GATINEAU — The CRTC today announced it has approved a broadcasting licence for Toon-A-Vision, the kids channel owned and operated by Dartmouth, N.S.-based Atlantic Digital Networks.
Toon-A-Vision currently operates as an exempt programming service, but with today’s CRTC decision it is now licensed as a national, English-language discretionary service. The animation channel launched in 2018 and is widely distributed on Eastlink and Bell. Earlier this year, Toon-A-Vision announced it was launching on Cogeco. Exempt specialty services have to apply for a licence once they reach 200,000 subscribers.
Toon-A-Vision has been granted a five-year licence which will expire August 31, 2025….
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By Steve Faguy
MONTREAL — Quebecor has cut funding for MAtv, Videotron’s community channel in Montreal, by 45%, prompting an anglophone member of its advisory committee to resign in protest.
Fortner Anderson, a local artist, said he can “no longer in good conscience” remain on the committee because the latest cuts “will substantially alter and reduce the benefits MAtv provides to the English language community of Montreal, and because they will diminish the vitality of that community.”
The 45% cut is the result of Quebecor’s decision to take advantage of an allowance the CRTC gave large vertically-integrated companies in 2016. As part…
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GATINEAU — Giving a Quebec ethnic radio station one last chance, the CRTC announced Thursday it is renewing CJWI Montreal’s broadcast licence for just two years and issuing several mandatory orders forcing the station to comply with its regulatory obligations or have its licence suspended or revoked.
Operated by CPAM Radio Union, AM station CJWI Montreal serves the large Haitian community in Montreal. For several years (and several consecutive licence terms) CJWI Montreal has been non-compliant in a number of ways: failing to file annual returns; not maintaining program logs, audio recordings and accurate music lists; and not meeting its…
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French fund, however, will close in February
TORONTO and MONTREAL — Bell Media confirmed today it is starting to wind down its Harold Greenberg Fund, beginning with the French-language program of the Fonds Harold Greenberg which will close by February 28, 2021.
After that time, the French-language program will transfer any remaining funds to another certified independent production fund, says the news release.
For now, the English-language program is continuing operations “for at least the next 12 months”, says the release. The English program is currently being supported by Crave, and the Harold Greenberg Fund is inviting additional partners to invest…
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Pandemic has accelerated structural decline and ideas abound, but government has not responded
OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) today released an economic study by media economist Communications Management Inc. (CMI) which projects the possible closure of up to 40 local TV stations and 200 radio stations within the next three years.
According to CMI’s The Crisis in Canadian Media and the Future of Local Broadcasting report, within four to six months up to 50 radio stations could close, with an additional 100-150 radio stations possibly shutting down during the next six to 18 months. In addition, CMI…
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Bell and cablecos argue Cabinet proves them right
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Independent and incumbent internet service providers have filed letters to the Federal Court of Appeal explaining the impact of the Federal Cabinet’s decision last weekend on the CRTC’s decision to slash wholesale internet rates and whether it should factor into the court’s ultimate decision.
On August 15, one year following the decision by the CRTC to slash wholesale internet rates, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) said the Regulator’s decision “do not, in all instances, appropriately balance the policy objectives of the wholesale services framework” and that in…
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TORONTO — Independent Internet and IPTV service provider VMedia has added its voice to the growing number of independents who have expressed their disappointment with the federal government’s stance regarding the wholesale rates third-party Internet access (TPIA) providers pay incumbent network operators.
When the Governor-in-Council issued its ruling on August 15 regarding the CRTC’s August 2019 decision to lower wholesale rates, in which the GiC didn’t strike down the decision, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains issued a statement to say the federal cabinet was concerned the lower rates “may undermine investment in high-quality networks, particularly…
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GATINEAU — Amid a number of broadcast licence approvals on Tuesday, the CRTC has renewed Northern Lights Entertainment’s broadcasting licences for two Iqaluit radio stations on a short-term basis, and issued accompanying mandatory orders requiring the stations comply with their obligations to file annual returns.
Northern Lights operates the predominantly English-language commercial radio stations CKGC-FM Iqaluit and CKIQ-FM Iqaluit. The two stations have been non-compliant in the past regarding the filing of annual returns, which is a regulatory requirement set out in section 9(2) of the Radio Regulations, 1986.
When considering the licence renewal application for Northern Lights’ stations, the CRTC…
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By Konrad von Finckenstein
IN AUGUST OF 2019, after three years of studying submissions and holding hearings the CRTC delivered a ruling on final rates for wholesale internet access, which are the rates large carriers charge their small competitors to access their networks. Up to that date, the large carriers billed resellers based on CRTC-set interim rates.
The rates released a year ago are lower than the interim rates and retroactive to 2016. Monthly capacity rates are 15% to 43% lower than the interim rates and the access rates are 3% to 77% lower than the interim rates. In addition, by…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – In the lengthy CRTC process reviewing its wireless policies, one player played an unusually central role.
Since it had no economic interest and because of its professed expertise, the Competition Bureau (which falls under the purview of the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development) convinced the Commission to be allowed special access to confidential company data, despite strenuous objections, all of which we have reported on previously.
So, when the Bureau admitted it made a mistake in its final comments and issued corrections, Bell Canada jumped on it and requested that…
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