GATINEAU – Four and a half months after Vidéotron announced it would exempt certain music streaming services from its wireless data caps, prompting two complaints to the CRTC mere days later, telecom companies, consumer rights groups and others are still debating the interpretation of the Telecommunications Act, Internet traffic management policy and the wording of a recent CRTC decision.
The Unlimited Music offer applies to higher-end data plans offered by Vidéotron Mobile. It exempts a list of music streaming services, including Songza, Spotify, Google Play Music and Stingray Music, from…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC wants to hear which telecom services that Canadians consider necessary, what they rely on most, and whether the cost of those services should be standardized across the country.
The Commission kicked off the second phase of its review of basic telecommunications services Thursday by encouraging Canadians to complete a short questionnaire to share their views on the telecommunications services available in their region. Canadians who cannot access the questionnaire online may call 1-877-249-2782 to fill it out over the phone with an agent or to request a paper copy, or, may send a fax to…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco and subsidiary Cogeco Cable held their annual general meetings in Montreal on Wednesday, preceded by a conference call with analysts and a meeting with journalists. Here’s what we heard.
Wireless
“It’s been 10 years that you’ve asked me that question,” Cogeco CEO Louis Audet told journalists, and he had it again in the investor conference call. But the logic hasn’t changed, even as Shaw’s acquisition of Wind Mobile makes Cogeco the largest Canadian cable or telecom provider without a wireless service.
“Our perception since the beginning is that if we enter this industry it has…
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Terms of Trade even more essential
TORONTO – The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) is today calling for a formal review of the need for enhanced Terms of Trade between broadcasters and producers in light of Corus Entertainment’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Media.
“This acquisition has troubling implications for the independent production sector,” said Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the CMPA, in the organization’s press release. “If approved, it will lead to even greater consolidation of control in an already exceptionally consolidated broadcasting industry. It will mean that two players – the merged Corus/Shaw and Bell Media – would control…
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Shaw to use cash to fund Wind buy; Corus scales up for pick and pay
TORONTO – While many often assumed the opposite would happen, Corus Entertainment and Shaw Communications this morning announced the former would buy the latter’s media properties for $2.65 billion.
The two companies have been planning the transaction for a while. “For a few months now, we’ve been hard at it,” Corus CEO Doug Murphy told Cartt.ca Wednesday in an interview. “Many felt it might go the other way, but the industrial logic, if you would, of bringing these two businesses together make a lot of sense…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has found that Rogers Media’s decision to cancel local third-language newscasts on its OMNI stations does not constitute a breach of its conditions of licence, and subsequently turned down requests by Urban Alliance on Race Relations and Unifor Local 723M seeking an expedited public hearing on the matter.
The Commission said Tuesday that it will instead review the OMNI stations’ ongoing performance and requirements, including their obligations regarding the provision of local third-language programming, as part of the upcoming hearing that will form part of the licence renewal process scheduled to begin later this year.
“This will…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC wants to hear Canadians’ views on local and community programming.
On Tuesday the Commission opened an online discussion forum, available now through February 3, to allow Canadians to comment on its new working document based on initial feedback from its review of local and community programming that kicked off last September.
The working document contains proposals such as a fund to support local news and incentives to broadcast professional local news on community channels in markets where there is no over-the-air television, but cautioned that it is only to providing possible approaches to stimulate discussion and debate.
“The Commission is also…
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OTTAWA – The Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) officially acknowledged Thursday’s CRTC decision to introduce a new Television Service Provider Code of Conduct which it will administer.
CCTS currently administers two industry codes developed by the CRTC – the Deposit and Disconnection Code, which applies to residential phone service, and the Wireless Code, which applies to wireless services.
“The CRTC asked, and we agreed, to take on administration of this new Code,” said CCTS Commissioner and CEO Howard Maker, in a statement. “We support the CRTC’s efforts to introduce clarity and certainty into the relationship between TV service providers…
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LAS VEGAS – “Cable companies find it hard to accept that people don’t just want to watch TV in the living room anymore,” said Jay Mehr, EVP and COO of Shaw Communications as it announced the launch of its FreeRange app Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show.
The app makes content instantly available to subscribers no matter where they are and Mehr (pictured) told a gathering of industry partners and press that the cable company had partnered with Comcast and Cisco to leverage Comcast's X1 platform to provide a truly disruptive mobile experience by providing live…
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OTTAWA – The overwhelming majority of community TV channels do not meet the minimum criteria for operating a community TV channel under current CRTC policy, says the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
As the CRTC prepares to review the policy framework for local and community television programming later this month, the organization said Thursday that it has filed complaints of non-compliance with the Commission’s community TV policy against 47 cable community channels for not airing at least 60% local content and at least 50% access content.
CACTUS’ allegation includes research by CACTUS member and Newwest.tv executive director…
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