Calls claim of confidentiality for certain things “ridiculous on its face”
OTTAWA – Consumer advocacy group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) today filed a request with the CRTC asking for the disclosure of additional information from the documents Rogers Communications filed with it in relation to the company’s nationwide outage last month.
“PIAC submits that Rogers’ response has excessively redacted critical information that the public requires to understand what occurred during the outage and how Rogers plans to mitigate future risks and harms – and to make consumer choices based on these answers and otherwise protect their…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU – The CRTC today announced 10 projects will receive up to $20.5 million in funding from its Broadband Fund.
“The projects will support the rollout of fourth-generation (also known as LTE or LTE-A) mobile wireless access along 425 kilometres of roads and highways in Manitoba, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador,” a press release explains. “They will also support improved Internet and mobile wireless access that will benefit 2,250 households in 35 communities, including five Indigenous communities and one official language minority community, in the three provinces.”
The Broadband Fund has now committed up to $226.5 million to…
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Calls for minister to ban ads on the public broadcaster
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a letter obtained by Cartt.ca, Québecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau brings falling advertising revenues to the attention of the Minister of Canadian Heritage while criticizing the recent renewal of the national public broadcaster’s licences by the CRTC.
“In the face of technological globalization of non-Canadian companies that rely on advertising (FAANG, and soon Netflix and Disney+), which is the only source of revenue for traditional television, the CRTC has decided to maintain the CBC’s power to continue to use it,” Péladeau mentions in his letter…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC today approved $30 million in funding for the Canadian Administrator of VRS (CAV) from the National Contribution Fund (NCF).
The funding, which was approved on an interim basis last November, is to be paid out in 12 equal, monthly payments, starting this past January.
“Access to this funding will enable the CAV to continue to offer video relay service in Canada to the benefit of all Canadians,” the CRTC’s decision explains. “Video relay service (VRS) enables people who use sign language to conduct telephone calls and communicate with voice telephone users using sign language.” It does so…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – On Friday, CBC/Radio-Canada (SRC) filed its motion to appeal the CRTC’s decision on the use of the N-word on air in the Federal Court of Appeal.
As indicated recently, the SRC decided to appeal the CRTC’s decision to force it to apologize for the on-air use of the N-word back in 2020 and show how it will ensure similar incidents do not happen in the future. The public broadcaster also requested the court grant it a stay of the CRTC decision until the court rules on the appeal.
The SRC is arguing the CRTC exceeded…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied Bell Mobility’s request for it to review and vary a decision directing the company, along with Rogers and Telus, to make changes to the proposed terms and conditions outlined in their GSM-based wholesale mobile roaming tariffs incorporating seamless hand-off and 5G roaming.
“Bell has not presented any compelling arguments or evidence to support its review and vary application,” reads a CRTC letter to Bell, dated July 21, 2022.
Bell’s application, submitted to the CRTC earlier this month, argued the decision (TD 2022-102) reaches beyond the scope of the proceedings that led to it and…
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Bell, Telus offered to help, but Rogers determined it was not possible
OTTAWA – There were no other measures Rogers Communications could have taken to restore 911 services any quicker than it did during the July 8th network outage, the company has told the CRTC in a response to a demand for a detailed report on what happened that day and why.
In a heavily redacted document made public by the CRTC last Friday, Rogers explained it explored the possibility of shutting down its RAN (radio access network), because if customers were unable to connect to it, they would…
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CNOC largely supports the direction, asks for minor changes
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – While the government’s new proposed telecommunications policy direction for the CRTC and accompanying documents had some harsh words for the Commission, some are saying the direction does not go far enough to be able to ensure competition and foster affordable pricing in the industry.
Comments submitted to the government on the proposed policy direction were due yesterday.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), a consumer rights advocacy organization, argued in its submission the proposed policy direction is “severely out of touch” with the context of telecommunications competition…
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By Denis Carmel
IN A STATEMENT issued today, the CBC announced it would conform with the requirements outlined in a June decision by the CRTC, but indicated that “We do these things because we believe it is the right thing to do, not because the CRTC tells us to. Since 2020, we have continued to evolve as we strive to better reflect contemporary Canada, both in our content and in our workforce.”
The issue stems from the repetitive use, on-air, of the N-word by Radio-Canada when quoting the title of a book. That was in 2020.
In 2019, a similar controversy…
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CNOC supports PIAC’s call for inquiry on the responsibilities of telecom service providers
OTTAWA – The CRTC is giving Rogers Communications 10 days to provide detailed information about the network outage that began last Friday.
“The CRTC is requesting a detailed account from Rogers as to “why” and “how” this happened, as well as what measures Rogers is putting in place to prevent future outages,” said CRTC CEO and chair Ian Scott today in a statement.
“We take the safety, security, and wellness of Canadians very seriously and we are responsible for ensuring that Canadians have access at all times…
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