OTTAWA – The CRTC has kicked off a proceeding to co-develop a new framework for Indigenous broadcasting in Canada.
Noting that its current Indigenous broadcasting policy was introduced back in 1990, the Commission pledged to “modernize the existing regulatory framework so that the Canadian broadcasting system can adequately support the special needs of Indigenous peoples, now and in the future.”
The procedure will adopt a phased approach “to maximize Indigenous peoples’ opportunities to shape the public participation process and make their views known to the Commission,” the CRTC said Thursday. The first phase will consist of early engagement sessions; the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Telecom service providers now have six months to trial a proposed interim call traceback process designed to determine the origins of unwanted nuisance calls, the CRTC said Wednesday.
After accepting a report from the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) outlining the interim process, the Commission said that the trial should examine all possible solutions, target individual and mass call originators, and all network technologies (e.g. TDM, wireless, and IP).
Noting that all TSPs that provide voice telecommunications services in Canada should cooperate and participate in the final traceback process, the CRTC urged the CISC Network Working Group to…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal has agreed to hear Quebecor’s request to overturn a decision by the CRTC that forces it to make TVA Sports available to Bell TV customers while in dispute with Bell Canada over its distribution agreement.
According to a Montreal Gazette report, the court found that Quebecor made “solid arguments and a defendable case” about whether the Commission has jurisdiction to regulate affiliation agreements between BDUs and programmers this way.
The appeals court said that it would study two issues: whether the measures imposed by the CRTC are given to it by the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – A little more than a month and a half following the adoption of Motion 208, which called for expanded digital infrastructure (wireless and wireline) in rural Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada issued a new report with a number of recommendations it would like to see put forth to help improve connectivity throughout the country.
The top recommendation is… more study: that the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology consider solutions to help close current gaps in wireless infrastructure in rural Canada over the next year. That includes the deployment…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Back in February 2019, we weren’t sure we’d see sunshine again or see the Raptors win the NBA championship(!!), but Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains decided that one day he would have the sun shine on consumers in the form of more affordable wireless plans, and issued a proposed telecommunications Policy Direction to that effect.
This is a rare occurrence. The last time it had been done was by then Conservative Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, back in 2006.
After the consultation mandated by statute was completed, the policy direction is…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – On Tuesday, the federal government tabled the final version of a policy direction to the CRTC requiring it to improve the affordability of Internet and cellphone services for Canadians.
According to a statement by Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), the directive “aims to encourage all forms of competition and investment” in Canada’s telecommunications market.
"As long as Canadians pay too steep a price for their cellphone and Internet bills, our government will take extraordinary means to continue driving down the prices of telecommunications services,” said ISED minister Navdeep Bains, in the statement. “We are also fostering a…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – According to a front-page story of the Italian newspaper Corriere Canadese’s June 4th issue, Jean Brazeau, VP regulatory affairs of CorrCann “has written a letter to the PM and individual members of cabinet expressing disappointment and saying that Corrcan is going to launching a formal petition to Cabinet asking for a re-determination, a change in the decision.”
Of course, when the CRTC issued its decision on the licensing of a national, multilingual multi-ethnic discretionary service with mandatory 9(1)(h) distribution to Rogers Media to continue on with OMNI, it probably anticipated that the other applicants, which CorrCann was…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Alicia Barin has been appointed as the CRTC’s regional member for Quebec, announced Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez this afternoon.
Her five-year term will begin August 11, 2019, the day after the term of current CRTC commissioner for Quebec, Yves Dupras, expires.
Barin has more than 20 years of experience in the Canadian media industry and was a key member of Astral Media's senior management team from 2003 to 2013. When she left the company in 2013 she was vice-president of strategic planning. Since then, she has been working in corporate affairs for AECO Project Management and Barin Architecture…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CRTC has agreed to delete 44 of Corus’ rebroadcasting transmitters from its broadcasting licences but has tweaked the broadcaster’s proposed reallocation of tangible benefits.
As Cartt.ca reported, Corus filed an application with the Commission last fall seeking to delete 44 rebroadcasting transmitters from its broadcasting licences for some over-the-air (OTA) television stations located in smaller markets across the country. Corus also asked that $2,365,771 in tangible benefits, relating to Shaw Communications’ acquisition of Canwest Global stations that was to be spent on the digital conversion, be reallocated to a number of other initiatives.
On Thursday, the…
Continue Reading
SUNSHINE COAST, BC – Eastlink’s Coast Community TV is celebrating 40 years showcasing the best of the Sunshine Coast.
The volunteer driven channel got its start by students and teachers at Elphinstone Secondary School who hosted a Community Television Forum in June, 1979 to determine the community support for a volunteer run community television station.
"We were actually an after school group; we called ourselves ESRP, Elphinstone Student Research Productions,” said filmmaker Velcrow Ripper, a student of the original television production class, in a statement. “Our mentor and teacher, Marta MacKown, came up with this idea of creating a broadcasting…
Continue Reading
