Search Results for: crtc

Cable / Telecom News

Duct-cleaning companies still in violation of DNCL rules: CRTC

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — Two duct-cleaning services companies that were notified previously in February of being in violation of Canada’s unsolicited telecommunications rules have still not paid the monetary penalties imposed by the CRTC. The CRTC issued on Friday compliance and enforcement decisions against the two duct-cleaners who the Commission had previously determined had arranged for a telemarketer to make unsolicited telemarketing calls on their behalf, while they were not registered with or a paid subscriber of the National Do Not Call List (DNCL). The two companies — N. Bro Transport Inc. and Goodlife Home Services Inc. — are listed as being… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

CRTC will no longer publish notices of consultation for licence renewals

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — The CRTC is amending its Rules of Practice and Procedure to remove the requirement to publish notices of consultation for broadcast licence renewal applications. The amendments also take into account amendments made to the Telecommunications Act and clarify that the Rules of Procedure do not apply to the Canadian anti-spam legislation. These amendments will be published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, and will come into force on the date of their registration, the CRTC said in its Broadcasting and Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-357 decision on Thursday. The proposed amendments to the Rules of Procedure would make… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

CRTC adds hybrid VOD services to revised exemption order

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — After months of public consultation, the CRTC has put the finishing touches on its regulatory policy concerning so-called hybrid video-on-demand (hybrid VOD or HVOD) services, issuing today a revised exemption order for VOD undertakings that takes effect immediately. In Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-355, the CRTC defines the newly created HVOD service category and outlines the rules that apply to HVOD services, explaining how they will be exempt from having to meet the specific regulatory requirements relating to financial contributions to and library space for Canadian programming that are applicable to traditional licensed VOD services. To qualify for… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News, Radio / Television News

COMMENTARY: Stephen Harper, Canadian Prime Minister, Netflix Canadian Sales Director

“WHY IS OUR PM SHILLING for Netflix during the first week of our federal election campaign?” I wondered when I saw this video of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. We learned in the video tweeted early yesterday evening that one of his all-time favourite TV shows is Breaking Bad, reminding us it “is even available on some online streaming services, if you’ve never seen it.” Well, it’s only available for streaming online from Netflix (not some), unless you want to purchase individual episodes for download from Google Play or iTunes. Oh, it’s also available on demand from our… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CNOC asks CRTC to mandate Full MVNO services, wholesale tower and site sharing

TORONTO and OTTAWA-GATINEAU — Canadian Network Operators Consortium Inc. (CNOC) is asking the CRTC to mandate both Full Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) national wholesale access services and wholesale tower and site sharing services. CNOC made the request in an application it submitted Monday to the CRTC to “review and vary” the Commission’s Regulatory framework for wholesale mobile wireless services, (Telecom Regulatory Policy CRTC 2015-177). In its policy decision, issued in May, the Commission chose to regulate wholesale roaming services but continued to forbear from the regulation of MVNO and tower and site sharing services. In its “review and vary”… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

CCSA Connect: What independent operators will be talking about (why they like Talk TV, for example)

QUISPAMSIS, N.B. – We may be in the dog days of summer right now, but it’s already less than seven weeks to the only Canadian cable show, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance’s Connect Conference and AGM set for September 20-22 at Mont Tremblant, Que. (right) A few hundred cable company, programming supplier and technical vendor representatives will make their way to this popular resort north of Montreal to network, deal-make (and commiserate), as well as learn best practices from each other. “Our focus this year is on members learning from members – a lot of ‘best practices’,” said… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Attention, robocallers: new Voter Contact Registry requirements now in effect for federal election

OTTAWA-GATINEAU — With the federal election campaign officially underway, the CRTC announced Monday it is now accepting registrations via the Voter Contact Registry from anyone who will be using calling service providers or robocall systems to call voters during the election. In the wake of the robocall scandal that emerged during the 2011 federal election, when the Fair Elections Act was enacted in June 2014, new provisions were introduced for the regulation of voter contact calling services through the Voter Contact Registry. The registry is intended to protect Canadian voters from rogue and misleading telephone calls during federal elections, and… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

WHOOSH: Wind spectrum sell-off in prairies gets speedy approval by Industry Canada

TORONTO, OTTAWA, WINNIPEG and REGINA — Signalling its exit from the wireless network market in the prairie provinces, and just days after it made the original applications, Wind Mobile’s proposed sell-off of AWS-1 spectrum to Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS) and SaskTel was approved by Industry Canada on Friday. In separate announcements, MTS said it will pay $45 million to buy 15 MHz of paired AWS-1 spectrum in Manitoba from Wind Mobile, while SaskTel will acquire six licences of paired AWS-1 spectrum in Saskatchewan for an undisclosed sum. Industry Canada approved the two spectrum licence transfer deals Friday morning, publishing its separate… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

CMPA appoints Reynolds Mastin as new CEO

TORONTO — The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) has chosen Reynolds Mastin as its new president and CEO, filling the vacancy left by Michael Hennessy, who retired from the association earlier this summer. “On behalf of the CMPA board of directors, I would like to first of all thank Michael Hennessy for his contribution to the association and to the industry over the past three years. It has been an honour working with Michael and I’d like to wish him the very best,” Jamie Brown, chair of the CMPA board of directors, said in a press release. (Prior to… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

Cartt.ca EXCLUSIVE podcast: Heather Conway, EVP English Services, CBC-Radio-Canada.

JOIN BILL ROBERTS (former president and CEO of VisionTV) in an exclusive Cartt.ca podcast with Conway as she talks about CBC host firings, the effect of the CRTC’s Let's Talk TV policies, staff cuts, the future of streaming content, CBC Radio 2, ad sales, NHL hockey and more. To get right to the 32-minute interview done at the CBC headquarters, click here. (Ed note: As a busy executive, Conway doesn’t have a ton of free time for media, so our preamble you’ll read below is taken from a post-podcast interview Roberts did with her to finish… Continue Reading