But industry still has work to do
GATINEAU — The CRTC released today the findings of its first-ever secret shopper project, which was launched in response to the Commission’s 2019 report on misleading or aggressive sales practices among telecommunications service providers.
While the secret shopper report concludes the vast majority of enlisted shoppers’ interactions with the providers’ sales staff were perceived as positive, approximately one in five shoppers perceived they may have faced misleading or aggressive sales practices.
The report also says misleading or aggressive sales practices occur at a higher rate for certain vulnerable segments of the Canadian population, such…
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GATINEAU — As the CRTC continues a Review and Vary of its August 2019 order which slashed the wholesale rates third-party Internet access (TPIA) companies pay to the incumbent network owners, the Commission announced today it is approving a stay of the order’s implementation while it completes its review.
The stay was requested by Bell Canada and cable companies Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron when those incumbents requested in December 2019 that the Commission review and vary its Telecom Order 2019-288 decision.
The Commission’s announcement today comes after the Federal Court of Appeal on September 10 dismissed the…
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GATINEAU – Despite the demand it and others made to the CRTC for revised tariffs filed since the incumbent carriers lost their court case, no new revised tariff pages have yet been filed with the Commission by the network owners and until they are, independent ISP TekSavvy will stop paying its wholesale fees to Rogers and Bell.
On September 11th, TekSavvy, Distributel and the Competitive Network Operators of Canada each filed applications with the CRTC demanding the incumbent telco and cable carriers file new tariff pages as ordered by the Commission in its August 2019 decision setting new wholesale…
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“Rare” move means many Indigenous Manitobans remain without broadband
By Ahmad Hathout
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS for years been dealing with two parties vying for federal funds to deliver high-speed broadband to one of the worst connected regions in the country.
But last week – in the same month it was meeting the proponents of its preferred project to try and salvage it – ISED withdrew $30 million in earmarked Connect to Innovate money because the project had not progressed in a “timely and effective manner,” the government said in an email to Cartt.ca.
That project was led by Wekitowak Communications, telecom RFNow,…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – The federal government needs to declare universal broadband access across Canada as an essential service, according to John Nater, the Official Opposition shadow minister for rural economic development.
“Online learning, e-commerce, connecting communities and families during the pandemic is absolutely essential now,” the conservative MP for the Ontario riding of Perth-Wellington (pictured) said in an interview. “Upwards of 60% of rural communities across Canada don’t have access to broadband and are missing out on economic opportunities. You cannot operate in 2020 without access to high-speed internet. It’s a roadblock to small businesses, to families, to communities.”
Last…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – “This fall, in addition to extending the wage subsidy, the Government will take further steps to bridge vulnerable businesses to the other side of the pandemic by introducing further support for industries that have been the hardest hit, including travel and tourism, hospitality, and cultural industries like the performing arts,” reads Wednesday’s Speech from the Throne, kicking off the next session of Parliament.
“The Government will also identify additional ways to tax extreme wealth inequality… by addressing corporate tax avoidance by digital giants. Web giants are taking Canadians’ money while imposing their own priorities. Things must…
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TORONTO — Declaring itself as a full mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Toronto’s dotmobile announced today it has landed its first wholesale network agreement with Iristel.
With both companies focused on providing more competition in Canada’s wireless market (Iristel owns and operates the far north’s Ice Wireless), perhaps it was inevitable the two would team up in an attempt to further that.
Owned by Data On Tap Inc., dotmobile is an independent wireless service provider hoping for access to multiple Canadian incumbent networks to complement its own cloud-based core network (designed and built by Norway’s Working Group Two). Along with…
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Minister raises, and tamps down, expectations
By Greg O’Brien
HERITAGE MINISTER STEVEN Guilbeault gave precious little away last Wednesday afternoon during a CMPA- and AQPM-sponsored town hall meeting.
As is well known by now in the TV and production communities, after five years of study and work through three different Heritage ministers, the federal government will finally have something concrete to announce sometime during the next session of Parliament this fall. It is expected Wednesday’s Throne Speech will have something to say about new broadcasting legislation.
While Minister Guilbeault was asked a few different ways during the interactive virtual session (he’s pictured…
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CREATIVE ORGANIZATIONS across the country reminded the Canadian government about its commitment to new legislation to force web giants to pay their fair share when it comes to Canadian content, a commitment which they hope to see represented in Wednesday’s speech from the throne, which will kick off the next session of Parliament.
In a press release issued Monday morning, leaders of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), AQPM (Association Québécoise de la production médiatique), ARRQ (Association des réalisateurs et réalisatrices du Québec), CMPA (Canada Media Producers Association), DGC (Directors Guild of Canada), SARTEC (Société des…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC today called for comments on a Canadian Association of Broadcasters application submitted in July which predicts dire consequences for Canadian radio and TV broadcasters if they don’t get relief from certain regulatory requirements.
“March saw overall advertising revenue declines of 14.6% in private TV and 17.5% in radio, as advertising began plummeting mid-month; Private TV saw 46.4% advertising declines in April and 50.4% declines in May; Private radio saw declines of 65.5% in April, 67.3% in May and 56.9% in June; and pacing for the remainder of the summer projects revenue declines of 40-50% through…
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