The CRTC said Thursday it has conditionally approved $8 million from its $750-million Broadband Fund to fund transport fibre infrastructure in 16 communities in Manitoba.
The money will go to Brandon-based cooperative Westman Communications Group and will consist of roughly $4.8 million to build 186 kilometres of fibre to the benefit of roughly 266 households in Camperville, Cowan, Fork River, Renwer, Sifton, and Valley River.
Another $1.6 million will go toward the build of a 62-kilometer stretch of fibre to connect roughly 429 households in Birnie, Eden, and Riding Mountain; $1.2 million to build roughly 44 kilometres of fibre to serve…
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Public relations campaign against Online Streaming Act launches
By Ahmad Hathout
Two music organizations have sent a letter to the CRTC disagreeing with what they say is an attempt to apply radio-like regulation to audio streaming services.
Music Canada, which represents major record labels like Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music, and the Digital Media Association (DiMA), a trade group representing the likes of Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and Google’s Youtube, said they were part of CRTC-hosted engagement sessions from September 11 to 18. They said they were then encouraged to write to the regulator any thoughts and clarifications following those meetings.
“From…
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The CRTC is asking the country’s largest telecoms to answer questions as to how the decommissioning of their 3G networks will impact those still on the legacy wireless technology.
In a letter Tuesday, the commission is asking Rogers, Bell, Telus, Quebecor, SaskTel, Iristel, and TBayTel to answer a few questions by November 1.
Those questions include whether the telecoms and their flankers still operate a 3G network and whether they have 3G-only plans available in the market; whether they plan to decommission the 3G network in the next three years and, if so, when that will happen, what will happen to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is looking for a senior auditor to prepare an annual report detailing the impact of the Online News Act on the Canadian digital news marketplace.
According to a contract published on the federal government’s procurement website Tuesday, the independent auditor or auditors will cover the period between June 2024 to June 2025, with a CRTC option to extend it two additional one-year periods.
Bid closing is October 15.
The CRTC is required to get an independent auditor under the new law, which mandates that foreign tech platforms pay news businesses for linking to their content….
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By Ahmad Hathout
An association representing French-language music publishers wants the CRTC to collect and make public data from online streaming services to evaluate how well they are promoting Canadian content as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act.
In a Part 1 application published this month, the Association des Professionnels de L’edition Musicale (APEM) is urging the regulator to collect data on a quarterly basis from the streaming services related to the rank, title, artist, release data and origin of listens and impressions (where the music is displayed to the user) of the top musical scores that run…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A Senate bill to impose a nationwide framework regulating advertising for sports betting could reduce those ads at a time when the provinces are still navigating the nascent market and as broadcasters are desperately grasping for any advertising dollars they can get, the head of a major broadcasting group told senators on the Transport and Communications committee Wednesday night.
Bill S-269 would task the minister of Canadian Heritage to consult various government departments to create a national framework “with a view to restricting the use of such advertising, limiting the scope or location … or…
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Videotron announced Thursday the expansion of wireless services to the Gaspesie and Cote-Nord regions, as well as a strengthened presence in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region thanks to the mobile virtual network operator regime mandated by the CRTC.
Résidents of Sept-Iles, Baie-Comeau, Port-Cartier, Gaspe, Matane, Chandler, Rimouski, Amqui and Sayabec, among other areas, can now get Videotron’s wireless services.
“We are proud to bring Videotron’s exceptional service and innovative, competitively priced plans to even more Quebecers,” Pierre Karl Peladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor, said in a press release.
“As we continue expanding our telecommunications services across Canada, our commitment to fostering competition for…
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By Connie Thiessen
Netflix has confirmed it’s pulling back on its film and television training and development programs in Canada, citing mandated CRTC contributions under the Online Streaming Act.
According to the streaming giant, it’s invested more than $25 million in training and development in Canada since 2017, including initiatives ranging from the Pacific Screenwriting Program, to a short documentary effort with Hot Docs, and a five-year partnership with the Canadian Film Centre (CFC) aimed at supporting Canadian talent.
A Netflix spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue that following the CRTC’s decision to require online streaming services to contribute five per cent of their Canadian revenues to support the…
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By Connie Thiessen
Anthem Sports & Entertainment has reached an agreement to acquire Hollywood Suite, the owner and operator of four linear TV channels and accompanying digital on-demand service, pending CRTC approval.
Launched in 2011, Hollywood Suite is the largest pure-play movie service in Canada, with its film-focused 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s channels available in over 10 million homes via Rogers, Bell, Telus, Amazon Prime Video, Cogeco, Eastlink, and Freedom Mobile, among other cable providers.
Anthem – which has offices and studios in Toronto, Los Angeles, Denver, Nashville, New York, and Cleveland – says Hollywood Suite’s ability to satisfy both traditional linear viewers and on-demand focused digital…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The province of British Columbia wants the CRTC to stop treating with confidence granular broadband mapping information not designated as such by internet service providers.
The province filed a Part 1 application this month asking the CRTC to stop treating connectivity coverage data down to the 250-meter road segment as confidential if ISPs don’t treat it such. That information includes who services those areas and with what technology and speed.
It is asking that this information cease being deemed confidential and be made public or allowed to be made public in a way that can be searchable by address,…
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