OTTAWA – Canadians should take full advantage of the opportunity to share their views on Canada’s current and future television systems with the CRTC, says the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).
That input should include their satisfaction (or not) with their cable, satellite and Internet Protocol television (IPTV) retail packages, the organization said in a statement Thursday.
“This is a key opportunity for consumers to comment on an industry that they care deeply about and pay dearly for but have for too long have had very little voice in shaping,” said John Lawford, executive director and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has tweaked some of the conditions around audits between broadcasters and broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs).
The Commission said Thursday that the revised audit provisions clarify the manner in which audits are conducted by programming undertakings, thus ensuring a proper verification of the subscriber information held by BDUs.
It also announced plans to issue a notice of consultation setting out proposed amendments to section 15.1 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to bring into force the audit provisions set out in the appendix to this regulatory policy.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC cleared up confusion around how the new Wireless Code applies to wireless services with tab billing models (tab contracts) in response to queries from Rogers and Telus.
Under a tab contract, the customer obtains a device at a reduced upfront cost and the amount of the device subsidy goes onto the customer’s “tab.” Thereafter, a percentage of the customer’s monthly bill is used to “pay down” their tab.
In its response, the Commission also provided clarification on how the maximum early cancellation fee may be calculated for tab contracts, and what…
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MARKHAM, ON – Corus Entertainment COO Doug Murphy will join the panel of the executive town hall session next week at the Ontario Association of Broadcasters’ fall conference.
Moderated by radio executive Ross Davies, the session will ask high level industry executives from different areas of the broadcast industry to provide their perspective on the state of radio, television and advertising.
Other confirmed panelists include:
– Caroline Gianias; EVP trade & communications activation, Aegis Media;– Patrick Grierson; president, Canadian Broadcast Sales;– Catherine Kelly; VP electronic operations, BBM Canada;– Geoff Poulton; president, Vista Radio;– Raj Shoan; Ontario Commissioner, CRTC; and Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The CBC is asking the CRTC to tweak its broadcasting licences for its Espace Musique and Radio 2 networks and stations across Canada.
In an application made public on Wednesday, CBC is proposing to amend the conditions related to sponsored programming and embedded advertising. As Cartt.ca reported, CBC was given the green light to introduce advertising on its Radio 2 and Espace musique properties last May, but only for three years.
The deadline for comments or interventions is November 19, 2013.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is calling for comments on a targeted review of its policies for commercial radio.
The Commission said Wednesday that a comprehensive review is not necessary at this time, noting that the sector has remained relatively stable, both financially and in terms of tuning, since the last policy review in 2006. Nevertheless, the CRTC continued, the commercial radio sector would benefit from an update of certain regulatory and policy elements.
The regulator requested comments on the following topics:
– the Commission’s approach to calls for applications and to small markets;
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – To keep up with the growing demand for new phone numbers, the CRTC said Wednesday that it will add new area codes to Alberta and southwestern Ontario within the next three years.
Starting April 9, 2016, the area code 825 will join current area codes 403, 587, and 780 in serving Alberta.
Effective June 4, 2015, new telephone numbers assigned in the 226 and 519 regions of southwestern Ontario may be given area code 548.
Existing customers will keep their current area codes and phone numbers.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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TORONTO – The Canadian wireless market is a competitive success story that doesn’t require micro-managing from any level of government, the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association president Bernard Lord told the Toronto Board of Trade on Monday.
Saying “we need to be mindful of the risk of economic engineering experiments that could change that value for our country and for Canadians,” the text of Lord’s speech noted that the Canadian market is growing well and serving Canadians nicely as “smartphone adoption continues at a very rapid pace. We’ve gone from a penetration of just 36% two years ago to…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is heading to Surrey early next year to consider more than a dozen new radio applications vying to serve the Vancouver market.
The Commission said Tuesday that it has scheduled a hearing on January 27, 2014 beginning at 9:00 AM at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel in Surrey. Among the new radio proposals for consideration include applications from the likes of Newcap, Sky Radio and Channel Zero.
The deadline for interventions is November 28.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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THURSDAY WAS DARN BUSY (in fact, as we write this, it’s Friday morning). The CRTC launched its national conversation with Canadians on our TV system and each of Rogers Communications, Corus Entertainment and Shaw Communications released their latest quarterly results.
A common theme among the public appearances by CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais in Laval and Toronto, as well as the conference calls led by Rogers CEO Nadir Mohamed, Corus CEO John Cassaday and Shaw CEO Brad Shaw was how providing more choice for consumers when it comes to…
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