PARIS – The plethora of viewing options has created a legion of “content bulimics”, escalating content discovery and promotion to “a global challenge”, says CRTC broadcasting vice chair Tom Pentefountas.
Speaking Monday at the Culture et médias au défi de l'attention conference in Paris, Pentefountas invited the world to take part in the Commission’s upcoming Discoverability Summit, an event designed to examine and understand the new consumption habits of listeners, viewers and Internet users.
“The Summit, as well as the preliminary discussions, will be opportunities to bring together key creators and thinkers in the industry, and government and university representatives from Canada…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – CRTC employees were honoured at a ceremony at Rideau Hall Wednesday for the Commission’s work on modernizing northern telecommunications.
The CRTC received a Public Service Award of Excellence in the “Excellence in Policy” category. Further to a public hearing, the CRTC developed a regulatory policy for the modernization of the Northwestel network, which will result in improved broadband Internet services and the delivery of advanced wireless services. Canadians living in the North will have access to affordable telecommunications services that will allow them to participate in the digital economy, reads the Commission’s news release.
The Public Service Award…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has officially kicked off its review of the policy framework for local and community television programming.
The Commission said Monday that in addition to building on the determinations made during the Let’s Talk TV proceeding, it hopes that the review will achieve the following outcomes:
– Canadians have access to locally produced and locally reflective programming in a multi-platform environment;
– Both professional and non-professional independent producers and community members have access to the broadcasting system; and
– Locally relevant news and information programming is produced and exhibited within the Canadian broadcasting system.
As per BRP 2015-24 in…
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OTTAWA – Consumers need more effective privacy rules to protect the collection, use and disclosure of their location, says a new report from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).
The report, Off the Grid: Pinpointing Location-Based Technologies and the Law, examines whether Canada has sufficient protections in place to address risks posed by location-based technologies. It also addresses whether Canadian consumers have sufficient disclosure regarding how and when telecommunications service providers collect and use location-based personal information.
“Location is highly unique, highly identifiable, and highly personal in nature, even when anonymized and aggregated,” said PIAC executive director and general counsel…
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OTTAWA – It’s rare when the incumbent wireless carriers and the new entrants find themselves on the same side of an issue, but the response to a Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) appeal of the CRTC’s wholesale wireless decision last month is one of those occasions where the normally combative firms see eye to eye.
CNOC has appealed portions Telecom Regulatory Policy 2015-177, saying the Commission erred in fact and made errors of law in not granting mandated mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access to the radio access networks (RANs) of the wireless carriers. The second…
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WINNIPEG – Local TV – the place where many Canadians turn to for news about their community and country – may cease to exist inside of a decade, thanks to the unending growth and development of technology and the opportunities and challenges that development fosters.
A new discussion paper from Winnipeg consultancy Communications Management Inc. entitled Canada's Digital Divides paints a grim picture of the near future of both local TV and newspapers – and tries to make sense of what that means for journalism and democracy. Ubiquitous broadband, argues the paper “continues to enhance news-gathering and distribution,…
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OTTAWA – The Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC) has announced a new round of funding for its Radiometres program which will provide $3 million to campus and community radio stations across the country.
Radiometres is a flexible program that is designed to improve local programming, offer better training, supervision and retention of volunteers, and increase community engagement.
Only one round of funding will take place this year, and all campus and community radio stations with a valid CRTC license are eligible. Applicants have until October 16, 2015 to submit their funding application, up to a maximum of $50,000 per individual application,…
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OTTAWA – Registration is now open for Community Media Convergence, a national professional and policy development conference for community media practitioners.
Scheduled for November 22 – 24, 2015 at Carleton University in Ottawa, the event invites practitioners from community television, radio, online and gaming platforms to join with academics and policy makers to discuss and develop new strategies for community media in the digital environment.
The conference promises to foster and celebrate Canadian community media through panels, workshops and a three-day media festival while also brainstorming a more holistic approach to policy at a day-long policy forum. The policy proposals that emerge…
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MONTREAL and OTTAWA – It took just five days. And that includes a weekend.
On Tuesday, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a formal complaint with the CRTC against Vidéotron’s Unlimited Music plan, which exempts music streaming services from its mobile data caps.
Vidéotron announced Unlimited Music last Thursday, as we reported. It exempts music streaming services Stingray, Rdio, Google Play, Deezer and Spotify from Vidéotron Mobile’s data caps for people with Canada-wide plans with at least 2GB data, or an Internet and mobile package with at least 1 GB of mobile data. Videotron said no money…
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A BRIDGE IS A musical term meaning a bit of a song which gets you from the verse back to the chorus. We thought the term was a good one to characterize Peter Bissonnette, an accomplished musician, as well as the outgoing president of Shaw Communications (his official last day was yesterday).
Bissonnette has worked in cable for more than 30 years, the last 25 of which for Shaw Communications. He’s been president of the company since 2000, working under company founder JR, and then both his sons, Jim and Brad Shaw – and has much prior experience working for…
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