OTTAWA – In light of the recent Federal Court of Appeal decision to uphold the applicability deadline of the Wireless Code, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) today clarified its position on three year contracts.
“Three-year contracts do not expire,” said CCTS commissioner and CEO Howard Maker in a statement. “That particular word does not appear in the Wireless Code. What has been at issue is the Code’s applicability. The Court has upheld the June 3, 2015, deadline for applicability to all wireless contracts. The question of whether customers who cancel their…
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TORONTO – Heads up binge watchers, here comes shomi. The streaming service said Wednesday that it will be made available to all Canadian Internet users this summer, whether or not they have a paid subscription to a TV service provider.
For $8.99 per month, shomi can be streamed on tablet, mobile, online, and to TV screens via Xbox 360, Apple TV and Chromecast. It's also available on the set-top boxes of Rogers' and Shaw's TV subscribers. New users get one month free when they subscribe, the announcement said.
In addition to Canadian content like Vikings, Rookie Blue, and Mr. D, shomi’s Canadian exclusives…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC was recognized by the Association of Professional Executive of the Public Service of Canada for its innovative work on the Text with 9-1-1 initiative at a ceremony held Monday.
Text with 9-1-1 enables registered users to communicate with emergency service call centre operators via text messages. Canada's Text with 9-1-1 service is unique in that along with the initial call, the operator receives the caller's approximate location, which can be of great assistance if the caller is unable to identify their location. A text messaging session is then initiated by the operator in order to exchange information…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s seemingly willy-nilly approach to mete out non-compliance justice leaves a lot to be desired, according to a panel of experts at the Communications Law and Policy Conference at the University of Ottawa Friday.
Research from Dr. Genevieve Bonin, assistant professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Ottawa, highlighted the discussion. For one study, she examined nearly 300 commercial radio station licence renewals from 1997 to 2007 in which 101 resulted in renewal terms less than the maximum seven years because of non-compliance issues. In addition, Bonin also spoke with people involved in the…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied an application by Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) challenging the early upgrade programs offered by Rogers and Telus.
The Commission said Thursday that the programs, known respectively as Rogers “Next” and Telus “T-Up”, do not violate the Wireless Code, as the two consumer groups alleged in their complaint filed in June 2014. Rather, the CRTC continued, the programs are consistent with the Wireless Code’s contract cancellation and extension rules, and are “examples of innovative plans and services that respond to the needs of consumers who value…
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OTTAWA – The merging of the statutes governing the communications industry has been addressed a number of times in the past. The first panel session at this year’s Communications Law and Policy Conference attempted to put some meat to the bones of whether having unified communications legislation would be good, or bad, for the sector and even if it’s doable at all.
Former CRTC commissioner Tim Denton provided a pretty succinct argument as to why the Broadcasting Act and Telecommunications Act are essentially incompatible, can’t be unified and be effective at the same time. On one hand, the Telecom Act…
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TORONTO – CRTC vice-chair broadcasting Tom Pentefountas told Toronto’s broadcasting and advertising community this week to stop leaving money on the table and get on with addressable, targeted advertising already.
A big fan of shows like Mad Men (the vice-chairman said Thursday morning he was still dejected the series had concluded), Pentefountas noted both the massive amount of quality TV out there, and that the viewers are now in the driver’s seat when it comes to viewing options – something to which the industry has not yet fully responded, he added.
Pentefountas gave the sold-out audience of 200 at the inaugural Future…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canada’s television service providers saw their overall revenues increase 1.5% in 2014 despite a dip in subscribers, according to the CRTC’s statistical and financial results for the industry released Thursday.
Broadcast Distribution 2009–2013: Cable, Multipoint Distribution Systems and Direct-to-Home said that combined revenues grew from $8.8 billion in 2013 to $8.9 billion in 2014, while subscribers remained relatively flat over the period, decreasing from 11.5 million to 11.4 million for the year ended August 31, 2014.
The revenues of cable and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service providers increased by a combined 3% from $6.3 billion in 2013 to $6.5 billion…
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OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC is calling for volunteers to help it measure the performance of Internet services provided by major Internet service providers (ISPs) across the country.
The Measuring Broadband Canada program, announced Thursday, will see the Commission work in collaboration with ISPs and broadband testing firm SamKnows to measure broadband performance and test parameters associated with the broadband Internet connection, including download and upload speeds.
The CRTC is recruiting up to 6,200 Canadians who will receive a device known as a 'Whitebox' that they will connect to their modem or router. The Whitebox will periodically run measurement tests when users…
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OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – Kevin Crull wasn’t out of work for long. The former Bell Media president was named chief marketing officer for Sprint, the third largest U.S. wireless operator (with about 56 million customers), it was announced today.
In his new role, Crull will be responsible for all products and services, brand and advertising, customer acquisition and retention, and all digital and social efforts. Crull will report to President and CEO Marcelo Claure, says the company’s press release.
Crull was fired from Bell Media in April after the company found he improperly influenced CTV News coverage of…
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