THE CRTC’S DECISION ON differential pricing practices will be praised or blamed according to one’s inclinations: whether to trust the innovative tendencies of carriers or the capacity of regulators to enforce fairness. Trust is the key, because each side of the argument honestly believes the other to be mistaken on a very large point of policy. How much weight do we assign to the deficiencies of regulation, as against the propensities of carriers to squeeze the tubes for profit?
Those inclined to trust the innovative propensities of carriers deplore the CRTC’s comprehensive decision to prevent unwarranted profit-seeking….
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GATINEAU – Continued flooding in Gatineau, home of the CRTC and many of its staff, means the big decisions planned for this week have been put off until next week, Cartt.ca has learned.
Multiple sources have been told by the Commission that since some staffers are dealing with flooding in their own homes (the Regulator’s offices have not been flooded) that the decisions on the license renewals for the large French-language ownership groups and large English-language ownership groups, originally intended for this week, had to be pushed back to next. The CRTC office was also closed Monday and remains so…
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TORONTO – Toronto listeners will soon have a new ethnic radio station after the CRTC granted a broadcasting licence to multilingual broadcaster Radio 1540 Limited on Friday.
Radio 1540 is a corporation owned by 1252591 Ontario Limited (81.17%), which is held by Leonard and Theresa Lombardi, with effective control exercised by Leonard Lombardi. Radio 1540 is also the licensee of the commercial ethnic AM radio station CHIN Toronto.
In its decision, the Commission both approved Radio 1540’s proposal to operate the new FM station using the technical parameters of CHIN’s rebroadcasting transmitter CHIN-1-FM Toronto at 91.9 MHz, and granted its…
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OTTAWA – Raj Shoan said that he will contest his most recent dismissal from his role as the CRTC’s Ontario commissioner in order “to ensure accountability and justice.”
Shoan was relieved of his duties late Thursday, just four days after returning to the job after his appointment was first rescinded last June.
“This is to inform you that, on reconsideration, the Governor-in-Council has again terminated Raj Shoan’s appointment as Regional Commissioner for Ontario, effective May 5th”, reads an internal CRTC memo signed by chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Blais.
“This has been a challenging period in the CRTC’s history”, continues the memo. “I am fully aware that events that…
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IT IS ALMOST A DEFINING characteristic for Canadians to distinguish ourselves from our neighbors to the south. The untrained ear may think we speak English somewhat similarly, but Canadians emphatically define ourselves as “not American” while we roll-up-the-rim-to-win.
That doesn’t keep us from wishing we had American prices for gasoline, milk, eggs, airfares, clothing and alcohol. It is springtime, and it is natural for us to look wistfully at greener grass growing on the other side of the border. We can add the USA’s unlimited mobile data plans to the list, prompted by one of the first acts by Federal…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications has pulled the plug on three more community cable TV stations in the Greater Toronto Area, and cut resources at many others across Ontario.
Rogers TV in Mississauga and Richmond Hill, along with Toronto and Brampton, have ceased operations effective immediately and the channels will go dark on August 31, 2017. The move eliminated 23 full-time positions, which come in addition to the 10 lost in February when production was shut down in Toronto.
Between now and August, Rogers will offer a single Rogers TV channel across the GTA, featuring a mix of community programming and City…
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OTTAWA – Raj Shoan says he will return to work Monday morning as Ontario commissioner for the CRTC after a Federal Court on Friday granted his request for a judicial review of his dismissal.
Heritage Minister Melanie Joly terminated his appointment on June 24, 2016 for a number of reasons outlined here. The minister also recently called for applications to fill the Ontario commissioner position (along with that of the chair, vice-chair broadcasting and Prairie regional commissioner)
“The Applicant’s relationship with the CRTC was a difficult one, as demonstrated by the record before…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC has come down hard on VOIS Inc., slapping the Calgary-based telecom service provider with a $15,000 penalty after it was expelled from the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunication Services (CCTS).
CCTS ejected VOIS last August after it refused to co-operate during the investigations of six customer complaints, and failed to compensate those customers as CCTS had directed. Following its expulsion from CCTS, VOIS was summoned in front of the CRTC last November.
Participation in the CCTS is mandatory for all telecommunications service providers (TSP). This marks the first time the CRTC has imposed a penalty…
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GATINEAU – Today, the CRTC approved satellite radio company Sirius XM Canada’s ownership change as it goes from a public traded company to one that is privately held.
The CRTC decision will see Sirius XM Canada allocate nearly $29 million over the next seven years to funds that promote Canadian musical talent, such as FACTOR and Musicaction.
The CRTC release says the transaction, valued at $479 million, is in the public interest because it will ensure the sustainability of the satellite radio service, while supporting the Canadian broadcasting system investments through tangible benefits.
Sirius XM Canada is the sole provider of…
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MONTREAL – The Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) is accusing the CRTC of “systemic and overt racism and a colonial mentality” and wants the Governor General, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Canadian Heritage to investigate.
CMAC describes itself as a non-profit organization comprised of academics, legal advisors, policy consultants and community media practitioners working towards equitable representation and access for underrepresented communities within the broadcasting system, including the CRTC.
In a letter dated April 24, CMAC called for action “to ensure the CRTC supports racial equity and the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples”. It referenced its recent…
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