GATINEAU – As more Wind Mobile customers endure dropped calls when they get beyond the reaches of the company’s wireless network and roam onto the Rogers Wireless net, the wireless newcomer has told the CRTC it has had enough – again – and that the Commission must act and set aside its recent decision.
Wind Mobile has asked the CRTC to review and vary a decision rendered on June 3 (TD CRTC 2011-360) which dismissed the Wind’s undue preference complaint against Rogers over the hard handoffs from network to network when Wind customers roam, mid-call, onto the Rogers’…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has tweaked the general authorizations for broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs).
Wednesday’s amendments remove the expiry date from the authorization to down-convert digital-only conventional programming services; add an authorization to permit BDUs to up-convert analog versions of programming services into standard definition; and update the general authorizations as a result of amendments made to the BDU regulations.
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has announced plans to develop a regulatory framework for the French-language television market.
Wednesday’s notice of consultation said that this process “will determine the most appropriate approach to take in regard to the French-language television market, to define the obligations to be imposed on French-language conventional television broadcasters and to establish the relevance of a group-based approach, in order to meet the objectives of the Broadcasting Act”.
During the hearing, which has been scheduled for December 5th at the Omni Mont-Royal Hotel in Montreal, the Commission pledged to address a group-based approach, programs of national interest, independent…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – GoodLife Fitness Centres has paid a $300,000 fine after being investigated by the CRTC for its telemarketing practices.
The Commission said Tuesday that GoodLife had used automated calling devices known as robocalls to inform its members of new club openings and invite them to grand opening events without obtaining their prior express consent. The CRTC’s automatic dialing and announcing device rules prohibit telemarketers from using these devices to sell or promote a product or service unless a consumer has consented to be called by them.
In addition to paying the administrative monetary penalty to the Receiver General for Canada,…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC released two reports Monday which it says reiterates its commitment to official-language minority communities (OLMC).
The reports, Annual report on results – Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (2010-2011) and Results-Based Action Plan – Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (2011-2014) highlight recent CRTC decisions which the Commission claims “will lead to improved access to broadcasting and telecommunications services, and increased OLMC representation within the broadcasting system”.
“OLMCs have increased their participation in processes that affect their development. They have shared their viewpoints and priorities,” said CRTC…
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GATINEAU – John Traversy, the CRTC’s executive director, telecommunications, has been named the next Secretary General of the CRTC, Cartt.ca has learned, replacing Robert Morin, who is retiring.
In a short note to staff, CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein let the folks at the Commission know that a notice tomorrow on the federal government’s public service staffing web site will note Traversy’s promotion after “a recent competitive process,” wrote the chair. “The appointment cannot be made officially until next Thursday the 25th, but since you will all see the announcement on the web site, I thought I would advise…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Consumers will continue to take advantage of new capabilities and platforms to access content and services, making it even more critical to understand the dynamics of convergence, according to a new report released Thursday by the CRTC.
Navigating Convergence II: Charting Canadian Communications Change and Regulatory Implications identifies trends in network developments and content consumption that could disrupt traditional regulatory approaches to achieving policy objectives. Using independent research and views from CRTC stakeholders such as consumers, public-interest advocates and members of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors, it also examines developments in technology and business models that raise…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is seeking input on proposed new French and English-language closed captioning quality standards for television broadcasters.
The closed captioning quality standards are sets of standards, one for each official language market, that address the quality of closed captioning provided by Canadian television broadcasters. Once approved by the Commission, all TV licensees will be required to adhere to the closed captioning standards through conditions of licence that will be applied at the time of licence renewal or approval of a new licence.
The deadline for comments on the French-language closed captioning quality standards is September 14 and the…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC will cease issuing multipoint distribution system (MDS) licenses as of September 1, 2011 and will now require companies to apply for standard broadcast distribution licenses. The Commission ruled that existing licenses for those undertakings will simply lapse on that date.
The Department of Industry had converted various broadcasting certificates issued to MDS undertakings to Broadband Radio Service (BRS) licenses. Any BRS licensee that requires a CRTC license because it chooses to offer broadcasting services, but does not meet all criteria set out in the Commission’s exemption order for broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), will be need to…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – More and more Canadians are subscribing to broadband Internet and wireless services, while TV and radio are still the most popular devices for accessing content, according to the CRTC’s latest Communications Monitoring Report.
The report, released Thursday, provides an annual overview of the Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting industries. By the end of 2010, approximately 9 million Canadian households subscribed to broadband Internet services, an increase of 9.2% over 2009, and the number of Canadians subscribing to wireless services grew by 8.5% to 25.8 million.
“It is encouraging to see Canadians taking up broadband Internet and wireless services…
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