OTTAWA – A sharp increase in telecommunications prices over the past year combined with slower economic growth are affecting Canadian consumers' ability to afford their current telecom services, according to The Conference Board of Canada.
In the latest Outlook for Canada's Telecommunications Industry report, telecommunications industry revenues are forecast to increase by only 2.3% this year, the smallest increase since the 2009 recession, while the industry's GDP is expected to expand by less than 1%.
The telecommunications price index rose by almost 5% in 2014, most likely driven by wireless price increases associated with the adoption of…
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OTTAWA – Spending on tangible public benefits related to the acquisition of regulated Canadian broadcast television assets increased by 27%, or $29.9 million, to $138.7 million in the 2013-2014 broadcast year, according to new research from Ottawa-based research firm Boon Dog Professional Services.
Of the $138.7 million in television benefits spent in 2013-2014 (the broadcast year ended August 31, 2014), 87% or $120.9 million went to on-screen/programming-related initiatives — primarily the creation of new Canadian programming — and the remaining 13% or $17.8 million went to social initiatives such as funding for digital television upgrades, training programs, and…
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MONTREAL – Quebec public safety channel Avis de recherche has filed an application in Federal Court for a judicial review of the CRTC’s decision two years ago refusing its mandatory carriage renewal application.
The French-language category B service bills itself as a public interest service due to its programming dedicated to public safety and prevention, as well as police bulletins on wanted suspects and missing persons. The CRTC did not renew its mandatory spot on digital basic in Quebec in August 2013, a move that baffled and distressed founder and president Vincent Geracitano, as Cartt.ca reported.
With its mandatory distribution…
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OTTAWA–GATINEAU – Porter Airlines has agreed to pay $150,000 as part of a settlement over violations to Canada's anti-spam legislation, plus promised to improve its compliance program, the CRTC said Monday.
The Commission investigated the regional carrier for allegedly sending some commercial emails that failed to comply with various requirements of Canada’s anti-spam legislation, including those relating to unsubscribe mechanisms, the provision of contact information and proof of consent.
Once made aware of the investigation by the CRTC, Porter Airlines was cooperative and immediately took corrective actions to comply with the legislation, the Commission continued. The company also pledged to improve…
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OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC has revoked the broadcasting licences of Aboriginal Voices Radio (AVR), which operates stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa under radio call sign CKAV.
The Commission said Thursday that not only did AVR fail to fulfil its commitments and mandate to reflect the distinctive place of the Aboriginal community in Canadian society, it was also found in non-compliance during each of the four times it appeared before the CRTC to renew its licences over the past 15 years.
Noting that the Ottawa station has not broadcast anything since fall 2014, AVR was also not providing the…
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GATINEAU – Consumer representatives say the CRTC’s proposed TV Service Provider (TVSP) Code of Conduct should mirror many aspects and be “as consistent with the Wireless Code as possible.” The broadcast distributors, on the other hand, say that while having a standard set of practices for all TV providers is a worthwhile initiative, using the wireless code as a template just won’t work.
The TV providers Code of Conduct idea is something that came out of the CRTC's Let's Talk TV, TV Policy Review.
In a joint submission, the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) and Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) argue that…
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GATINEAU – Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2015-96 ushered in sweeping changes to the Canadian broadcast system, namely a skinny basic and an a la carte channel regime. But the Let’s Talk TV decision also modified rules and provisions governing exempt broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs).
Now the CRTC wants to hear from industry about those specific changes.
The new rules are designed to not only give exempt BDUs more flexibility to operate and seek new customers, but also bring them in line with regulations that the larger broadcast distributors have to follow.
The CRTC is proposing, as was indicated in 2015-96, that exempt…
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TORONTO – As both a broadcaster and a premium content producer with a 4500-episode library of kids shows, Corus Entertainment, while facing many challenges, is still poised to flourish in an ever-changing media landscape, according to CEO Doug Murphy.
“Premium branded content has never been more valuable than it is today,” he said, speaking to the CTAM Canada leadership conference on Thursday in Toronto at Corus’ Queen’s Quay headquarters, and with so many more ways to monetize content, “we’re beginning to get feedback loops in ways that we’ve never had before,” leading to more TV show popularity and increasing international…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Despite competition from satellite, online and mobile services, revenues at Canada’s 695 commercial radio stations held firm for the 2014 broadcast year, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for this sector released Monday.
Commercial Radio 2010–2014: National Statistics, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Markets said that total revenues for AM and FM stations dipped 0.52%, from $1.623 billion in 2013 to $1.614 billion for the broadcast year ending August 31, 2014. These revenues enable commercial radio stations to offer a variety of programming to Canadians, to support established and emerging Canadian talent, and to provide employment to…
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OTTAWA – The ongoing rift between CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais and Ontario regional commissioner Raj Shoan appears to have deepened, after Blais allegedly refused to approve Shoan's proposed travel for 2015-16.
According to a Canadian Press report this week, Blais nixed Shoan’s potential trips to Las Vegas, Amsterdam, New York City and Mont Tremblant, travel that totaled $78,000. Shoan later reduced the amount to $48,000 "under protest," describing it instead as a wish list of conferences and meetings from which he invited Blais to pick and choose which ones to approve.
"Given that you have refused to provide me with…
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