had failed to become participants in the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS), because either they are now CCTS participants or they have stopped providing services.
In Telecom Decision CRTC 2021-2, the Commission says it determined Rafiki Technologies committed a violation of the Telecommunications Act by failing to become a participant in the CCTS, but since it became a CCTS participant in August 2020 (almost two years after the CCTS…
Continue Reading
Can the Commission regulate the CBC’s digital activities?
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Monday will mark the beginning of the renewal hearing of the CBC/Radio-Canada broadcasting licences, which was originally scheduled to start on May 25, 2020.
The original deadline for interventions (after the CBC received an administrative renewal in August 2019) was February 13, 2020, later moved to February 20, after putting on the public record a report the CRTC had commissioned: Harnessing public broadcasting for Canadians in the digital age: International benchmark study for the CRTC.
Finally, in June 2020, the hearing date was set and announced to be held at…
Continue Reading
Cosentino, Pearce, Goldstein out, among several others
By Steve Faguy
TORONTO – New Bell Media chief Wade Oosterman wasted no time remaking the senior leadership of Bell Media, instituting major changes one day after the departure of his predecessor Randy Lennox.
Citing the need for “a more streamlined structure,” Oosterman Tuesday announced a shuffling of the executives that includes the departure of several long-term Bell Media execs, including Mike Cosentino, president of content and programming, and Tracey Pearce, president of distribution and pay, according to a memo obtained by Cartt.ca. Kevin Goldstein, vice-president of regulatory affairs, was also caught in today’s cuts.
Other…
Continue Reading
Conditions for government help for broadcasters stricter than for producers
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On November 30, 2020, the minister of finance, Chrystia Freeland, announced in her economic statement that broadcasters would see their payment of Part II CRTC fees waived for the current year.
Broadcasters had until December 1, to pay them. Many had already paid but measures were taken to reimburse them Cartt.ca has heard from sources.
On December 14th, the Order in Council to formalize this measure was issued and the criteria were made public. The CRTC issued a notice to broadcasters on December 15.
“The remission…
Continue Reading
CRTC says okay to expedited process
GATINEAU – Independent ISP Primus has filed an application to the CRTC to be granted relief of a Bell Canada rate increase for its unbundled local loops (ULLs) that is slated to come into effect on January 1, 2021.
Primus also asked the Commission require Bell Canada to maintain the rates it currently charges Primus for ULLs for a duration of 12 months, in order to allow Primus to migrate the customers it serves via ULLs to an alternative service.
Primus had an agreement with Bell since December 31, 2016, until January 1, 2021.
On October 9,…
Continue Reading
