OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The first recipients of the CRTC’s prize for academic research were honoured Monday at the annual conference of the Canadian Communication Association (CCA) in Calgary.
The CRTC Prize for Excellence in Policy Research was launched in June 2015 to encourage a new generation of researchers to contribute to Canada’s public policy development relating to information and communication. Ten papers were submitted from across the country in the award categories of Master’s, Doctoral and Post-doctoral. Papers were reviewed by a selection committee of three CCA executives and the CCA vice-chair, and a CRTC representative participated as an observer.
The winners are:
-…
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The story of a mostly unwanted TV package implemented clumsily and reported on thoughtlessly
MY 80-YEAR OLD MOTHER-IN-LAW now pays $24.99 a month for her cable TV. That’s her monthly price. No other fees. No add-ons except HST. It is the skinny basic package. She’s glad to have it.
She is a Rogers customer in Hamilton who only really wants to watch CHCH and The Weather Network. This package is perfect for her.
How did I secure such a price while apparently all Canadians can’t figure out this new package and are outraged by the additional charges that can be applied that…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is asking for feedback on its proposed standard conditions of licence for television stations, discretionary services and on-demand services.
During its Let’s Talk TV policy review, the Commission announced plans to streamline the licensing approach for television programming services by consolidating virtually all such services into three broad licensing categories. On Friday, the CRTC defined those categories as:
– Television stations (including over-the-air conventional and community television stations, and provincial educational television services);
– Discretionary services (all pay television and specialty services, including those services, other than conventional television stations, granted mandatory distribution on the basic…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron to a public hearing in September to review the rollout of their skinny basic TV packages and implementation of pick-and-pay.
The Commission said Tuesday that as part of the process to renew their licences, it wants to ensure TV service providers are offering the new channel packaging choices to Canadians “in a manner that is consistent with its regulations and the spirit of its policy”. It added that less than 100,000 Canadians have signed up for the new basic TV package since it debuted March 1st, up from…
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Ontario commissioner not named to most panels
OTTAWA – The conflict between CRTC Ontario commissioner Raj Shoan and chairman Jean-Pierre Blais has escalated again.
Earlier this month, Shoan filed another judicial review with the Federal Court of appeal once again challenging the CRTC chairman’s ability to name panels of commissioners to preside over telecom hearings. While Blais and the CRTC’s legal department maintain the chairman has the right to name panels of commissioners for hearings (which has been the accepted practice according to former commissioners and others we have talked to), Shoan insists that under the Telecommunications Act, the chair is…
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OTTAWA – The CBC is asking the CRTC to allow it to continue selling ads on its Radio 2 and ICI Musique (formerly Espace musique) properties for another two years.
The CBC’s application, which was filed in March and released by the CRTC this week, asks that the radio services continue to broadcast paid national advertising through August 31, 2018, which is also the end of the services’ licence term.
The Commission first agreed to CBC's request in May 2013 but only for three years. At that time, the CRTC said that any extension beyond August 31, 2016 would require the…
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BOSTON – For those who remember The Cable Show of old, INTX 2016 pales by comparison. Traffic on the show floor seemed pretty light this year and the show is far smaller than just a few years ago.
At one time, tech vendors and broadcasters had huge booths on the trade show floor and the show itself drew something like 15,000 cable professionals. However, with the global shift to IP delivery of everything and with cable channels and their content being distributed far and wide on all sorts of new platforms, the industry seems to be pondering the question: “what…
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New hearing in the fall
GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling for comments into differential pricing practices related to Internet and wireless data plans in a review that will include a public hearing starting on October 31, 2016.
Differential pricing occurs when the same or a similar product or service is offered to customers at different prices, such as when an ISP exempts a music or video streaming service from data charges.
The Commission said Wednesday that it was prompted to examine the issue in light of complaints over Videotron’s Unlimited Music service, which exempts music streaming services like Google…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is refunding more than $300,000 to telemarketers after the total amount paid for violations in 2015-16 exceeded its estimated regulatory costs.
The Commission said Tuesday that $3,677,716 was paid under the Unsolicited Telecommunications Fees Regulations last year, $377,716 more than the $3.3 million it estimated in telemarketing regulatory costs. In accordance with the formula set out in subsection 4(2) of the Regulations, the CRTC must refund the overage.
The Regulator also estimated its telemarketing regulatory costs for fiscal year 2016-17 at $3.3 million. Costs to enforce the national Do Not Call List are covered by fees paid…
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VANCOUVER – The CRTC kicked off a review this morning of several applications for new AM and FM ethic radio stations in the Vancouver and Surrey markets. The Commission will also be exploring three cases of potential non-compliance.
South Fraser Broadcasting (SBF) and Spice Media Group are two of those appearing as part of the first phase of the hearing. SBF, which has a licence for an English language radio station in Surrey, proposes to launch a new FM station at 91.5 MHz.
The company describes its proposed station as “an ethic station with a difference” aiming to serve “the second,…
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