PRINCE RUPERT — CityWest announced today its new Quantum Gigabit service, its fastest Internet package to date, which is four times faster than its current offering. CityWest made the announcement at a special event hosted by the Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce.
“Today, I’m happy to announce that our Internet just got faster,” said Chris Armstrong, director of marketing at CityWest, as quoted in a news release. “A gigabit service is what every Internet service provider strives for, and it’s something we’ve been working on for the last decade.”
With the Quantum Gigabit service, customers will have the ability to…
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QUEBEC — Oricom Internet announced Wednesday it plans to improve its Internet packages for most of its residential customers, and will offer a significant reduction in pricing for many of them as of October 1, in the wake of the CRTC’s recent decision to lower wholesale broadband rates.
In a news release, Oricom Internet said it has recently informed its customers that it would review its residential Internet packages, which will include a price reduction, as a direct result of the CRTC’s decision in August.
“These beneficial changes are directly related to the CRTC’s recent decision to lower the…
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OTTAWA — In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian’s assault of Atlantic Canada earlier this month, which caused widespread telecom service outages throughout the region, the CRTC has a number of questions regarding the steps taken by carriers to restore service and improve network resiliency.
In a letter sent to Bell, Telus, Eastlink and Rogers on September 13, the CRTC requested the carriers provide detailed information regarding the major telecom disruptions their customers experienced as a result of Dorian’s path through Atlantic Canada.
“In recent days, various media outlets have reported on service outages affecting your customers after hurricane Dorian swept…
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TORONTO — Distributel Communications says it plans to substantially increase home Internet speeds for the majority of its customers at no extra cost, as a result of the CRTC’s recent decision to lower wholesale broadband rates.
In a news release Tuesday, Distributel said the CRTC’s decision in August will allow the company to launch competitive new retail pricing for bundled and stand-alone products and services. In addition, Distributel said the CRTC decision directly benefits Canadian consumers and opens the door for the industry to invest, innovate and offer enhanced services at fair prices.
“Distributel is excited to offer Canadian…
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GATINEAU – Bell Canada’s Broadcasting Distribution Undertaking (BDU) licence (for Fibe TV) will expire on February 29, 2020 and the CRTC last week published a notice of consultation making Bell’s application public – as well as the correspondence between Bell and the Commission since Bell filed its application in August 2017.
The CRTC, in that notice, alludes to non-compliance issues they notice in their examination of the issue, especially in terms of providing Community television and local expression.
“The Commission intends to examine Bell Canada’s (Bell’s) compliance of with its regulatory obligations relating to local expression and community programming. The Commission…
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EDMONTON — Super Channel’s parent company, Allarco Entertainment, has officially launched a lawsuit against four major Canadian retailers, claiming the stores were complicit in promoting the downloading and streaming of illegal content on pirate devices sold in their retail outlets.
The four retailers named in the lawsuit are Best Buy, Staples, Canada Computers and London Drugs. The lawsuit was filed in the Federal Court on September 11, and Allarco issued a news release today to publicize the details of its claim against the four retail companies.
Allarco says the lawsuit comes after a 19-month, country-wide undercover investigation of in-store practices by…
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OTTAWA – In pledging to cap cellphone and internet prices as part of its quest to form the next federal government, the NDP faced a fierce backlash on Friday – not from its political opponents but from the industry it targeted.
Campaigning in Toronto, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the party doesn’t just want a price cap, which it says would result in an annual savings of $250 for families, but also wants the CRTC to impose on telecom companies a “mandatory affordable, unlimited data plan.”
He explained price caps have worked in the U.S. and Australia,…
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ON FRIDAY THE 13TH, the large cable companies as well as Bell filed motions in Federal Court requesting leave to appeal the CRTC’s recent decision on Wholesale High Speed Access pricing. Cable companies also requested a stay of CRTC’s decision, meaning that the Commission decision would not apply until the Court issued its ruling.
As there has been much chatter about these appeals, and others which may come, Cartt.ca thought it would shed some light on the various processes.
The Telecommunications Act provide three ways for parties to appeal CRTC’s decisions. It should be noted that the Broadcasting Act provides…
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CHATHAM – Independent ISP TekSavvy told customers today they will be seeing lower prices and upgraded internet packages, thanks to the recent CRTC decision on the rates the company must pay to incumbent operators for wholesale access.
It was a, well, savvy bit of timing, since five of those incumbents filed a motion for leave to appeal the Commission decision today as well.
TekSavvy said today in a release over 85% of its customers will benefit from reduced prices or upgraded, unlimited data plans on their next monthly bill, as the ISP streamlines…
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OTTAWA – Saying the CRTC has erred in law and jurisdiction five different ways, Canada’s incumbent cable operators have filed for leave to appeal the recent CRTC decision on aggregated wholesale internet rates. The companies have also filed for a stay of that Commission decision (Telecom Order 2019-288), as well, until a decision on the appeal is set.
Having spent billions of dollars over the years on their networks, Rogers, Shaw, Vidéotron, Cogeco and Eastlink say the rates the Commission has set are below their costs – and the retroactive amount to be paid back…
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