“If you think it’s right, just keep at it”
COLETTE WATSON IS ONE of the most accomplished Canadian broadcasters in history and despite her voluntary departure from Rogers earlier this year, she’s not done.
Watson (above) left her position as senior vice-president of television and broadcast operations in June and left behind a legacy of success. Recent wins included her team’s successful lobbying of the CRTC to let vertically-integrated companies move funds from community TV to over-the-air TV (which, along with cost-cutting, made CityTV profitable again), and shocking many by winning OMNI Television a new must-carry licence, securing its future.
These were…
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Multiple funds, lack of co-ordination, remains a strumbling block
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Funding from Indigenous Services Canada for broadband on reserves has been limited because connectivity objectives often compete with other priority projects, such as energy, roads and bridges, according to the ministry.
The federal government also hasn’t targeted funding to ISC’s First Nation Infrastructure Fund specifically for those broadband objectives in federal budgets 2016, 2018 or 2019, the ministry said in response to an order paper question from Conservative MP Cathy McLeod of Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.
“While connectivity projects are eligible for funding from the First Nation Infrastructure Fund, they often receive…
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By Doug Barrett
FOR SOMEONE AS QUEASY as me worrying major chunks of the Canadian broadcasting system might end up in the hands of foreign owners, Denis Carmel’s article (Will Bill C-10 do away with Canadian Ownership?) last week was not particularly reassuring.
Mr. Carmel quoted a statement provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage which said:
“The Bill makes no changes regarding the requirements for Canadian ownership and control of traditional broadcasters. The CRTC will continue to license traditional broadcasters. Only Canadian individuals, companies and organizations, as defined in the Direction to the CRTC on the Ineligibility of Non-Canadians, will…
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Why only MVNOs can check the market power of the incumbents (Part Two)
By Tim Denton
THE SECOND MAJOR PORTION of the MacDonald-Menzies argument (part one can be read here) against mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) is what I call the transmission argument. It holds that, by preventing conditions that would allow effective MVNOs, the profits left in the large carriers will be translated into investment in less profitable or unprofitable rural and remote broadband access.
Why would any rational capitalist organization reduce its return on investment to satisfy the distributive goals of the Canadian state? In various times, management of…
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HALIFAX — Develop Nova Scotia, a Crown corporation responsible for developing and implementing a strategy to provide high-speed Internet access across the province, today announced the expansion of several existing contracts for Internet for Nova Scotia Initiative projects, which will provide access to an additional 6,700 homes and businesses.
Projects associated with these scope expansions will reduce the number of remaining unserved or underserved homes and businesses by more than half, says Develop Nova Scotia’s press release. The contract extensions are for project agreements with ISPs Mainland Telecom and Bell Canada which will provide connections to approximately 30…
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TORONTO — In an unprecedented move, a coalition of former CBC management executives, journalists, producers and other employees have sent a letter to the public broadcaster’s board of directors asking them to end CBC’s Tandem, a “dedicated service for branded content” which the letter writers say produces advertising indistinguishable from journalism.
According to a press release issued today by the former employees, the CBC board has agreed to discuss the new Tandem venture at a meeting on Wednesday with CBC president Catherine Tait and vice-president Barb Williams.
Among the former CBC employees who have signed the letter to the board…
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By Tim Denton
CHRIS MACDONALD, UNTIL RECENTLY a commissioner of the CRTC, and Peter Menzies, former vice-chairman of telecom at the same agency, recently published a paper called Building Internet Access is Job 1. We think it is a useful contribution to public discussion of matters of national importance. There is much that the Internet Society likes. Before we get on to the subject of mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) – where we differ – we want to set forth our agreements of several large issues.
Its central thesis is regulation involves bargains where various conflicting objectives must be balanced.
Decision-makers…
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GATINEAU — Telus has applied to the CRTC to have its broadcasting distribution undertaking in Rimouski, Que., currently operating under exemption, to be added to its regional licence for operating terrestrial BDU services in Quebec.
Telus’s Rimouski undertaking has completed two consecutive years of serving more than 21,000 subscribers and is therefore required to be re-licensed, says the company’s Part 1 application dated November 11 and posted to the Commission’s website today.
“Telus wishes to amend the current licence for its Regional Licence for various locations in Quebec to once again include the serving area of Rimouski, Quebec. Telus requests…
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Not so fast, say opposition members
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In second reading debate Wednesday and Thursday, on Bill C-10, the amendments to the Broadcasting Act, many issues were debated but we noted that the minister of Canadian Heritage wanted to proceed rapidly.
“Divisions only benefit large multi-billion dollar companies, not our constituents. That is why I am urging all members of the House to work together constructively and ensure that this important bill passes through second reading hastily, so that the committee can start doing its important work to amend, improve and move forward,” said Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault.
He got…
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By Greg O’Brien
TORONTO – While pleased to see some recent positive signs from the federal government which may help preserve traditional local media like TV and radio stations, Bell Media’s Nikki Moffat told delegates of the Canadian Telecom Summit on Thursday more needs to happen, more quickly.
The president, radio and local TV and SVP finance decried how huge foreign media streaming giants, which “don’t pay tax” are driving down revenues and consumption of Canadian media. “The result of these global entrants is driving down consumption of domestic video (which) went from 83% in 2011 and now eight years…
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