Search Results for: crtc

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

Bains, Rodriguez expected to leave ISED, Heritage portfolios in new cabinet, says rumour mill

Will a new ISED minister mean a 3500 MHz auction delay? OTTAWA – Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Heritage Canada could new ministers when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveils his new cabinet on November 20. The rumour mill has Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna replacing Navdeep Bains, whose deft handling of complicated telecom and technology files earned him respect from within those industries. “I think she can do it. She managed to skate through environment without getting her head lopped off, so she must know what she’s doing,” said John Lawford, executive director and general counsel of the… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

COMMENTARY: After two hearing days on compliance, there must be another way

“THE STATION APPEARS to be in non-compliance with its regulatory obligations relating to the filing of… If found in non-compliance, this would be the third consecutive licence term in which the station would be in non-compliance.” “According to our records, it appears the station is in non-compliance with its regulatory obligations relating to… If found in non-compliance, this would be the second consecutive licence term in which the station would be in non-compliance.” “The station appears to be in non-compliance with its obligations relating to the filing of complete and accurate radio monitoring materials. As well, it appears that it did… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

TPIA: More to come from Québecor in response to CRTC wholesale decision

MONTREAL – During Quebecor’s third quarter conference call with financial analysts last week Videotron president and CEO Jean-François Pruneau shed some light on the company’s motivation behind its decision to stop offering its highest broadband speeds at retail and wholesale. Last month, as we reported, Videotron wrote the CRTC to remove its offered wholesale tariffs on its 1 Gig service, indicating it would stop offering it to wholesalers and therefore also had to stop offering it to their retail customers, too.  At the time, Videotron refused to comment on its motivation although many speculated it was directly… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

ISP Summit: Distributel’s Stein hopes we’re seeing the dawn of a new era in Canadian telecom

TORONTO – "I wish I could say as Canadians we could have as much pride in the state of the telecommunications industry as we do in our sports teams," CNOC president and CEO of Distributel Communications Matt Stein told attendees at the Canadian ISP Summit Tuesday as he presented the results of a survey from Leger commissioned by his company. The report, Broken Connection: Canadian Consumers' Views on Large Telecommunications Providers, was based on an online survey of 1,535 Canadians conducted in October of this year using Leger's online panel. "The industry is at an interesting… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Canadian radio drives Stingray growth

Signs new deal with Metro MONTREAL – Music platform and radio broadcaster Stingray Group say overall second quarter revenues rise by 120.7% to $76.6 million, due largely to last year’s acquisition of Newcap Broadcasting’s chain of radio stations. That said, noted the company in its release, its recurring broadcasting and commercial music revenues increased 9.4% to $33.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, as compared to last year’s Q2. Radio accounted for 49.4% of total revenues at $37.8 million in the quarter and overall organic growth came in at 3%. Subscription video on demand subscribers rose… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

TPIA: Cablecos, Bell, want to cancel Christmas for their regulatory groups

Incumbents ask for two more months to file their R&V of the wholesale rates decision GATINEAU – Following the August CRTC decision on final rates for aggregated wholesale high-speed internet access services (CRTC Telecom Order 2019-288), it was obvious by their collective reaction that the incumbent ISPs would challenge the decision, by any and all means necessary. They went to the Federal Court of Appeal already and were granted a stay, as we reported, and the next step is to ask the CRTC to review, rescind or vary its own decision, as provided… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Commission has hard questions for Super Channel

GATINEAU – When Allarco won a pay television licence back in 2006, some wondered whether the company had promised too much in order to win the licence during a very competitive process. Those questions remained valid on Tuesday when Allarco/Super Channel appeared in front of the Commission for the renewal of its licence and to answer serious questions of non-compliance during its last licence term. “The Commission is concerned with the way in which Allarco has interpreted the regulatory obligations and policies relating to Super Channel, CRTC Chairman Ian Scott started in his opening… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Canadian Internet customers frustrated with large telecom providers, according to Leger

TORONTO — A new study by market research firm Leger, conducted on behalf of Distributel Communications, found the majority of customers of large telecom companies in Canada feel dissatisfied and frustrated to be paying some of the highest prices in the world for home Internet. A significant number also reported feeling trapped by their current Internet service provider. These and other survey findings were released by Distributel in a news release on Tuesday, to coincide with a Distributel presentation at the annual Canadian ISP Summit, being held in downtown Toronto this week. The national survey, entitled Broken Connection: Canadian… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

Cable 14 turns 50

HAMILTON – There were five original owners of the first Hamilton Community Cable Access channel – now well known in the Steel City as Cable 14. The city was an anomaly with five strong, growing, cable operators in the early ’70s. The owners of General Co-Axial Service (which would become Mountain Cablevision), MacLean-Hunter Cable TV, Northgate Cable T.V., Hamilton Co-Axial (which would become Source Cable) and Western Co-Axial TV and Appliance Service all thought it would be better to pool their resources on a single community channel to serve their city, which they launched in 1969 without (gasp!) regulatory permission. So,… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Rural broadband conference almost sold out, announces full set of panel speakers

Registration to close November 7th NORTH BAY, ON – Canada’s first annual Rural and Remote Broadband Conference announced today the panel members who will engage with conference attendees in North Bay on November 12-14. There are three excellent panels comprised of government, industry and First Nations leaders which will tackle a number of broadband’s most compelling challenges. They are: Government’s Role in Addressing the Challenges of the Rural Digital Divide.Developing government policy that supports Broadband development in non-urban regions. A conversation between government and private sector. Panelists include Fausto Iannialice, director of broadband and digital strategy branch, Ministry of Infrastructure; Angela Lawrence, CCSA… Continue Reading