OTTAWA — The CRTC has set a deadline of Monday to submit comments on a request by a dozen organizations to extend the deadline for submissions to its three consultations related to the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.
The organizations on Friday filed the request to extend the deadlines, which were set at June 12 and June 27, to July 28. They also asked that reply deadlines be extended from June and July to September.
The regulator is now asking others to comment on the request by May 29 at 5 p.m.
The organizations said the time currently…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC on Thursday denied an application by British Columbia’s minister of transportation and infrastructure (MOTI) to suspend a November decision that forces it to enter agreements with third party carriers wanting to attach equipment on poles that are being moved by the province.
The November decision was triggered by a Rogers and Shaw application, which asked that they be treated similarly to the incumbent Telus when it comes to compensation to relocate their transmission lines when the province decides to move their poles. In the decision, the CRTC said the province must either stop compensating Telus…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA— Bill C-11, which became law on April 27, will serve as “the catalyst” for the CRTC to “start shaping the broadcasting system of the future” through the creation of a regulatory framework, Vicky Eatrides, chair of the CRTC, said at the opening of a two-day conference by the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications (IIC) in Ottawa on Monday.
C-11, or the Online Streaming Act, which amended the Broadcasting Act, “will ensure that all players, including online streaming services, contribute to the achievement of the cultural and policy objectives…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC said in a letter late last month that it has accepted a request by Quebecor and Rogers to hear the telecoms’ dispute over the price of access to Rogers’s wireless facilities.
The regulator received the request from the companies on April 6, which outlined that the parties could not resolve their dispute. They requested an expedited process.
As part of its price exploration, the CRTC is asking for all MVNO and off-tariff agreements to which both parties have agreed. Quebecor, on behalf of Videotron and Freedom, is being asked how much volume it is expecting…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC is proposing a new Canadian content contribution framework that would take into consideration different business models of the broadcasting services under the rules of the new Online Streaming Act.
Under the proposal, traditional and online streaming services would contribute a base amount of money toward a Canadian content support fund, such as FACTOR, Musicaction, and Radio StarMaker Fund. The funds are still to be determined.
CRTC officials said in a technical briefing with media Friday that they will have to determine first how it will come up with the formula to determine the base amount…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has ordered Tuesday several changes be made to the proposed tariff pages of the national players and has set a timeline for the implementation of the mandated mobile virtual network operator regime.
MVNO-eligible regional providers with spectrum and facilities were provided the opportunity to comment on the proposed tariffs of Rogers, Bell, Telus and SaskTel, which include the terms by which they would provide access to their wireless networks.
On Tuesday, the CRTC kept some of those terms the same but is forcing the large players to modify their proposals in response to regional carrier…
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By Pierre Karl Peladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor
The Online Streaming Act (bill C-11) has been passed. This means foreign streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube will be subject to Canadian law and will be required to pay their fair share, just as Canada’s private broadcasters have always done. For too long, Canadian broadcasters, who have been operating in a rigid, highly regulated environment for decades, have had to contend with unfair competition from the web giants.
On the day the bill received Royal Assent, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said, “We are standing up for our stories,…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC on Monday published its plan to tackle the implementation of the new law that will require digital platforms to contribute to Canadian content.
As part of the first phase of its implementation of bill C-11, which became law late last month, the CRTC said it will publish an information bulletin “clarifying technical details for broadcasters” this spring, which ends June 21. In this phase it will also hold consultations including who should contribute, how much and how (the CRTC is proposing streaming services that have more than $10 million in annual revenues); which streaming services will…
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By Connie Thiessen
The CRTC has opened a Part 1 Application for the removal of Fox News from the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution.
The move comes following publication of an open letter to CRTC Chairperson Vicky Eatrides in early April from Egale Canada calling for the channel’s removal from Canadian airwaves. The LGBTQ advocacy group says the American news channel’s programming is known to incite hate, violence and discrimination, and is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards.
The letter’s main target was former host Tucker Carlson, who has espoused anti-trans views. He was recently released by the network.
Egale notes that specifically,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied Bell a request for the CRTC to temporarily suspend its collection of money for the $750-million Broadband Fund until it makes a decision on its review and vary application.
Bell filed the Part 1 application in December – in response to a CRTC decision to collect $150 million this year – asking the regulator to immediately stop drawing money from the telecoms toward the fund until it has concluded its scheduled policy review of the fund, which it launched in March. It argued that the regulator…
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