CAMBRIDGE, ON – The CRTC must move beyond its traditional “gatekeeper” approach to broadcasting to one that offers more flexibility and ensures “that the players in the broadcasting industry have all the oxygen they need to make the system flourish”, according to the Commission’s broadcasting vice-chair, Tom Pentefountas.
In a speech at the annual Broadcasting Invitational Summit in Cambridge late last week, Pentefountas advocated for a “less dogmatic approach to regulation” that takes advantage of "innovation from both the business and creative communities”.
“The Regulator should lay out the lines of the big picture, and leave it to the members of…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s biggest telecom companies have joined forces in calling for a national set of standards to regulate wireless contracts.
In a shared position statement submitted to the CRTC on Thursday, the regulatory heads of Bell, Rogers, Telus as well as the Public Interest Advocacy Center (PIAC), on behalf of the Consumers’ Association of Canada and Canada without Poverty, said that there is “a clear need” for the Commission to “lead an initiative involving all stakeholders with the ultimate objective of bringing cohesion and uniformity to this area for the benefit of consumers and the industry alike”.
Noting that five…
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OTTAWA – Novus Entertainment has received CRTC approval to begin offering its services in Toronto.
The independent telco currently provides TV, digital phone and Internet services to apartments, condominiums, and businesses in Metro Vancouver via a fibre optic network.
The Commission said Thursday that Novus’ broadcasting licence to operate a terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertaking will expire on August 31, 2018.
www.crtc.gc.ca
www.novusnow.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has greenlit a new Canadian TV channel to be known as Bulb Televsion.
The specialty Category B service, headed by Evan Kosiner, is described as a national, English-language service that would offer programming consisting of innovative conferences, speakers and lectures from top Canadian and international presenters.
The channel’s licence will expire on August 31, 2018. Click here for more details.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau confirmed Wednesday that it does not plan to challenge Rogers' acquisition of an ownership position in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). The Competition Bureau noted that it has one year following completion of such transactions during which it can bring the matter before the Competition Tribunal.
MLSE is Canada's largest sports and entertainment company, and owns and operates the Air Canada Centre, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Toronto Raptors, the Toronto FC, the Toronto Marlies, Leafs TV and RaptorsTV. Rogers announced on December 9, 2011 that it, along with Bell…
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MONTREAL and TORONTO – Citytv is going to Montreal as Rogers Media announced the purchase of Metro 14 (CJNT-TV) from Channel Zero today.
While CJNT is licensed as a multicultural station, Rogers wants to spread the Citytv brand across the country and has chosen not to brand it an OMNI station, which is what its multicultural stations in Ontario, B.C. and Alberta are called.
Terms of the sale of the station were not disclosed (but we bet the sale price is for more than the 12 bucks Channel Zero bought it for from former owner Canwest Global…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Led by specialty TV, Canada’s pay, pay-per-view (PPV) and video-on-demand (VOD) television services generated $3.7 billion in revenues in 2011, a 7.9% jump over the previous year.
According to CRTC data released Tuesday, the increase comes as a result of a 10.9% growth in advertising revenues totaling $1.2 billion, and a 7% increase in subscriber revenues that exceeded $2.4 billion. Expenses grew from $2.5 billion in 2010 to $2.7 billion in 2011.
As a result, profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) improved to $930.5 million, with a PBIT margin of 24.9%, up from $873.9 million in 2010 when the PBIT margin was…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has tweaked the process for Canadians wishing to switch providers for their television, home telephone, wireless or Internet.
After calling for comments on proposed revisions to customer transfer process last Fall, the Commission said Tuesday that it has formerly adopted amendments to the broadcasting distribution regulations around cancellation requests.
It did, however, revise the wording around minimizing any service disruption to the subscriber in an effort to adopt “an attainable standard”. The amendments came in to effect on March 5, 2012.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – Telemarketers could soon be picking up all of the costs related to the country’s national Do Not Call List if the government gets its way.
Industry Minister Christian Paradis confirmed that the government has proposed changes to Telecommunications Act allowing the CRTC to set fees designed to recover the costs of Do Not Call List (DNCL) investigations and enforcement from the telemarketing industry. Currently, telemarketers cover the costs of the operation of the DNCL while investigation and enforcement costs are funded by the government.
The amendments are still subject to approval by Parliament, but the CRTC is planning to hold consultations…
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OTTAWA – While the media and telecom world grows exponentially in the digital age, some believe the CRTC may soon become a redundant organization attempting to adapt two Acts written more than 20 years ago while faced with the drumbeat of deregulation in favour of market forces.
However, others believe the CRTC is instead growing in influence, inefficiently expanding its powers in ways it shouldn’t be, hindering the telecom and broadcasting businesses and investment in Canada.
In presenting a paper to the Law Society of Upper Canada’s New Developments in Communications Law and Policy conference on Thursday,…
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