OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC is asking Canadians to weigh in and help shape its proposed code of conduct for television service providers.
The Commission said Tuesday that its online discussion forum is open now through May 25, 2015, to allow Canadians to comment on the draft TV code tabled in March compiled from comments received during last year’s TV Policy Review, known as Let's Talk TV.
As it stands, the code proposes that TV service providers would be required to provide easy-to-understand agreements to their customers, notify them of changes to their services, and clarify the terms surrounding issues such as the…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) is again fighting wholesale service rates of the established telecom and cable companies. The group of independent ISPs is now telling the CRTC that it must make interim all usage sensitive rates from these companies until more fulsome analyses are done.
Bell Aliant, Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable, Rogers Communications, SaskTel, Shaw Cablesystems, Telus Communications, and Vidéotron are all party to the application.
In an application filed on April 29, CNOC argues that evidence has now come to light that demonstrates existing usage sensitive rates are too high. It points to a recent…
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EDMONTON – After cancelling its Citytv Breakfast Television show in Edmonton last week, Rogers is inviting viewers in that city to dig in to a new show called Dinner Television.
Billed as a local, entertaining, and interactive prime-time series, Dinner Television will debut May 19 and will air on City Edmonton every day from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT and live online at Citytv.com/Edmonton It will air in an encore presentation each weekday morning from 5:30 AM to 9:00 AM, with updated local news, traffic, and weather in an L-screen format.
Hosted by NHL veteran Jason Strudwick, Dinner Television…
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TORONTO – IPTV provider VMedia Inc. has received CRTC approval for four regional broadcasting licences, allowing it to offer television services on a national basis.
The Commission said Friday that 2251723 Ontario, wholly owned by VMedia Inc., may operate terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings to serve various locations in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia; Quebec; Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan; and British Columbia. The Toronto-based company was previously only able to market its television service in Ontario. It also offers high-speed internet and home phone services.
"We are very grateful to the Commission for its decisions," said CEO Alexei Tchernobrivets,…
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TORONTO – Citing a huge difference between the cost of newsgathering versus the revenue being earned by its multicultural OMNI stations during those programs, Rogers Media today eliminated all of its third-language newscasts on its various OMNI stations.
That decision, which will see the company’s Citytv and OMNI operations combined as well, came at the cost of 110 jobs, spread across the OMNI stations. Most of the losses came from positions such as editor, shooter, field technicians, ENG crews and producers.
As of Monday, May 11, OMNI’s Punjabi, Cantonese and Mandarin newscasts will be replaced by local current affairs shows in…
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MONTREAL – Quebecor CEO Pierre Dion says the company is keeping its options open about the idea of becoming a national wireless player after this week’s CRTC decision on wholesale roaming.
In a press conference after the company’s annual general meeting in Montreal on Thursday, Dion said “we will continue to use a very, very disciplined process” in evaluating whether to make use of its spectrum licenses in English Canada to expand its wireless services to other provinces, or come to agreements with other players.
He said “we think that the CRTC is taking a step in the right direction” with…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Four companies have paid $92,500 as part of settlements over violations to Canada's telemarketing rules, and the CRTC has fined a fifth company $30,000, the Commission said Thursday.
Acting on complaints, the CRTC investigated four companies for presumed violations of the Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules. As part of settlements, these companies paid a total of $92,500 in monetary penalties as follows:
– AcademyOne Learning Ltd., a company offering educational tutoring – $25,000
– Eagle Water of Ontario, a water treatment company – $32,500
– Outsources Inc., a telemarketer offering calling services for telemarketing – $15,000
– Scentral Cleaning Services, a residential and commercial…
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MONTREAL – The various interventions carried out by the federal government to encourage the establishment of a fourth wireless player will hurt consumers by undermining innovation in this industry, according to a new report released this morning by the Montreal Economic Institute.
“This is all the more worrisome given that important technological revolutions are in the works that will require billions of dollars of investments from the country’s telecommunications companies,” reads the MEI’s press release touting the 2015 edition of The State of Competition in Canada’s Telecommunications Industry.
“In telecommunications, true competition, which allows consumers to enjoy better services at a…
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THE INSTANT REACTION to the CRTC’s Tuesday decision to rate-regulate the domestic wholesale wireless roaming business was met with a range of reactions, including complete silence from the big three wireless operators at whom this decision was directed.
From Quebecor, owner of Vidéotron: The company “welcomed the move to regulate roaming rates as a step in the right direction. Quebecor shares the CRTC's goal of offering Canadian consumers more competition and greater freedom of choice.
“Quebecor intends to actively participate in the regulatory process established by the CRTC and hopes that it will be completed quickly. The…
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TORONTO – Conference organisers have made available the final 20 delegate passes after initially selling out a month before the event.
They are on sale now on a first-come-first-served basIs. Over 160 delegates are already confirmed to attend to hear keynotes from the CRTC, GroupM, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Bell, Rogers, QMI and many more.
Register to attend the May 20-21st event now. www.futuretv-canada.com.
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