OTTAWA and TORONTO – For a guy whose new company is about to jump into the competitive world of mobile communications – but only after it has been scrutinized in a very public review by the CRTC – Globalive Holdings chair and CEO Anthony Lacavera seems pretty relaxed.
Calling the upcoming review of Globalive’s ownership and control “fairly standard procedure”, Lacavera told Cartt.ca that his only moment of concern came when he read that the CRTC could take up to 120 days after the close of the hearing in September to render a decision, which could have pushed back his launch…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has announced plans to make telecommunications and broadcasting services more accessible to disabled Canadians.
On the telecom side, the CRTC has pledged to:
– require that telephone companies offer a new service that will allow an operator to convert text messages sent over the Internet into voice calls, and vice versa. Known as Internet Protocol relay, this service is used by persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate;
– require that telecom companies, including cable and satellite companies, improve the accessibility of their customer service;
– request that wireless companies offer at least one type of cell phone…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has decided to proceed with a review of wireless newcomer Globalive’s ownership to determine whether it is truly Canadian owned and controlled.
The Commission announced Monday that it will initiate a ‘Type 4’ review of Globealive’s ownership and control, given the complexity of Globalive’s corporate structure and financing arrangements, Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-429 reads.
A Type 4 review consists of an oral, public, multi-party proceeding, and occurs when the CRTC finds that a company’s ownership and governance structure “is of a complex or novel nature, such that in the Commission’s view its determination…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC will hold a public hearing next month to review the purchase of two of Canwest’s E! stations by Channel Zero.
The independent specialty service operator, which owns short film specialty Movieola, classic movie channel Silver Screen Classics, film distributor Ouat Media and a majority stake in the AOV adult channel brands, agreed to purchase E!-branded CHCH TV Hamilton and CJNT TV Montreal from Canwest Global on June 30.
According to Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-425, the applicant (which is listed as two numbered companies in Ontario rather than Channel Zero by name), is also seeking broadcasting…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC will hold a public proceeding in November to review its policies for campus and community radio.
Comments are due by September 11, 2009, and the hearing will begin on November 30 in Gatineau.
The Commission said that it will conduct a second proceeding in 2010 to examine its policies for community television. A notice of consultation will be announced some time this Fall.
For more on this broadcasting notice of consultation, click here.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA, ON and GATINEAU, QC – The CRTC has issued the first ‘Notices of Violation’ against two telemarketers caught breaking the National Do Not Call List (DNCL) rules.
The companies were not named in the press release, and the CRTC said that as a general policy, it will not release the names of violators if the fine is paid without being contested. Telemarketers who have been served with a violation notice have 30 days to either pay the fine or contest it before a CRTC panel.
"Canadians who have registered on the National DNCL have noticed a reduction in the…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications says the CRTC has “betrayed Canadians’ trust” with Monday’s announcement of two new taxes on TV consumers.
"It is difficult to believe the CRTC is mandating these tax transfers – money from the pockets of ten million Canadians to three Canadian broadcasters", said president Peter Bissonnette in a statement released Wednesday.
Like its cable brethren Rogers, Shaw has vowed to fight the new fees “aggressively”, noting that broadcasters have not commited to spending more on local programming with the additional funds.
"Our customers are already heavily subsidizing the broadcasters with a CRTC ordered tax of…
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OTTAWA and TORONTO – Not surprisingly, Monday’s CRTC’s decisions were praised by industry associations like The Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) and the the Writers Guild of Canada (WGC).
Noting that all players in the Canadian broadcasting system, including independent producers, have felt the impact of “these trying economic times”, CFTPA president and CEO Norm Bolen commended the CRTC for upholding broadcaster’s Cancon requirements.
“By maintaining current terms and conditions of licence, the CRTC has recognized the importance of Canadian programming and independent production in the Canadian broadcasting system”, Bolen said in a statement. “Any reduction to…
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GATINEAU – The most immediate impact of the CRTC’s Monday announcements? It looks like A Channel Windsor will get a reprieve.
The Commission today finalized the new $102-million fund that is meant to tide broadcasters over until it figures out how to completely reset the scales of power of the industry it regulates with yet another hearing on the TV business come September.
"Canadians have made it abundantly clear that they value local programming," said CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, in the press release. "We have taken steps to ensure that broadcasters, and particularly those in smaller markets, continue…
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WINNIPEG – MTS Allstream called Monday’s CRTC decision “harmful to consumers”, and accused the federal broadcasting regulator of “catering to a specific interest instead of addressing the real issues facing the industry”.
"These decisions represent a serious set back for consumers – reducing the possibility for innovation and increasing costs without providing any real benefits”, said Chief Corporate Officer Chris Peirce, in a statement issued Tuesday.
The company predicted that the new fees could cost their customers at least $50 to $100 per year, as well as reduce investment in infrastructure, hinder innovation and reduce choice.
“Indeed the obligations…
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