GATINEAU – Many parties to the CRTC’s local and community TV consultation have proposed funding approaches (each with their own acronyms we’re having trouble keep track of) which could financially support these struggling services. Rogers Communications Inc. has now joined them, unveiling its own approach to a local programming fund.
In its appearance before the Commission on Thursday, the media and communications giant argued while it still prefers its original proposal calling for greater flexibility to move local programming funds from larger to smaller markets, it offered up another model that it says is workable and would provide financial benefits…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Using its anti-spam powers, the CRTC said Wednesday that it has executed a warrant under Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL) at two locations in Ontario's Niagara region.
The warrant was obtained as part of an ongoing investigation further to a lead from FireEye Inc., a vendor specializing in cyber threat protection and forensics. The CRTC does not comment on active investigations, nor does it name the individuals or companies under investigation. It did say, however, that the investigation related to the installation of malicious software (malware) and the alteration of transmission data.
The warrant was granted by a Justice of the…
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Commission is told small TV stations are living on borrowed time
GATINEAU – The local TV environment is so bad for some small independent over the air broadcasters that they risk shutting their doors in the coming months if they don’t get financial assistance from the CRTC. A case in point is Dougall Media’s Thunder Bay Electronics, the owner of two stations in the northwestern Ontario city.
VP and GM Don Caron explained during a closing statement to the Small Market Independent Television Stations Coalition (SMITs) appearance that his two stations (a CTV and Global affiliate) have remained open…
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OTTAWA – A CRTC decision allowing Corus Entertainment’s OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network to rescind a terms of trade agreement with the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) has been allowed to stand.
An order in council dated January 26, 2016 declined to set aside or return the decision to the CRTC, as an appeal by the CMPA had requested. After considering the CMPA’s petition, the Governor in Council said in the order that it “is not satisfied that decision derogates from the attainment of the objectives of the broadcasting policy for Canada set out in subsection 3(1) of the Broadcasting…
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GATINEAU – The second day of the CRTC hearing into local and community TV delved more into the details of how alternative financing and community TV could be help fix the local TV problem. Some argued that more money is needed to fund local TV and others said that community TV has the wherewithal to take the financial reins from their broadcast distributor masters and control much more of their own content creation.
The Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) noted in its opening remarks that its $150-million Community Media Access Fund (CAMF) proposal could team community…
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Vice, Eastlink, Channel Zero and Bell offer new ideas to the CRTC Monday
GATINEAU – With major and independent broadcasters cutting newsrooms because of high costs and low revenue, there can be little doubt that local news and TV programming is in trouble. This means the industry may need to rethink how local programming is made and funded, the CRTC heard during the first day of an eight-day hearing on local and community TV. (pictured is a screen cap from CPAC.ca of Bell Media chief Mary Ann Turcke.)
Lee Bragg, chief executive at Bragg Communications (Eastlink) made some pointed comments about…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – As the CRTC kicked off its public hearing on local and community programming Monday, it reiterated its call for public feedback.
The Commission encouraged Canadians to share their views through its new online discussion forum, available now through February 3, on the issues addressed in its new working document and on any other topic raised at the hearing. 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.
The discussion forum is meant to serve as…
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MARKHAM, ON – Toronto-area telecom Iristel Inc. is crediting the CRTC and Primus Canada for helping it to restore telephone service to approximately 75,000 Canadian subscribers of American VoIP provider NetTalk.
Iristel cut off access to its network to NetTalk on January 15, alleging that the Florida-based reseller owed it more than $2 million for almost two years-worth of unpaid bills. This left thousands of Canadian NetTalk customers without full service and with questions over whether their phone numbers would be lost.
The Canadian CLEC said Thursday that NetTalks’s Canadian customers can now receive calls and port their phone numbers to…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has announced plans to hold public informational sessions on telecommunication services costing principles and concepts in an effort to keep its processes transparent and allow Canadians to actively participate in them.
In a notice posted Wednesday, the Commission opened the sessions to companies that conduct their own company-specific cost studies (that are filed with the Commission), in support of proposed rates, and also rely on ILEC’s manuals for costing principles and concepts (such as SILECs and cable carriers). Individual Canadians, consumer groups and competitors that are interested in incumbent’s company-specific cost studies filed in support of proposed…
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Bell argues at Federal Court the CRTC made a jurisdictional mistake
TORONTO — Bell Mobility finally had its day in Federal Court on Tuesday, a year after the CRTC ruled the wireless provider had violated the Telecommunications Act by giving undue preference to its Bell Mobile TV subscribers when it exempted the mobile TV service from the data caps generally applied to customers of its wireless services.
Shortly after CRTC Decision 2015-26 was issued in January 2015, Bell Mobility filed for leave to appeal the decision. (In the same decision, the CRTC also found Vidéotron was in violation of…
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