OTTAWA – The CRTC received only 42 consumer complaints regarding bandwidth throttling by their Internet service providers (ISPs) in 2014, with most of those coming in the fourth quarter.
In its latest status report released Wednesday, the Commission said that it received 16 complaints regarding Internet Traffic Management Practices (ITMPs) from October 1 through December 31, 2014. Eleven complaints were received in the first quarter of the year, 10 in the second quarter and six in the third quarter.
There are nine active complaints as of December 31st, and 11 complaints were closed in the fourth quarter. Closed complaints include those where CRTC…
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OTTAWA–GATINEAU – The CRTC has approved the structure and mandate of the Canadian administrator of the country’s new video relay service, which could be could up and running by late 2015.
The service, green-lit by the Commission in April, will enable Canadians to place phone calls and communicate using American Sign Language (ASL) or Quebec Sign Language (QSL) where the technology is available. Designed for people who are deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired and other Canadians, and vice versa, an operator facilitates the conversation between the two parties by relaying the conversation between sign language and spoken language.
The…
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“I BEGAN MY CAREER AT ROGERS 45 years ago, just after the 1968 Broadcasting Act was enacted and this Commission was created,” Phil Lind told CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais during the company’s appearance at September’s TV Policy Review hearing.
“Since that time, Mr. Chairman, I have had the pleasure of appearing before you and all your predecessors. I reckon I have represented Rogers at more than 100 broadcasting hearings over the past four-and-a-half decades.” That’s right, Lind has appeared before every single CRTC chairman there has ever been. His fingerprints are all over broadcasting policy in Canada.
There are very few…
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THE CHANGES WHICH have happened in wireless market over the last five years have been stunning in their breadth, depth and speed. The explosion in popularity of the Android platform and the Apple iPhone and the implosion of BlackBerry often gobble up all the headlines, but riding those waves for half a decade now in Canada has been Wind Mobile.
The company celebrated its birthday Tuesday by using Twitter to give away 50 new Nexus phones – and by making its new CEO, Pietro Cordova (right), available to the media. He’s no Canadian neophyte, having worked here in the 1990s,…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has finally been gifted with the power to issue monetary penalties, something that has been on the wish list of many of its past chairs, particularly that of Konrad von Finckenstein.
With Bill C-43, the Economic Action Plan Act, No. 2, receiving Royal Assent, monetary penalties may be issued to any company or person that violates the Telecommunications Act as well as related CRTC decisions or regulations, current CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said in a statement Wednesday.
“Monetary penalties are an addition to our toolkit. They will promote compliance with telecommunications laws and regulations”, Blais said. “Monetary…
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TORONTO – Documentary Organization of Canada executive director Lisa Fitzgibbons is stepping down from her role on December 31, after seven years at the helm of the national arts service organization.
Fitzgibbons, pictured, leaves DOC to pursue her work in consulting and advocacy for the cultural sector, according to Tuesday’s announcement.
Throughout her tenure, Fitzgibbons strengthened the association’s relationships with other industry stakeholders and increased the organization’s profile through appearances before the CRTC and various Parliamentary Committees. Among her notable achievements is the National Road Show on Fair Dealing and Documentary Production which brought together key industry stakeholders to map out…
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OTTAWA – Telus Communications may not charge for service poles that it doesn’t own, says the CRTC.
In a decision issued Friday, the Commission found that Telus is prohibited by its Support Structure Service tariff from charging licensees for service poles it does not own, unless the company has an agreement through which it has the right to provide licensees with access to those poles and, hence, exercises control over those poles.
Responding to a complaint from Raftview Communications dated July 24, 2014, the CRTC directed Telus to withdraw all invoices and/or provide refunds to Raftview, as appropriate, in accordance…
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OTTAWA – There are rules which say pre-paid retail gift cards and pre-paid credit cards can not expire, but pre-paid phone cards are exempt from that legislation – and that’s a “scandalous” oversight, a consumer group has told the federal government.
Currently, prepaid wireless phone cards are exempt from both provincial and federal legislation which ban expiry dates on retailer gift cards and prepaid credit cards. However, one consumer advocacy group has been working to see that changed and is now demanding Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s cabinet intervene in the matter.
“Prepaid wireless, pay-per-use accounts should not be exempt from legislation…
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TORONTO – Accessible Media Inc.'s new AMI-télé channel will officially launch on Tuesday, December 16, becoming the world's first French-language network to present its entire schedule with open described video.
Located in downtown Montréal, AMI-télé is a general-interest channel that will offer popular local and international programming including major series, films, children's programming and public affairs, plus produce its own original programming starting next spring. Licensed by the CRTC as a 9(1)(h) service in August 2013, the channel will be available as part of the basic digital TV package offered by cable, IPTV and satellite direct-to-home services across Canada.
"For people who…
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TORONTO – It appears Moses Znaimer wants to add Sun News to his stable of media properties aimed at the 45-and-up demographic, his so-called “Zoomer” audience.
Two sources with knowledge of the negotiations but who asked to remain anonymous have told Cartt.ca that ZoomerMedia is currently in talks to buy the channel. The company currently has the rights to an exclusive negotiating window to come to an agreement to buy money-losing Sun News from its owner Quebecor Media, according to the sources.
ZoomerMedia, led by president and CEO Znaimer, owns TV brands VisionTV, One: Body, Mind & Spirit, JoyTV and HopeTV;…
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