GATINEAU – The American industry association which represents some of the biggest names in tech and telecom have told the CRTC it wants to see mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) mandated in Canada.
In a short submission to the CRTC’s review of wireless services last month, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) told the Commission it believes MVNOs “under the right regulatory circumstances, can promote competition, connectivity, and economic growth.”
MVNOs typically don’t own their own networks and instead lease space on an incumbent’s network and sell service to customers. There are a number of them operating successfully in the…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Northwestel will lay out $5 million in new and unplanned investments in its network infrastructure over the next three years as part of an agreement with the CRTC to rectify issues of non-compliance.
The Commission said Wednesday that Northwestel failed to obtain its approval for the rates it charged for nine of its Special Services Tariffs (SSTs) over seven years. After coming clean to the CRTC, the BCE-owned telco submitted a Part 1 application in February 2018 seeking retroactive approval for the rates that it had charged, but the Regulator denied that request later that year, adding that the…
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OTTAWA – Last month, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains unveiled Canada’s Digital Charter, a document which outlines 10 principles – including “universal access” for consumers and “a level playing field ensure competition ensure fair competition in the online marketplace.”
He also launched the Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence in which companies operating in this space attracted a $548-million investment in venture capital.
This week, Bains (pictured at last week’s Canadian Telecom Summit) spoke again to Cartt.ca about both initiatives as well as a few other issues, including broadening Canadians’ access to high-speed Internet.
Christopher…
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OTTAWA – Listeners in Ontario's North Bay may soon have a new radio station after the CRTC determined that the region can support one.
The Commission said Thursday that it is not necessary to publish a call for applications for new stations given that Vista Radio was the sole party to express an interest in serving that market.
Located in northeastern Ontario, approximately 120 kilometres east of Sudbury, the North Bay radio market currently has four English-language commercial radio stations: CHUR-FM, CKFX-FM and CKAT, which are operated by Rogers Media, as well as CFXN-FM, operated by Vista. The market is also…
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TORONTO – Starting today, dotmobile members can provide individual feedback on planned features, vote for the ones they like and even collaborate with other members and the dotmobile team.
“We’ve seen the problems that many Canadians face with their current providers. There’s so much that can be done to improve efficiency, experience, and affordability – and our members are by far the best people to validate our ideas,” said dotmobile co-founder and CXO Alex Bauman. “With our new Build it! page they can weigh in on concepts, designs and eventually even test out prototypes.”
Dotmobile plans to…
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CWTA chief advocates against MVNOs
OTTAWA – While the topic of MVNOs dominated this year’s Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto, it also made sizable waves during the Thursday morning’s meeting of the ongoing Rural Digital Infrastructure Committee in the nation’s capital.
Speaking before the committee on Thursday, Robert Ghiz, president and CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, issued a pointed warning about MVNOs to committee members – similar to the one he delivered in Toronto on Tuesday.
“MVNOs do not invest in wireless infrastructure or spectrum. Rather, they pay wholesale rates set by the regulator to…
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U.S. relationships “will evolve, not lapse,” says Lennox
TORONTO – If it feels like Bell Media's 2019 Upfront presentation unleashed an avalanche of new content and viewing options for Canadians, just as more Hollywood studios get set to launch more Netflix-killer streaming services, it's no coincidence.
The way Bell Media president Randy Lennox (pictured Thursday with the company’s latest home-grown star, Mary Berg of Mary’s Kitchen Crush) tells Cartt.ca, he's moving chess pieces in a larger game of redefining long-standing relationships with Hollywood content suppliers while the major studios sort out whether to continue licensing popular American…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has updated its dispute resolution practices and procedures for disagreements that fall under either the Broadcasting Act or the Telecommunications Act.
The May 28 information bulletin says that the move reflects changes in the broadcasting regulatory environment as a result of its Let’s Talk TV policy and to its Wholesale Code that governs the commercial arrangements between broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), programmers and exempt digital media undertakings.
Specifically, the bulletin sets out various Commission practices plus procedural steps and time limitations that will apply to each of the following five dispute resolution mechanisms: staff-assisted mediation, final offer arbitration, expedited hearings,…
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Tosses “incoherent” barb back at the industry
TORONTO – ISED Minister Navdeep Bains was the closer at the 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit on Wednesday and his comments made on stage – as well as after – should leave wireless industry leaders and observers more certain than ever that a major regulatory shift, especially when it comes to the long held policy bedrock known as “facilities-based competition,” is going to happen.
For three days, the major carriers did their level best to lay out a case against mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs, or wireless resellers) as well as the reasons why it’s…
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TORONTO – There may have been over a dozen topics on the hit list for this year's regulatory blockbuster session at this year’s Canadian Telecom Summit, but the six panelists kept coming back to one: MVNOs, yea or nay.
Moderator Greg O'Brien, editor and publisher of Cartt.ca, set the tone, commenting, "This panel is often fun, always a little prickly, which is part of the fun
“The industry is being transformed from all sides," he went on. "It's being changed from within, from without, and, crucially, from Ottawa."
Key among the events include the broadcast and telecom legislative review panel, a proposed…
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