OTTAWA – Heads up aquarium channel fans. Stingray Digital Group has received CRTC approval to operate The Seasonal Channel, a national, niche, no spoken word specialty Category B service that features still pictures and moving video of nature scenes with appropriate music. The Commission did not receive any interventions in connection with this application.
The channel will be used to “create a soothing video environment that will feature still pictures and moving video of nature scenes (similar in principle to the “Log” and “Aquarium” channels currently available) that will change based upon the season and…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s annual telecommunications survey for the period ended December 31, 2012 will begin February 19, 2013. A letter and email has been sent to participating entities indicating the filing method available to them.
Entities that are instructed to file electronically must submit their data using the web-based Data Collection system. Applicable data forms will be issued based on last year's filling. Additional data forms may be issued once the Registration form is submitted. The Registration form is due on March 1, 2013 and data forms are due on March 31, 2013.
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GATINEAU – If adopted, the draft wireless code of conduct will likely cause some significant unintended consequences, SaskTel told the CRTC during the last day of the hearing Friday. The provincial Crown corporation pointed to the potential for unsatisfactory experiences, increased use of notifications and mandatory caps on overage fees as ones that could have big negative impacts on Canadians.
The amount of information that consumers will need to know can be considered excessive and will hinder wireless operators’ ability to improve efficiencies, according to SaskTel executives. Under the draft code, consumers would be subjected to a lengthy process involving…
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GATINEAU – “The initial reaction to say remove the three-year contract as an option outright, is actually anti-consumer. Yes, I say that, it’s anti-consumer,” said Jonathan Daniels, vice-president of regulatory law at Bell Canada on day four of the CRTC’s wireless code of conduct hearing.
Bell took its turn on the hot seat on Thursday morning after delivering its opening remarks on Wednesday afternoon to defend its comments on the draft code. The company argued that three-year contracts benefit consumers, and in fact, the length of the fixed term isn’t the underlying problem consumers find with the system.
Daniels explained that…
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TORONTO – The future of cable is IP, and the CEO of Rogers says the company plans to take a similar leadership role in advancing its IP network offerings for customers that it did in introducing smartphones.
“Everyone is going IP, that is the future of cable,” said Rogers president and CEO Nadir Mohamed who also announced he will retire in January 2014, but will continue to lead the company through 2013. He was speaking at a media call this morning in Toronto. Late yesterday the company released its fourth quarter results of 2012 which beat…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC estimates that its regulatory costs under section 9 (1) of the broadcasting regulations will total $30.16 million. The annual adjustment amount referred to in section 8(2) for the 2011-2012 fiscal year is $0.377 million.
A second adjustment pertaining to the 2012-2013 fiscal year in the amount of $0.005 million is being made following the revision of the Part I billing for one broadcasting undertaking. Part I broadcasting licence fees were recalculated and the adjustment is being invoiced to the other broadcasting undertakings.
The net billing for the Part I licence…
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GATINEAU – Upstart wireless operator EastLink had its opportunity to address the contentious issue of a mandatory $50 cap on overage charges on customers bills as a way to prevent bill shock on day three of the CRTC’s wireless code of conduct hearing.
The Commission’s draft wireless code calls for a cap on additional fees of $50 (usually driven by data usage), but also says that once the cap is hit, the service provider is to suspend all service so that no more charges are incurred.
“We feel basically a cap is just not necessary or necessarily…
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GATINEAU – The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association urged the CRTC to take national responsibility for regulating consumer cell phone contracts. The CWTA made the comments during the first day of hearings into a wireless code of conduct.
Canadians “would be best served by a single set of regulations, not today’s patchwork of provincial laws, regulations, guidelines and interpretation bulletins,” said CWTA president and CEO Bernard Lord. He urged the Commission to adopt a code that “supersedes any current or future provincial legislation in this area.”
Under questioning, the CWTA said multiple pieces of guidelines, codes or legislation will only increase costs…
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GATINEAU – CRTC commissioners said they are concerned Canadian wireless companies are overcharging their customers when the device subsidy is paid off and there isn’t a corresponding drop in their monthly bill.
On Tuesday morning during day two of the Wireless Code of Conduct hearing, chairman Jean-Pierre Blais wondered if Telus customers who have paid off their device subsidy will see a reduction in their monthly bill. The company said it doesn’t happen automatically and consumers have to request it.
David Fuller, chief marketing officer at the “future is friendly” wireless operator, said customers can see a bill reduction, but only…
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OTTAWA – There is now real hope that a comprehensive “Wireless Code” can solve many of consumers’ most daunting problems with their wireless service providers says consumer rights group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said today
PIAC represented the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) and Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia (COSCO) before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), in an oral hearing today. PIAC’s remarks focused on closing loopholes and improving the CRTC’s draft Wireless Code, which it maintains will revolutionize consumer rights to receive fair and understandable service from…
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