By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL — Quebecor Media’s TVA Sports is “transforming” its newscasts to a digital-only offering, a move that has resulted in the elimination of 17 jobs.
“Over the past few years, we have seen sports fans’ consumption habits changing, and the pace of this change has accelerated during the pandemic,” a TVA statement read, quoting executive producer Louis-Philippe Neveu. “That’s why, from now on, we will deliver sports news where the fans are, while adding more live sports events to our programming,” the statement continued.
In what it described as a “sad day,” the union representing TVA…
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But modems already removed from network can’t be redeployed
GATINEAU — CNOC members who are third-party Internet access (TPIA) customers of Eastlink and prefer to use Technicolor’s TC4350 model of cable modem will be glad to hear the CRTC ruled Wednesday Eastlink can’t remove Technicolor modems from its approved list.
However, any Technicolor modems which Competitive Network Operators Consortium members in recent months may have removed from Eastlink’s network, under the directive of Eastlink itself, can’t be redeployed even though the modem model is still on the approved list of modems.
The Commission’s decision regarding an ongoing dispute between Eastlink and its…
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Must pay nearly $18 million to production funds
By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL — Bell Canada “misallocated” millions of dollars of funding for Canadian programming and failed to meet its obligations to community television programming by using much of its required funding for community TV on shows that clearly furthered Bell Media’s commercial interests, the CRTC announced in a lengthy (26,632-word) decision rendered on Thursday.
The performance of Bell’s community television was reviewed as part of its Fibe TV licence renewal, the company’s IPTV network in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and as a result of the violations, Bell has been directed…
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Feds say attachment costs “often prohibitively expensive”
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – The newly-appointed board of directors of the Ontario Energy Board will oversee a review of pole attachment rates in the province, according to a mandate letter sent earlier this month, a priority assignment that is aligned with the province’s efforts to reduce equipment install costs to drive its broadband expansion goals.
Captured in just one line underneath a section on reducing regulatory burdens, the letter requires the “modernized” board to “consider pole attachment policy in the context of opportunities to better serve areas that are currently underserved.”
Ontario has the highest…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – In 2013, the CRTC licenced the Seasonal Channel, a category B television channel owned by Stingray that would “feature still pictures and moving video of nature scenes with appropriate music that will change based upon the season to create a soothing video environment.”
In its 2019 licence renewal, questions were raised as to whether the channel, called Ambiance at that point, should be exempted under the Still Image Exemption Order. As Stingray said, in a letter to the Commission, on February 7th 2019: “It is also important to note that Stingray Ambiance is currently the only…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Secure Token Governance Authority (CST-GA), in partnership with Sterling, Va.-based Neustar Information Services, today announced it has launched the Canadian-based infrastructure and website for eligible carriers to register and join CST-GA to participate in the Secure Telephone Identity (STI) call authentication ecosystem using STIR/SHAKEN.
Designed to counter illegal robocalls and spoofed calls, STIR/SHAKEN is a framework of interconnected technology standards that supports authentication of incoming calls and offers a level of assurance that a call is from a legitimate source.
CST-GA is the national governance authority responsible for directing and overseeing the Secure Telephone Identity Policy…
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OTTAWA — The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) issued a reminder today there’s only 10 days left to register for the two-day virtual 2020 Canadian ISP Summit, happening November 3 to 4.
With the theme “Navigating the New Normal”, the virtual conference will feature keynote speakers, general session presentations and panels, as well as a virtual trade show.
Already confirmed to speak are CRTC chair and CEO Ian Scott, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains, innovation strategist Shawn Kanungo, and CNOC president and chairman Matt Stein.
Panels include a regulatory panel moderated by Cartt.ca editor and publisher Greg O’Brien,…
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Denies request for confidential SIM-swap info, too
GATINEAU — The CRTC informed the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) in a procedural letter last week it won’t be initiating a public proceeding into the issue of unauthorized mobile telephone number transfers and SIM swaps, also known as wireless number porting fraud.
Furthermore, the Commission has denied PIAC’s request in July for the disclosure of confidential information submitted to the Commission by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) regarding measures being proposed to address unauthorized number porting and SIM swap fraud, as well as confidential data filed by wireless service providers regarding the…
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Service launch not coming soon…
GATINEAU — The CRTC has approved an application by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) for a Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) licence to provide telecom services via SpaceX’s Starlink low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.
The Commission said in a letter dated October 15 and addressed to SpaceX’s chief financial officer, Bret Johnsen, it received 2,585 interventions regarding the licence application, and after considering the submitted comments, it is approving the application and issuing a BITS licence to SpaceX. Getting a BITS licence is not exactly the highest hurdle there is to clear (most are approved…
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Bell’s Oosterman to lead media group
MONTREAL — BCE announced today Bell group president and vice-chair Wade Oosterman will take over operational leadership of Bell Media in 2021 following the departure of Bell Media’s current president, Randy Lennox, on January 4.
“On behalf of everyone at Bell, I would like to thank Randy (above) for his leadership at Bell Media and his support of a smooth leadership transition in 2021,” said Mirko Bibic, president and CEO of BCE and Bell Canada, in a press release. “A renowned executive in Canadian music and media, Randy joined Bell Media in 2015 and has…
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