MONT TREMBLANT ? One of the industry'?s most enjoyable gatherings begins Sunday in Mont Tremblant, CCSA Connect, the annual general meeting and conference of the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance.
While one of the highlights will be the presentation of the brand new cable community channel programming award-winners on Monday night (the winners can be found here), the three days in the resort is dedicated to learning ? and some fun.
After a members-only day on Sunday the 22nd of various workshops (where members will be filled in on their new marketing kits, various regulatory files and a…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has issued mandatory orders against three telco service providers after they failed to comply with a previous request to become members of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).
The Commission is ordering Adeste Global Managed Networks Inc. (Mississauga, ON); Imagen Communications Inc. (Vancouver, BC); and TollFreeForwarding.com (Los Angeles, Calif) to “submit certain information” after they failed to become CCTS members despite being ordered to do so last March. The Telecommunications Act makes it compulsory for all phone, internet and other telecommunications companies that offer services within the mandate of the CCTS to become participating service providers.
In…
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GATINEAU – Broadcasters, distributors and special interests all took predictable stances on the CRTC's proposed framework for the distribution of national news services in interventions published this week.
The comment period for the framework, which launched from the Commission's August decision to deny mandatory distribution to Sun News Network, ended on Monday night. Last-minute submissions were posted to the CRTC site Tuesday and Wednesday. The Regulator’s proposals include rules on carriage, packaging and channel placement for national news services licensed as Category C, which would categorize all such services – new and…
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MONTREAL – Videotron is the latest wireless provider to offer customers the option to pay for their mobile devices over a 24 month period.
The company joins Telus and Wind Mobile in introducing and promoting two-year contracts, which is the maximum length for a contract set out by the CRTC’s new Wireless Code which comes into effect in December.
Videotron also confirmed that it will not increase the prices of its mobile plans.
www.videotron.com
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OTTAWA – The CRTC should “dispose of” Asian Television Network (ATN)’s “unsubstantiated claims” that Zee TV has contravened its condition of license, say owners Ethnic Channels Group.
In a response to the CRTC dated September 3, Ethnic Channels Group flatly denies allegations made by ATN last June that Zee TV has breached its nature of service requirement as a Category B niche third-language women's programming service, and is actually operating as a general interest programming service unfairly competing with ATN’s flagship Category A SATV service.
“ATN provided no particular information regarding any of our programming in its complaint”, reads the lengthy…
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MONTREAL – Videotron is hoping to launch a new English-language community television channel, known as MYtv, that it is billing as the voice of the Greater Montreal Anglophone community.
The company confirmed Thursday that it has filed an official application for the channel with the CRTC. Similar to its French counterpart MAtv, the channel will be available to all Videotron customers in Greater Montreal, and offer 21 hours of original programming on “social and community affairs, public and municipal affairs, arts and culture, comedy and in-depth interviews with those who have dedicated their lives to the service of society”.
"We committed ourselves to…
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OTTAWA – Just months after unveiling a new wireless code of conduct designed to regulate carriers by capping fees on cancellation fees and data overage charges, the CRTC may be getting ready to do the same with wireless roaming rates.
In an email letter today distributed to 36 companies, the CRTC has asked the country’s large and small carriers to provide information about their Canada and U.S. wireless roaming rates, terms and conditions, as well as revenues dating back to 2007 for voice, data, and text messaging services.
“Over the past year, the…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has decided November 5th is the day it will hear why Corus Entertainment should be able to purchase French specialty channels Historia and Series+, three Ottawa radio stations and the piece of Teletoon (including its other animation brands) it does not yet own.
In March, Corus agreed to purchase the assets in question as part of the divestitures required as conditions of the Bell Media purchase of Astral Media. While it already held 50% of Teletoon/Télétoon (as well as Teletoon Retro in English and French, and the Cartoon Network) with Astral, it…
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TORONTO – For thousands of southern Ontario cottagers, Webers Burgers is an institution that’s part of many families’ trek up Hwy 11 to cottage country.
On Friday, September 6, the first 5,000 people to visit the popular restaurant will be treated to a free burger courtesy of specialty channel Cottage Life, which is marking its launch with the free hamburger giveaway.
The Cottage Life channel officially launches September 4 with a national free preview in 9.2 million homes.
The Webers promotion is part of a national multimedia campaign designed to highlight the broad appeal of Cottage…
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TORONTO – Shaw Media is supporting today’s kickoff of its newest (read “TVTropolis rebranded”) lifestyle channel DTOUR with a national multi-platform marketing and advertising campaign.
Shaw's DTOUR specialty channel launched today with a national promo campaign that included blanketing Toronto's Bloor subway station (above) with images from various reality series, including this one from Continue Reading