OTTAWA-GATINEAU – It’s official – the CRTC has given its stamp of approval for BCE to buy CTVglobemedia Inc.
In an announcement late Monday afternoon, the Commission noted that the $3.2 billion transaction will improve access to local programming through the carriage of at least 43 additional conventional and community television stations on BCE’s satellite television service.
“We are pleased that BCE has addressed our questions regarding how this transaction would contribute to the vitality of the Canadian broadcasting system,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, in a statement. “BCE will provide stability to the CTV Television Network. It will…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC estimates its total broadcasting regulatory costs for the the 2011-2012 fiscal year are $29.881 million.
The broadcasting licence fee regulation provides for the payment of Part I licence fees by specific distributors, as set out in section 9(1) of the Broadcasting License Fee Regulations.
The Commission also calculated the annual adjustment for the 2009-2010 fiscal year at $2.060 million. The net billing for the Part I licence fee for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, taking into account the adjustment, is $31.941 million, which is a 10.8% decrease (or $3.871 million lower) than last year’s net billing of $35.812…
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OTTAWA – In a 2-1 decision, the Federal Court of Canada said the CRTC does, in fact, have jurisdiction and can let broadcasters demand a fee from satellite, cable and telco TV carriers for the broadcasters’ off-air signals.
Given that the big Canadian broadcasters are now all owned by large distributors (we’re assuming Bell will soon get approval for its CTV purchase), this seems a pyrrhic victory. During the often nasty debate throughout the second half of 2009 (Stop the TV Tax vs. Local TV Matters), broadcasters and carriers lobbed verbal and digital grenades, each accusing the other of trying…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has added another matter for consideration to its widely anticipated hearing into vertical integration.
On Tuesday, the Commission asked for comments on whether benefits tests in the case of transfers of ownership or changes in control of distribution undertakings should be upheld.
Comments are due by April 27, and the hearing is set for June 20, 2011.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has crushed George Burger’s plans for his own TV network for the second time after denying his application for a new service to be known as Crush.
The former Alliance Communications Corp. executive was also behind a failed attempt a few years ago for a national English-language pay television licence called Spotlight. The Commission awarded the license to Allarco Entertainment for Super Channel, as Cartt.ca reported.
In his latest application, Burger asked for a license for a national, English-language Category 2 network targeting males aged 18 to 34, that would air a mix of theatrical…
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OTTAWA – If you ask Netflix, the CRTC’s planned review into wholesale broadband usage based billing, as it stands, is “unduly narrow” and “disconnected from the broader regulatory framework and priorities for high-speed access services.”
The web-based video streaming provider offered those comments and more this week in response to the Commission’s call for comments on modifying the scope and terms of its review into usage based billing (UBB).
Netflix also backed recommendations made by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC), which include an examination of whether UBB is, in fact, the…
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OTTAWA – Haliburton Broadcasting Group has received CRTC approval to buy three radio stations in Ontario.
The company said last September that it planned to acquire Stratford combo 1240 CJCS-AM and 1077 MIX-FM (CHGK-FM) from Raedio Inc. and CFSF-FM Sturgeon Falls from JOCO Communications. The Commission valued the transactions at $3.8 million and $500,000, respectively.
Haliburton Broadcasting Group owns and operates 17 radio stations throughout Ontario in rural markets that include Haliburton, Huntsville and North Bay.
www.hbgradio.com
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OTTAWA – CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein used an interview-style keynote as a soap box of sorts to press broadcasters and producers on a number of issues. In responding to questions from retired broadcast executive Trina McQueen, he urged to broadcasters and producers to come to an agreement on terms of trade prior to the group-based licensing hearing in April.
Otherwise, he said, he’s prepared to impose one.
“If you don’t get it done at the hearing, I want to see your latest best offer and we will impose something on that basis. It’s all in an attempt to get…
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OTTAWA – After a Parliamentary committee decided yesterday to pull back from a 10-year-old request asking the CRTC broaden its rules applicable to false and misleading news, Commission chair Konrad von Finckenstein confirmed that the public notice will be withdrawn.
Speaking to the Canadian Media Production Association annual Prime Time event, he explained the rule has been in place “for a donkey’s age”, but a decade ago the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations – a joint Commons and Senate committee that studies government regulations – determined that the CRTC’s rules regarding false and misleading news ran…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has denied a request from SaskTel to deregulate business telephony in Regina.
In its submission, Sasktel argued that Regina’s existing telecommunications service providers, Access and MTS Allstream, were capable of serving the area and that the market was therefore competitive enough for deregulation.
However, Access noted in its submission that it does not provide a business service that is capable of serving at least 75% of the number of business local exchange service lines in the exchange. SaskTel claimed that Access meets the competitor presence test, and, in support of this claim, SaskTel conducted a survey of…
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