OTTAWA – Canadian wireless subscribers want better protection from international data roaming fees, including a monthly cap, finds a report released today by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) entitled “Consumers and Wireless Data Roaming.” The report examined wireless service, billing practices and consumer experiences related to international data roaming fees, and how these fees affect the wireless device usage of consumers when outside of Canada. It also provides a comparative look at consumer protection measures implemented and considered in other countries to determine what actions, if any, are required to limit the occasions of bill…
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GATINEAU – While most agree that Canada definitely needs a national, mandatory code of conduct for wireless providers to adhere to when dealing with their customers, agreement on what this code will actually say is another matter entirely.
Submissions were due into the CRTC last week on the Commission’s proceeding to establish a mandatory code for mobile wireless services. A public hearing will start February 11th – after the Regulator itself releases a draft code for discussion next month and conducts three more days of public, online consultations.
Bell Canada says it’s been listening to what the CRTC Continue Reading
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will have its very own Oprah moment to explain why the CRTC should not issue a mandatory order requiring it to adhere to its nature of service conditions of licence and why its licence should not be suspended or revoked as first reported by Cartt.ca.
The hearing is scheduled for 9 am on December 11, at the Conference Centre, Phase IV, 140 Promenade du Portage, Outaouais room, Gatineau, Quebec.
You can listen to the hearing through a live audio feed available on the CRTC’s website and…
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TORONTO – An improvement in how the CBC responds to Access to Information requests has bumped up its grade from an F to an A, and all it took was for senior leadership to get on board says Suzanne Legault, Information Commissioner of Canada. But at least one other major media company believes Legault is giving the CBC too much credit for just showing up.
On Thursday Legault released a special report to Parliament ranking the progress the CBC and Canada Post have made over the past two years on federal compliance with the access…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU- Northwestel is often the only choice for customers in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut seeking telecommunications services, but is it the best choice for the future? The CRTC wants residents to weigh in on the issue and has launched a public consultation on the telecommunications services that Northwestel provides to northern Canadians.
Following the consultation, a public hearing will be held on June 17, 2013, in Inuvik, Northwest Territories and June 19, 2013, in Whitehorse, Yukon.
"Canadians expect to have a choice of high-quality telecommunications services, regardless of where they live," said…
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GATINEAU – A compilation of statistics released by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association to the CRTC last week show that the number of lost or stolen wireless handsets reported to its member companies has been declining for the past two years.
Given the fact that more and more Canadians are living their lives through their phones, which are becoming laden with banking and other personal data, the CRTC earlier this year demanded more and better action from the Canadian wireless industry on tracking and permanently disabling those lost or stolen devices – and on helping consumers protect themselves.
As Continue Reading
VANCOUVER – After apparently selling off its shares in Telus last month, Mason Capital is now “re-establishing a significant long position in common shares and shifting their short position primarily to common shares,” reports Telus.
The carrier cautions that due to the sudden increase in foreign ownership levels, Telus' transfer agent (Computershare) may not be able to approve new applications by non-Canadians to purchase Telus common shares, if that purchase would risk causing the company to exceed the federally mandated 33.3% foreign ownership level.
Telus says the re-established long common share position at November month-end…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has denied a request by Globalive (Wind Mobile) to review Telus’ foreign ownership.
“The commission is satisfied that Telus’ mechanisms for ensuring its compliance are consistent with the provisions and requirements established,” and that it “does not consider there to be sufficient evidence of non-compliance on the record of this proceeding to warrant a review,” the CRTC wrote in its decision.
Globalive requested the review claiming the carrier was in breach of regulations that prevent non-Canadians from owning more than 33.3% of the common shares of incumbent telcos like Telus….
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications says it supports the development of a strong national consumer wireless code that provides consumer protection standards that treat Canadians equally, regardless of where they live.
The company submitted comments to the CRTC that build on the draft code that the company put forward to the regulator this past spring. Today is the final day for companies and individuals to submit their comments on developing a wireless code ahead of a proceeding that will include a public hearing beginning on February 11, 2013, in Gatineau, Que.
GATINEAU – Having heard nine days of complaints, plaudits and the general direction of questions being asked by commissioners CBC/Radio-Canada committed to air more programs of national interest (PNI), regional French-language programming and children’s TV shows during the reply stage of its CRTC licence renewal hearing which wrapped up on Friday.
Some of the new proposals in French language services include 100 hours of per year of original Canadian programming, a commitment to do its best to reach 10 hours of local production in the Windsor market beginning in September 2013, and a willingness to accept a condition of licence…
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