OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has given Cogeco the green light to move forward with its acquisition of Corus Entertainment’s Quebec radio stations.
Friday’s decision included approval of Cogeco’s request for an exception to allow it to maintain a third FM station featuring a talk-radio format in the Montreal market, in addition to the two permitted by the common ownership policy. However, the CRTC refused Cogeco’s request to transform the CKOY-FM Sherbrooke station into a rebroadcasting transmitter of CKAC-AM Montréal, saying this would result “in the loss of a local voice in the Sherbrooke market”. It has asked Cogeco to divest itself…
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OTTAWA – Budgets are set and regulations are being drafted for the new anti-spam law, an Industry Canada official told the Senate Transport and Communications committee this week.
Bill C-28, the latest Conservative effort to enshrine anti-spam legislation, was tabled in the House of Commons this fall and quickly passed through the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in a single hearing.
Among other things, it will give the Competition Bureau the ability to target deceptive marketing practices, the CRTC the right to combat unsolicited commercial e-mail, and the Office of the Privacy Commission the authority to fight…
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OTTAWA – With some 260 days left before the television industry converts its over-the-air transmitters from analog to digital, the CRTC is calling for comments on the proposed regulations for the digital television transition.
The notice also outlined some guidelines for broadcasters that will be required to air public service announcements and/or service loss notices at least six months prior to the August 31, 2011 deadline. Comments are due by January 11, 2011.
The Commission has also asked for comments on proposed amendments to its broadcasting distribution regulations, which will be effective 1 September 2011.
These amendments reflect determinations made by the CRTC…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has released its official decision on the membership requirements of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).
As reported by Cartt.ca, the Commission determined that all Canadian telecom service providers must join the CCTS for a period of five years. Previously, membership with the telecom consumer agency was mandatory only for telecom companies with revenues greater than $10 million, and optional for smaller operators.
Click here for more on the decision.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has issued a call for comments on a proposed amendment which would decrease by 5% the amount of Canadian content that TV broadcasters are required to air each year.
Friday’s broadcasting notice of consultation said the Commission is considering changing the regulations requiring a television licensee to devote not less than 55% of the broadcast year to airing Canadian programs, replacing the existing requirement to devote not less than 60% of the broadcast year to Canadian content.
The regulations would come into force on September 1, 2011, which coincides with the beginning of the next…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has completed its review of the large incumbent local exchange carriers’ support structure service rates.
The ILECs’ support structure services are tariffed wholesale services that make poles, strands, and conduits available to third parties for use as an input to provide competitive retail services. In a decision on Thursday, the Commission approved revised rates for the wholesale support structure services of Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream, Telus and Télébec, effective 21 July 2009.
It also initiated a follow-up proceeding regarding service pole rates and a possible markup on Phase II support structure costs.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – All Canadian telecom service providers must join the CRTC’s Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) for a period of five years, the Regulator ruled on Wednesday.
After a hearing this week to review the independence and effectiveness of the CCTS, whose existing membership decision is set to expire later this month, the CRTC issued a rare bench ruling immediately after the hearing ended which dictated that “all residential and small business consumers that obtain forborne telecom services in Canada, including those that receive services from TSPs that do not have more than $10 million in revenues, should…
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OTTAWA – Christianne Laizner has joined the CRTC as General Counsel, Telecommunications, the Regulator announced Monday.
Laizner comes to the Commission from the Department of Justice where she most recently held the role of executive director and general counsel of the Department’s legal service unit at the Canadian International Development Agency. Prior to that assignment, she co-managed Justice’s litigation and procurement review practice group at Public Works and Government Services Canada, and worked in the Trade Law Division and the Civil Litigation Section.
With extensive experience in administrative law, procurement law and trade law, Laizner has appeared before both courts and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has turned down most of CTV’s requests to amend the licence conditions relating to MuchMusic’s nature of service, including a bid to decrease the number of music videos that it airs.
The English-language specialty service will, however, now be able to draw programming from some additional categories and can adopt an 18-hour broadcast day, down from a 24-hour period, the Commission’s decision reads.
CTV applied in March for amendments that it said would permit MuchMusic to “adapt to the business realities of audience fragmentation and changing technologies by providing programming that is relevant to the service’s core audience of young adult viewers”.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – Quebecor has received regulatory approval to proceed with its new “hard news and straight talk” Sun TV News channel. It is expected to launch early next year.
Friday’s decision granted the category 2 channel a five year license that will expire on August 31, 2015. As Cartt.ca reported, Quebecor last month dropped its requests that the channel be licensed with must-carry status, after the Commission said that it would not consider must-carry license applications until at least the Fall of 2011, if at all.
"Today marks the dawn of a new era for Canadian news media,"…
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