OTTAWA–GATINEAU – With the next federal election on the horizon, the CRTC is asking Canadians to weigh in on the factors that should be considered when setting the penalty amounts for violations of the Voter Contact Registry.
As part of recent amendments to the Canada Elections Act and the Telecommunications Act, the CRTC is responsible for establishing and maintaining a Voter Contact Registry during federal elections. Persons, corporations, or groups that engage in voter contact calls in relation to an election will be required to file registration notices and identifying information with the Commission for inclusion in the Voter…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU – The CRTC has ordered B.C.-based Radio India Ltd. to stop broadcasting programing into Canada via an over-the-air transmitter located in the United States.
At a show cause hearing last month, the Commission determined that Radio India produces programming for broadcast on the radio at its studios in Surrey, BC, despite not holding a Canadian broadcasting licence. That programming reaches into Canada through an agreement with Way Broadcasting Operating LLC, the licensee of KVRI 1600 AM in Blaine, Washington. In addition, the majority of Radio India’s revenue comes from Canadian advertisers.
Under the terms of the CRTC’s Continue Reading
FENELON FALLS, ON – Independent cable company Cable Cable says it's business as usual for its customers after the CRTC’s announcement last week that communication companies can no longer require their customers to give 30 days’ advance notice of cancellation.
“The effects these changes will have on Cable Cable is quite minimal, as we do not impose contracts on our subscribers”, the company said Wednesday in a statement. “As a smaller, local telecommunications provider, we have always strived for our customers to have a comfortable experience, with the freedom of choice when it comes to our services. This has…
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TORONTO – Quebecor Media chief financial officer Jean-Francois Pruneau said Wednesday morning his company would love to be part of a national wireless play, has talked to investors and others about it, but is still awaiting the right conditions.
The big attraction at this point, he told Scotiabank’s telecom and cable investors conference in Toronto, is that the initial network builds have been done. “We don’t have to invest from the ground up, like the new entrants had to do,” he said, meaning any new national wireless company Videotron may be part of, would be “buying this at…
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THERE ARE A WHOLE lot of misinformed Canadians when it comes to opinions on the function, and overall role, of the CRTC – something of which those working in the telecom and broadcasting business in Canada are too well aware.
That obliviousness was excruciatingly apparent during September’s Let’s Talk TV policy review hearing, when Canadians (especially the ones on Twitter) displayed a severe lack of knowledge about what the Commission does, does not, or even can do.
Montreal writer and Cartt.ca contributor Steve Faguy published a very interesting and entertaining take on all of this on his blog with a post…
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WINNIPEG – MTS Allstream saw third quarter profits climb 44.9% year-over-year on the strength of broadband growth at MTS and double-digit IP growth at Allstream.
For the period ended September 30, 2014, consolidated revenues of $402.4 million were down 1.5% from $403.3 million in Q3 2013. The company said that this was mostly due to Allstream legacy revenue declines, along with wireless wholesale declines and lower wireless voice revenues, partly offset by strong revenue growth from converged IP, broadband, wireless data and EPIC Information Solutions
Consolidated EBITDA of $140.1 million decreased 1.8% from $142.5 million year-over-year. Declines in Allstream legacy services,…
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TORONTO – Just in time for the winter getaway season, Rogers is rolling out a new technology for customers travelling in the U.S. that allows them to access their Canadian wireless plans while they're away.
For $5 a day, the Roam Like Home plan, which will be available November 10, allows customers to use the Internet, make calls, send texts and emails in the U.S. just like they would at home, with their Share Everything plan, which includes shareable data buckets, unlimited talk and text, and various other services. Calls made within the U.S. and back to Canada are also included…
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VANCOUVER – The speech CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais gave yesterday to the Vancouver Board of Trade looked like a plea for Canadians to take a deep breath, step back, and let the Regulator do its work on the TV Policy Review – and to remind all that decisions will be based solely on the hard evidence presented to it.
Blais referenced the beginnings of the satellite TV era in Canada where the incumbent cable companies and others used the term Death Star to describe the potential newcomers. Back then, incumbents spoke of all manner of ruination that would come to…
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MONTREAL – Gains at Bell Wireless helped to power a 74.9% jump in BCE's third quarter net earnings, the company announced Thursday.
BCE operating revenue grew 1.9% to $5,195 million in Q3, reflecting higher revenues at Bell and Bell Aliant. Adjusted EBITDA was up 2.5% to $2,115 million while adjusted EBITDA margin increased slightly to 40.7%, driven by “healthy growth” at Bell that was partly offset by a year-over-year decline at Bell Aliant.
BCE's net earnings attributable to common shareholders jumped 74.9% to $600 million year-over-year, which it said was due to a charge in Q3 2013 for the CRTC tangible…
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OTTAWA – If you want to cancel your TV, phone or Internet service, service providers can’t make you wait 30 days anymore.
Today the CRTC announced Canadians will no longer be required to provide advance notice to change their television services, says a press release – the first decision coming from the CRTC’s TV Policy Review. The Commission is prohibiting television service providers from requiring that Canadians give 30-days notice prior to cancelling these services. This is the first decision further to Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians on the future of television.
Most of the…
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