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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And why there’s much more to rural connectivity than funding
By Lynn Greiner
AN ADDITIONAL $1.75 BILLION for rural broadband, which the federal government announced this month, is certainly a good step, albeit delayed, in the right direction. But, it’s not enough.
“It’s not a silver bullet,” said Telus vice-president telecom policy and chief regulatory legal counsel Stephen Schmidt during the Canadian Telecom Summit’s annual Regulatory Blockbuster session on Wednesday. “It won’t work on its own… In our view, complementary spectrum policy reform is an essential companion piece that will ensure that the networks that get built with or without public…
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By Denis Carmel
ROBERT GHIZ, THE Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) president and CEO gave a strong speech at the virtual Telecom Summit on Wednesday focusing on the importance of the wireless industry and its contribution to Canadian economy and the role Canadian carriers continue to play in the pandemic.
“We are among world leaders in 4G network performance,” he said. “Opensignal’s benchmarking report earlier this year found that Canadians not only enjoy the fastest download speeds in North America, but the fastest in the world.”
Also, “a study commissioned by the U.S. industry association CTIA, looked at how the U.S….
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FORT ERIE, Ont. — In an application posted Tuesday to the CRTC’s website, radio station owner Byrnes Communications is asking that a condition of licence, related to the broadcasting of local news content, be removed from the licence of its CFLZ FM station in Fort Erie, Ont.
Burlington, Ont.-based Byrnes Communications acquired CFLZ FM (along with CJED FM in Niagara Falls) from Vista Radio in February 2018, and “inherited a legacy Condition of Licence (COL) placed on CFLZ FM over a decade prior,” reads Byrnes’ supplementary brief to its application.
The COL in question (condition #3) states: “During each broadcast week,…
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TORONTO — While applauding the federal government’s decision to increase funding available through its Universal Broadband Fund to $1.75 billion, independent service provider Distributel today said now it’s time for the CRTC to enforce its 2019 wholesale rate decision to create certainty for independents and stimulate investment and innovation (something fellow independent TekSavvy is also advocating).
Enforcement of the 2019 decision will not only establish rate certainty, it will provide independents with a retroactive overpayment refund which Distributel says it “will use predominantly to accelerate efforts to expand rural broadband and invest in other innovative initiatives that…
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By Denis Carmel
TORONTO – It’s difficult for the head of regulatory agency to offer some interesting speech tidbits since what we want to hear, he cannot address because it is under review and so what he can talk about, we already know.
Just two weeks ago, chair of the CRTC Ian Scott gave a speech at the ISP Summit which was, in terms of news, a little thin and Tuesday he spoke at the Telecom Summit with little more information.
We were very interested in the consumer protection issues. Such as hearing about the number of Covid-19 scam-related complaints. The…
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GATINEAU — Having already extended the deadline once for submissions to its proceeding regarding the appropriate network and service configurations for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access (HSA) services, the CRTC says it won’t delay the proceeding further by agreeing to add procedural steps requested by the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC).
The Commission launched the proceeding in June, and then revised the deadlines in July, making interventions due by October 5 and replies due by December 7, 2020.
However, on November 2, CNOC sent a letter to the CRTC asking for a Commission order to address alleged instances of…
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