The CRTC on Monday announced new dates for two of the broadcasting hearings it recently postponed after the federal election was called last week.
The public hearing focused on the definition of Canadian content will now start May 14 in Gatineau, while the hearing concerned with creating a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system is scheduled to begin June 18.
A new date for a third hearing, related to supporting Canadian and indigenous audio content, has not yet been announced. It had previously been scheduled to start June 18, before…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The country’s highest court ruled Thursday that it will not examine questions related to the CRTC’s decision to reverse a 2019 order that proposed lower wholesale internet access rates for competitors.
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) rejected TekSavvy’s October application that requested a review of a lower court’s decision to deny that the CRTC had to follow established costing methodology when, in 2021, it “arbitrarily” decided to maintain higher wholesale rates that competitors pay to access the larger provider’s networks. The regulator said it quashed the 2019 decision due to methodological errors.
TekSavvy wanted the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) said it intends to move forward with a legal challenge it filed last June objecting to a CRTC decision granting regulatory relief to Corus.
The Federal Court of Appeal handed down a notice of status review on Tuesday alerting the CMPA that more than 180 days has elapsed since the organization filed its notice of application, yet it still hasn’t put forward a request for a hearing date or a proof of service showing it filed its supporting affidavits and applicant’s record.
The court is now asking the CMPA to file, within 30…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TekSavvy is warning this month that a telco requirement to buy a minimum percentage of what it says is unnecessary capacity to get access to higher gigabit services on aggregated fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) networks will result in higher costs and lower sales.
The independent telecom is responding to an application by Bell, filed last month, that requests approval of the CRTC to remove the 10 Mbps, 50 Mbps, and 300 Mbps speed tiers for competitors’ residential customers in its Aliant operating territory in Atlantic Canada. Bell explains that it has no customers on the tiers proposed to be removed…
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Corus Entertainment announced last Friday it has completed an agreement to amend and restate its credit agreement dated Oct. 24, 2024, extending the maturity date to March 20, 2027.
The credit facility has been amended to, among other things, increase the maximum amount Corus may request as an advance on a revolving basis to $75 million, remove certain requirements to use excess cash to repay the outstanding amounts on such advances, and fix the interest rate per annum equal to the two-year Canada interest rate determined on March 17, 2025, plus 4.75 per cent, explained a March…
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The CRTC’s triad of “The Path Forward” broadcasting public hearings on defining Canadian content, creating a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system, and supporting Canadian and indigenous audio content are all being postponed as a result of the April 28 federal election that was called Sunday by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The three hearings were originally scheduled to begin March 31, May 12 and June 18, respectively.
With the federal election now underway, the CRTC said Monday it is postponing the hearings while the federal public service operates under the “ Continue Reading
By Moyra Rodger, CEO of Magnify Digital, a boutique digital agency specializing in online marketing strategy, advertising, and training for the screen media industry
A new wave of Canadian patriotism is emerging in response to U.S. tariffs, making this the perfect moment to focus on what truly matters—our stories. More than ever, Canadian content must reach audiences at home and abroad.
Securing the future of Canadian content means moving beyond a system that prioritizes production and treats audience engagement as an afterthought. Both legacy and digital-first producers need a unified approach to capturing and sustaining audience attention. If we fail to…
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Bell announced Thursday it has rolled out its 8 Gbps internet tier for business customers in certain areas of Ontario and Quebec.
The symmetrical download and upload speeds are available in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and surrounding suburbs, London, Guelph, Kitchener and Georgetown, as well as in Montreal, Laval and the Greater Montreal Area, Quebec City, and Levis.
“This significant speed increase offers businesses enhanced connectivity capabilities, supporting various business needs and applications,” the telco said in a press release.
The announcement follows the launch of the speed tier for residential customers in the two provinces…
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The CRTC has informed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) via a letter that the commission will not rescind and reissue its Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2025-52 on modernizing its policies for radio and audio streaming in Canada.
Earlier this month, the CAB had asked the CRTC to start over on the consultation, saying the commission’s preliminary views expressed in its call for comments effectively affirmed a regulatory status quo, including maintaining existing music quotas on commercial radio stations, while also increasing their obligations with respect to emerging and indigenous…
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The CRTC has written a letter to SaskTel president and CEO Charlene Gavel asking for help in finding a solution to the problem of the telecom’s set-top boxes allegedly not being accessible to those of its maxTV customers who are blind or partially sighted.
The commission received a complaint from a blind SaskTel customer who said the company’s set-top boxes are not accessible because they are not compatible with screen-reading technology. Based on the information filed with the commission, it appears “that SaskTel has no plans to provide a set-top box that is accessible to those customers…
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