GATINEAU – The CRTC today launched its review into its policies governing the traditional radio sectors and is asking Canadians for their thoughts on the AM/FM slice of electronic media.
It wants to hear about Canadians’ “listening habits, behaviours and views,” says today’s press release.
“This information will help the CRTC better understand how the radio industry can meet the needs and interests of Canadians in both official languages. It will also help the CRTC determine how best to update its regulations to ensure Canada’s commercial radio industry remains competitive in a digital environment.”
Canadians are asked to complete an online…
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By Ahmad Hathout
CANADA’S LARGEST INTERNET service providers say they are pleased with the federal government’s infusion of cash with the $1.75 billion Universal Broadband Fund, but some are concerned about the speed objectives.
On Monday, the federal government announced the program was open for applications with an additional $750 million in new money and $150 million of it dedicated to a faster stream for projects that can deploy by November 2021. All projects must meet the speed threshold of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload.
Rogers, Bell and Telus praised the announcement as one that will help connect those economically-challenging…
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CHATHAM, Ont. — Independent ISP TekSavvy today voiced appreciation for the federal government’s launch yesterday of its $1.7-billion Universal Broadband Fund, which will provide subsidies for broadband infrastructure projects in rural and remote Canadian communities.
The company also welcomed the Canadian government’s $600-million agreement with Telesat to subsidize satellite-based Internet providers, as well as the Ontario government’s announcement last week of its plan to spend almost $1 billion over six years to improve and expand broadband and cellular access across the province.
In a press release today, TekSavvy says these historic public subsidies for rural broadband projects…
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TORONTO — The Ontario government last week said it would boost its spending to improve broadband and wireless access in the province to nearly $1 billion over six years.
The $680 million announced last week is on top of the $315 million already announced. The new funding “will be used for shovel-ready projects starting in 2019-20, will create jobs, and connect unserved and underserved communities during Covid-19 and beyond,” says the press release.
The investment announced today doubles funding for the Improving Connectivity in Ontario (ICON) program, bringing the new total to $300 million. This program now has the…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC today announced the public hearing for CBC’s licence renewals will now be held virtually, starting January 11, 2021 at 10 a.m. ET.
The hearing, originally scheduled for May 25, 2020, was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then rescheduled for January 11, 2021. However, when the new hearing date was announced in June, the Commission was still hoping to hold an in-person public hearing in Gatineau.
Now, CBC and interveners who are expected to appear are being invited to participate remotely in the hearing, says the Commission’s updated notice of consultation.
The Commission also said today…
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Companies used a company which violated telemarketing rules
GATINEAU — The CRTC announced today its chief compliance and enforcement officer, Steven Harroun, has taken a number of enforcement actions against hundreds of real estate, investment and mortgage agents and brokerages who hired a telemarketing firm to recruit prospective clients which did not abide by the Regulator’s unsolicited telecommunications rules.
As part of its investigation, the CRTC issued 44 citations, 258 warning letters and 23 notices of violation with penalties totalling $103,300.
The Commission says it received 1,055 complaints from Canadians who reported receiving unsolicited calls from a third-party telemarketer from 2012 to…
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OTTAWA — Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has added SpaceX’s Starlink low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to its list of foreign satellites approved to provide fixed-satellite services (FSS) in Canada.
The list was updated November 6, the same day this tweet announced ISED had granted regulatory approval for Starlink’s LEO satellite constellation.
As we’ve reported previously, Starlink’s Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) licence was approved by the CRTC in October, but SpaceX could not operate commercially in Canada until it either acquired spectrum for use in the country or was authorized by the Canadian government to provide…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC today granted final approval for Northwestel to increase the data usage allowances for several of its terrestrial Internet service packages, which had been approved on an interim basis in June.
In an application at the beginning of June, Northwestel had proposed increasing the data caps on certain residential and business cable, DSL and fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) Internet packages by 7% to 100%, without any increases in the retail rates. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, Northwestel said it had seen a substantial increase in DSL and residential cable usage in particular.
In its submission, the far north telecom…
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Bell takes top speed spot
NEW YORK — Bell is the fastest wireless carrier in Canada, according to PCMag’s annual Fastest Mobile Networks Canada 2020 report, released today.
Bell is regaining the fastest mobile network title this year, after Telus topped the list for the last three years.
To test the country’s mobile networks, PCMag’s Canada-wide testers drove through 20 cities, some as large as the Greater Toronto Area and as small as Sudbury, Ont., and Drummondville, Que., as well as rural areas in parts of Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The tests were conducted from September 14 to October 15.
Overall, PCMag awarded…
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GATINEAU — As the CRTC continues to assess an accusation by Iristel that Rogers has been manipulating caller ID information for some of its mobile customers in order to give itself an undue advantage, the Commission has asked both companies to provide more information for the file.
In July, Iristel alleged Rogers has manipulated caller ID info to make it appear as though mobile calls are originating from the U.S., in order to circumvent routing restrictions and benefit from “more advantageous” termination rates. Most of the phone calls in question appeared to come from a single 212-475-#### phone number…
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