Telus announced Monday it is investing $2 billion over the next five years to expand its broadband services in Ontario and Quebec.
“This investment comes as a result of the CRTC confirmation of the wholesale fibre-to-the-premise (FTTP) framework and serves as a complement to our wholesale fibre access agreements, allowing TELUS to deliver national scale, accelerate network builds and drive investment, competition and affordability in Canada,” a Telus press release reads.
The Vancouver-based telecom said this investment will be part of its annual budget and will be supported by investments from its strategic…
Continue Reading
Rogers last week filed with the CRTC proposed new tariff pages for new internet service speeds it is introducing to retail customers while also proposing to destandardize a number of service speeds that it no longer offers to new retail users.
The cable giant’s tariff change request is being made in accordance with the CRTC’s speed match rules whereby a provider introducing new service speed packages to retail customers must make those same speeds available to third-party providers or wholesale customers.
Rogers said in its Tariff Notice 86 (dated July 15 and posted on the…
Continue Reading
Telus ramps up public relations campaign
By Ahmad Hathout
Cogeco and Eastlink have filed Friday a legal challenge to a CRTC decision that allows the three largest telecoms to use the wholesale internet regime, a move that was teased in the aftermath of the June 20 ruling.
The legal arguments, filed in the Federal Court of Appeal, center on the decision’s alleged friction with the 2023 policy direction from cabinet: that the CRTC allegedly erred in characterizing Rogers, Bell and Telus – the Big 3 – as “new” service providers because they would be riding on…
Continue Reading
Telecom has been teasing launch for months
By Ahmad Hathout
Cogeco executives said Wednesday the telecom will fully launch its much-anticipated wireless services as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) this fall.
The declaration comes after years of inquiries and after it opened pre-registrations earlier this year for its existing internet customers that executives said yielded demand that exceeded their expectations.
“We already have an initial cohort of users on the service and will broaden sales in 12 markets over the coming weeks, ahead of a full commercial launch later this fall,” Cogeco CEO Frederic Perron said…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is probing how to get emergency alerts to areas that do not have at least LTE/4G networks.
The commission is contemplating broadening the distribution of these alerts on 3G networks and is floating the creation and operation of a downloadable national mobile application. The current system broadcasts the alerts on television, radio and to mobile devices connected only to 4G and newer (5G) wireless networks.
“While persons without access to may still be able to receive public alerts through broadcasting undertakings or other means, the Commission is seeking comments on the possibilities for enabling…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal has set a date for a hearing into whether the CRTC erred in freezing Rogers’s ability to move and remove certain Corus channels.
The court will hear the case on September 23 at 9:30 am in a special sitting in Toronto, according to an order dated Friday.
Rogers filed the original application against two confidential November decisions of the CRTC that froze its ability to remove or relocate three Corus channels: Slice, Home Network, and Flavour Network.
Rogers has argued that the Broadcasting Act’s standstill rule – which requires the two companies…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Corus is preparing to pull the plug on a handful of children’s services come September 1, Cartt has learned, amid the company’s pursuit to cut down on costs and as the CRTC weighs what to do about such at-risk programming.
Corus has told distributors that Disney XD, Disney Jr., Disney French (La Chaine Disney), Nickelodeon, and ABC Spark will be pulled at the start of the new broadcast year, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told us, which was then confirmed by Corus.
“Corus regularly reviews its portfolio of channels to ensure we are meeting the evolving…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said late last month that it will review complaints filed by independent telecoms claiming a price war between larger telecoms is compromising the sustainability of their businesses.
The complaints, led by Transat Telecom and Bravo Telecom, claim that the CRTC has left the independents exposed to predatory pricing occurring in Ontario and Quebec. They are now asking the commission to suspend regulatory forbearance to address what they perceive as a market imbalance.
The commission, which originally suspended the November 2024 and January 2025 complaints, said in a letter on June 27 that it has reopened the applications…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The public broadcaster and a trade group representing independent producers are floating the use of platform home pages as a possible way to amplify the discoverability of Canadian content.
Representatives from CBC/Radio-Canada said Wednesday that the CRTC should ensure that discoverability and marketing of such content are not counted toward distributors’ contribution requirements, including both the base financial component and traditional Canadian programming expenditures (CPE). The reason, according to CBC execs, is that vertically integrated broadcasting giants already support discoverability and promotion of CanCon “as a regular course of their business.”
Indeed, VIs including Bell and Rogers have said…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers says it is being hamstrung by having to set aside money for the $750-million Broadband Fund that it says is not efficiently distributing money to projects.
The cable giant said in a Part 1 application made public Monday that it has to tie-up millions of dollars in “uncalled” contributions – amounts that the telecom must be ready deliver to the National Contribution Fund (NCF) when requested – which is creating large liabilities on its balance sheet.
It is asking the CRTC to change the NCF’s collection practices to prioritize the amounts that are waiting to be collected over…
Continue Reading
