OTTAWA – The Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications met this morning for the fifth time to continue its examination of how the three federal communications statutes (the Telecommunications Act, the Broadcasting Act, and the Radiocommunication Act) can be modernized to account for the evolution of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors in the last decades.
With the testimony of the Privacy Commissioner, Daniel Therrien, it became obvious, to us anyway, that the many consultations undertaken by government lately, including the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review (BTLR) will necessitate significant co-ordination when they will be writing the recommendations leading to…
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TORONTO – Iristel has taken its fight with Telus to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice claiming Telus has breached its wholesale contract and is seeking damages of $135 million.
In the statement of claim filed October 2nd, Iristel and ICE Wireless claim Telus has been not living up to its end of their contract by failing to connect calls to ICE Wireless customers or pay its bill to Iristel. In the filing Iristel says it is owed over $156,000 by Telus, but is claiming damages far higher to that because it is undermining Iristel’s standing in the telecom business…
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GATINEAU – The times, they are-a-tweetin’.
If you want to make your voice heard at the CRTC during one of its public proceedings, there are multiple ways to do so. Most are pretty formal, with deadlines and procedures which people or companies must follow – and if you want to speak right to the commissioners, anyone can come before the Commission in person or via video or teleconference at the hearing as long as they have said so weeks in advance.
On Monday, the CRTC will add another way Canadians can get on the record – in 280-character chunks.
Late Tuesday afternoon…
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OTTAWA – Despite having more than 100 film and television credits to his name, in addition to stage appearances across North America, ACTRA president David Sparrow knows the struggles of an artist’s life all too well.
“That comparatively successful career does not necessarily make me a household name, or financially stable. This is a tough business,” Sparrow said Tuesday morning to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which gathered again in Ottawa to further discuss remuneration models for Canadian artists in the Canadian Copyright Act. Among those presenting were representatives from the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Wireless service providers may conduct more public alerting tests as early as next month to iron out any remaining wrinkles in the country’s emergency alert system.
In a letter to WSPs sent earlier this month, the CRTC said that Senior Officials Responsible for Emergency Management (SOREM), which includes Public Safety Canada and provincial and territorial emergency management organizations, have asked for another test to ensure that the earlier kinks have been worked out.
“The Commission recognizes that wireless alerting is a significant component of the national alerting system in terms of its effectiveness in protecting Canadians”, reads the letter. …
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TORONTO – The CRTC’s Ontario Commissioner Monique Lafontaine will be the keynote luncheon speaker next month at the Ontario Association of Broadcasters' (OAB) annual conference and awards gala, known as Connection '18.
Lafontaine (pictured) was appointed to the role on January 2, 2018 for a five-year term. She has approximately 20 years of experience in communications and entertainment law as a lawyer and media executive, and has worked in television and radio broadcasting, digital media, program licensing, distribution as well as anti-spam and privacy legislation.
Connection '18 will take place on Thursday, November 8 at the Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel.
www.oab.ca
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TAGISH, YT – Independent radio company Borealis Broadcasting has grown to five radio stations after the CRTC approved its request for three new transmitters.
The company’s network of community repeaters now includes Tagish and Marsh Lake, YT (CFET 106.7 FM); Haines Junction, YT (CJHJ 99.9 FM); Carcross, YT (CJCC 99.9 FM); Atlin, BC (CHTR 99.9 FM); and Inuvik, NT (CHUG 99.9 FM).
Borealis said these stations run as a centrally managed network using the OpenBroadcaster system, allowing local communities and talent to manage programming and schedules using a common web browser.
“Harnessing the power of AI (Artificial intelligence) and predictive discovery…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has given its blessing to Cogeco’s plan to buy 10 French-language regional radio stations in Quebec and Ontario from RNC Media.
The new stations are located in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (Planète 104.5 in Alma, Planète 93.5 in Chibougamau, Planète 99.5 in Roberval, Planète 100.3 in Dolbeau-Mistassini, and Radio X 95.7 in Saguenay), in Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Capitale Rock 104.3 in Val-d’Or, Capitale Rock 102.1 in La Sarre, and WOW 96.5, in Val-d’Or), in Lachute (Pop 104.9) and in Hawkesbury (Pop 102.1).
The Commission said Thursday that it "considers that the RNC stations integrated into Cogeco could benefit from economies…
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OTTAWA – The program put together by the organizers of this year’s International Institute of Communications Canadian Chapter conference should attract a good crowd this Halloween.
Scheduled for October 31st and November 1st at the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, the annual policy and legal gathering looks to take a deep dive into the federal government’s Broadcast and Telecom Legislative Review – and will feature the first public appearance of the expert panel examining the Broadcasting, Telecom and Radiocommunication Acts.
All seven members of the panel, announced in June, will close the two-day event on November 1st in…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is creating a “cooperative relationship” with the European Union’s telecommunications regulatory agency to address current and future regulatory challenges in Canada and Europe.
The Commission said Thursday that is has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Latvia-based Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) that will focus on issues such as broadband development, network neutrality, consumer protection, and pro-competitive regulation.
The two regulators said that they intend to carry out their cooperative activities for a period of two years, which could be extended for a further two years.
“Communications regulatory agencies in Canada and Europe are…
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