OTTAWA — Canada’s largest, vertically integrated BDUs have a little over a year to start providing set-top box data to a national STB-based audience measurement system — a new condition of licence imposed by the CRTC when it announced August 2 the collective renewal of soon-to-expire licences for various terrestrial BDUs.
As it renews their respective licences for a new term starting September 1, 2018, the CRTC is imposing a condition of licence on Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron that will require them to provide the set-top box (STB) data they collect regarding programming services they distribute to a national…
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VANCOUVER – Okay, so Telus CEO Darren Entwistle didn’t say exactly what it says in our headline above, but that’s the gist we gleaned from the legendarily loquacious chief executive after the company’s second quarter conference call with financial analysts on Friday. Let us explain.
In the second half of the call, Entwistle was asked if he was concerned about regulatory intervention on wireless pricing by Scotiabank analyst Jeff Fan. The topic has been hotly discussed in the wireless industry of late, especially since a letter which the CRTC sent to all players two weeks ago Continue Reading
OTTAWA — The CRTC has denied Bell Media’s application to allow its CKKW-FM radio station in Kitchener, Ont., to increase its analogue power to overcome interference from a US border radio station in Buffalo, NY.
In January 2018, Bell Media had requested that CKKW-FM Kitchener be allowed to increase its signal strength from an average effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,700 watts to 11,800 watts (maximum ERP from 4,300 to 37,500 watts) as well as increase its antenna height by almost a metre. The technical reason for Bell’s request was that CKKW-FM was experiencing signal interference from both the HD…
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DARTMOUTH, NS — Newcap Radio owner Newfoundland Capital Corporation reported Thursday its revenues in the second quarter of 2018 were down slightly compared to Q2 2017, saying its expansion into the Kamloops, BC, market had provided revenue growth to help offset soft results in Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.
These were the first financial quarter results released from the company since its proposed acquisition by Stingray Digital Group was announced in May. On June 27, Newfoundland Capital’s shareholders approved the acquisition arrangement with Stingray, and the company received final court approval after the second quarter ended. Stingray’s acquisition of…
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GATINEAU – On December 1st 2017, the CRTC’s new and improved Wireless Code came into effect, removing all restrictions on the unlocking of cellular phones, notably no more 90 days waiting period to do so and no more charging a fee to perform that service.
On December 6th 2017, the Public Interest Advocacy Center (PIAC) requested from the CRTC a clarification on the Unlocking Policy of the new code. There had been confusion as to whether the cell phone companies had the obligation to unlock the phones of people who were not their customers.
If my contract with the…
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Two new applicants for nearby communities
OTTAWA — The CRTC is asking for more comments as it considers whether or not the radio market in and around Quebec City can sustain more stations.
The Commission issued on Wednesday three separate Broadcasting Notices of Consultation, calling for comments regarding the market capacity and appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications in Quebec City, as well as Sainte-Marie and the Regional County Municipality of Portneuf, Que, both of which are small towns within transmitter range of Quebec City.
The CRTC’s original call for comments regarding the Quebec City radio…
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TORONTO – The Canadian wireless market is about to face disruption akin to what T-Mobile wrought in the U.S., which will come as good news for Canadian consumers looking for much more data at a far lower price. The news likely won’t be so good for the likes of Rogers, Bell and Telus, who will have to respond.
Today, Shaw Communications’ Freedom Mobile will unveil a new ad campaign (TV, radio, outdoor, digital, social…) fronted by Canadian comedy star Will Arnett which takes dead aim at the complaints so many Canadians make daily – that their wireless bills are too…
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SAN DIEGO — Conservative news channel One America News Network is a step closer to being carried in Canada, after parent company Herring Networks recently concluded a distribution agreement with the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA). The master distribution agreement also includes Herring’s high-end lifestyle channel, A Wealth of Entertainment (AWE).
Earlier this year in May, both One America News (OAN) and AWE received authorization for distribution in Canada from the CRTC, allowing Herring Networks to pursue distribution deals with BDUs across the country. In both cases, Ethnic Channels Group Limited acted as the Canadian sponsor for Herring Networks’ Part…
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GATINEAU – In a letter sent to all telecom intervenors in the lower-cost data-only (skinny wireless) proceeding, CRTC staff sent an unpleasant midsummer surprise to the three incumbent national wireless players by asking:
“Whether a segment of the retail mobile wireless market, namely that of lower-cost data-only plans, is subject to sufficient competition to protect the interests of users and whether continued forbearance from price regulation of this segment would be likely to impair unduly the establishment or continuance of a competitive market for such services.”
In other words, the Commission is not satisfied with the Big Three’s Continue Reading
GATINEAU — Applicants hoping to be awarded a licence to operate a new national, multilingual television service offering news and information programming will have to wait a little longer to have their proposals heard, as the CRTC announced Monday it is delaying the start of the pertinent hearing until November 26, 2018. Originally, the hearing was scheduled to start October 15.
The CRTC has received several applications for a national, multilingual, multi-ethnic television service, which, if licensed, would receive mandatory distribution on the basic service pursuant to section 9(1)(h) of the Broadcasting Act. Among the companies who have submitted applications…
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