OTTAWA – The judicial process against the CRTC’s August decision on the final rates for aggregated wholesale high-speed access (HSA) service will go forward – and the decision’s application will remain suspended pending a ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal.
This means that the rates in force today are the interim ones set in 2016 and retroactive payments set out in the summer decision are suspended, pending the court’s decision.
The FCA had already granted a temporary stay on October 1st.
Justice Richard Boivin determined “the implementation of the CRTC Order that could result in a permanent market distortion…
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OTTAWA – Amid new portfolio names and no major change to Navdeep Bains’ duties, one big surprise in the unveiling of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new post-election cabinet on Wednesday was the appointment of well-known Quebec environmentalist, anti-pipeline activist and month-old Member of Parliament Steven Guilbeault (right), as – the new minister of Canadian Heritage.
However, OUTtv CEO Brad Danks told Cartt.ca he is “cautiously optimistic” that Guilbeault’s background as a human-rights activist and reputation of being forward-thinking will help the government undertake a “complete overhaul of the broadcasting system” following the release of recommendations early next year by…
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"We need new tools to deal with the new environment"
IAN SCOTT IS already two years through his five-year mandate as chair of the CRTC. He hasn’t been as active calling hearings as his predecessor, who kept thinking up ways of making sure regulatory departments and the journalists who cover them were always hopping, but the CRTC under Scott has still been very busy.
While the Commission is an arm’s length agency, the federal government has been quite keen on pushing a few big issues which, despite what many critics might have to say, are awfully complex…
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THE DISCUSSIONS ABOUT the Canadian wireless industry and the merits (or perils) of new competition from Mobile Virtual Network Operators can leave your head spinning. The number of price comparisons and examples, local or international, can be so disorienting you start confusing up from down, the high-end of the market from people on a budget and Bay St. from Parkdale.
This Financial Post opinion piece, for example, calls affordability an ‘alleged’ problem. While it was focused on poking holes in the numbers provided by Timothy Denton in an earlier article, it fails…
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OTTAWA – Back in the summer, as we reported, Justices from the Federal Court ordered the individuals operating the so-called GoldTV Services to cease operations.
They are unauthorized subscription services that provide access to programming content over the Internet without having obtained the rights, a violation of the Copyright Act, and Bell Media, Groupe TVA, and Rogers Media had all pursued the matter in court.
Despite the issuance of injunctions, the Court, in a decision released last week, says some of the GoldTV services remain in operation and the infringements continue.
Last Friday, the Complainants against Gold, Rogers,…
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GATINEAU – When Corus Entertainment asked the CRTC to amend its conditions of licence so the big broadcaster could delay some Canadian programming expenditures (CPEs) due to unforeseen increases in its revenues, few expected the company to receive much sympathy within the broadcasting industry.
After reviewing most of the interventions it has become clear that they have no sympathy from industry players.
For example, The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) challenges Corus’ arguments, saying the company “argues that this ‘dramatic’ spike in its CPE requirements will leave it in a more vulnerable financial position for two reasons. Firstly,…
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TORONTO – The fact that ARPU is trending downwards and churn is rising among the big three wireless providers shows that facilities-based competition brought by the likes of Videotron, Freedom and Eastlink is working – and mandated MVNOs would be a bad move for Canada.
So says a report published this week by Scotiabank’s telecom analyst Jeff Fan.
“Quebecor has been a wireless facilities-based competitor in Quebec for a decade. Is that not sustainable enough? We estimate the company has now captured approximately 19% market share in the province, and, with its new Fizz brand, the momentum has actually accelerated. We…
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TORONTO — Speaking at last week’s annual OAB Connection conference — where the theme was “Futureproofing Broadcasting” — the CRTC’s Ontario commissioner, Monique Lafontaine, urged attendees to work with the regulator to find innovative and collaborative ways to tackle the complex issues facing the industry and to ensure its future success.
“Indeed, broadcasters and regulators face difficult challenges. Meeting these challenges — to ensure the futureproofing of our system — requires innovation, collaboration and investment in our work force,” Lafontaine (pictured) said. “The CRTC is keen to work with broadcasters and industry stakeholders. I urge all of you and your…
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NORTH BAY, Ont. – The headline you see came about mid-day during the first Bridging the Digital Divide rural broadband conference being held in North Bay this week.
The prescient comment was made by Geoff Gillon, executive director of the Rainy River Business Development Corporation (Fort Frances, Ont.), and those six words sum up the massive challenge of making sure all Canadians can get excellent broadband and wireless service, no matter where they live.
Canadian consumers and businesses need broadband, whether it’s to take a university course where the school is thousands of miles away, to run robotics in a dairy…
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MONTREAL – Leclerc Communications’ desire to get into Quebec's largest market may cost Montreal listeners their classical music station.
The company announced on Wednesday it has entered into an agreement to purchase Montreal's CJPX-FM (Radio Classique 99.5) from entertainer Gregory Charles. An application published by the CRTC the same day sets the purchase price at $3.88 million.
Charles, who bought CJPX-FM and sister station CJSQ-FM in Quebec City from founder Jean-Pierre Coallier in 2015, will keep CJSQ-FM and the radioclassique.ca website. However, with CJPX being unprofitable, it's hard to imagine how CJSQ could remain so without its big brother.
Before it takes…
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