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
By Denis Carmel
GATNIEAU – In a wholesale regime, competitor Quality of Service (QoS) is an important factor to ensure the incumbents provide a consistent level of quality for processes associated with installations and repairs so competitors receive a level of service which enables them to compete effectively and to provide service to their end users efficiently.
With the ability for the Commission to issue administrative penalties, the focus is now on measuring and reporting rather than relying on complaints and imposing rate rebates.
The Commission had determined that the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) Business Process Working Group was the best…
Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Late in 2019, in following up its universal service objective decision, the CRTC decided to study the barriers to building new facilities or to accessing or interconnecting with existing facilities in order to extend broadband networks more efficiently into underserved areas, including areas where, due to a lack of such networks, speeds don’t meet the service objectives.
Of course, in March 2020, the pandemic hit, and a vast number of Canadians went home to work, becoming completely dependent on their home’s high-speed Internet to continue work and school. Access to high-speed Internet rapidly became a political…
Continue Reading
Survey also says Canadians wants new wholesale rates upheld
By Ahmad Hathout
As the Supreme Court weighs whether to hear an incumbent appeal in the wholesale rate case, the Competitive Operators Network Consortium (CNOC) has released a survey that finds 89 per cent of Canadians think the new rates should be implemented.
Last month, the country’s largest telecom companies filed an appeal to the highest court in the land against a decision by the Federal Court of Appeal that dismissed its case against new, lower internet rates small providers pay for network space from the bigger service providers.
The incumbents have fought…
Continue Reading
Those who thought the 13-day CBC licencing hearing would be boring, think again.
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – In an addendum to the Notice of Hearing on the renewal of the CBC’s broadcast licences, issued on December 18, the CRTC voiced its irritation at the Corporation in a rather terse manner.
“The Commission is dissatisfied with the Corporation’s reply. It is important for the Commission to have the necessary information to consider how the Corporation is, through its programming, reflecting the circumstances and aspirations of all members of Canadian society. The Commission intends to question the Corporation on these issues at the…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Bell Canada today expanded on its plan simplify the process for service providers needing access to aerial infrastructure (poles, mostly) in Québec.
The company has been sharply criticized from many corners for the slow, onerous processes network builders must navigate in order to attach wires and other gear to Bell poles. This year the company has acknowledged this is a problem and pledged to make changes.
The issue of support structures (on a national basis) is also the subject of a full CRTC proceeding.
Service providers, says today’s announcement, “will now be able to conduct…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – In the ongoing dispute between Bell subsidiary Cablevision and Vidéotron about who should bear the cost of points of interconnection (POIs) upgrades in Rouyn-Noranda and Val d’Or, in northwestern Québec, Cablevision filed its submission on December 14 and Vidéotron responded on December 16.
Cablevision denies any wrongdoing and asserts it only applied the CRTC approved tariffs relevant to the case, saying that networks updates costs should be borne by Cablevision, but changes to interconnection equipment should be paid by competitors. It would even envisage that with new competitors coming into the market, Cablevision would charge the new…
Continue Reading
