By Denis Carmel
WHEN BILL C-10 WAS TABLED by Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault on November 3, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting noted some amendments to the Broadcasting Act could, as a consequence, wipe out foreign ownership restrictions on broadcasters.
Friends said it is “concerned by the fact that multiple sections of the Broadcasting Act have been repealed or amended to remove protections for Canadian culture… It also removes language that the broadcasting system should be owned and controlled by Canadians, opening the door to foreign companies to buy up what’s left of Canada’s traditional broadcasting system.”
So, we asked the department of Canadian…
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GATINEAU – When in August 2020, the CRTC found both Iristel and Telus had violated the Telecom Act, Iristel for traffic stimulation and Telus by taking matters in its own hand in blocking traffic to Iristel, it initiated a proceeding to determine whether Administrative Penalties (AMPs) were warranted.
After Iristel went to the CRTC seeking a Review and Vary (R&V) and a stay of the decision right away, on November 6, Telus also sought a R&V of the same decision to argue that they di not unjustly discriminated. It was posted to the Commission website on Thursday.
“The Commission,…
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TORONTO – When the CBC appears in front of the CRTC in January asking for its broadcasting licences to be renewed, the commissioners had better ask the public broadcaster about Tandem, say a large group of former employees.
The CBC announced the new Tandem unit in September, which was meant to “enhance its offer to advertisers and media agencies in Canada with the dedicated service for the creation of unique and distinctive branded content,” by using CBC folks to create special content for certain clients – such as the Go The Distance podcast for Athabasca University, hosted by…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – To no one’s surprise, Bell Canada and the large cable companies have sought leave to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal decision of September 10, 2020, over CRTC Decision 2019-288 (about the fees third party internet access ISPs pay to the incumbents) to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Bell adopted the reasoning put forward by the large cable carriers (Rogers, Shaw, Videotron, Cogeco, and Eastlink) and let them argue more at depth the issues at hand.
Their argument seems to focus on, besides the basic issues they contended before when they went to the Federal Court…
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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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