GATINEAU – Sun News told the CRTC on Thursday that it would close its doors if it wasn’t granted a 9(1)(h) order, forcing it onto the basic carriage packages of all Canadian BDUs and onto the bills of all Canadian TV subscribers. The channel made the comments during the hearing’s reply stage on Thursday.
In opening remarks, Kory Teneycke, VP of Sun News, argued that even a must offer order, as was suggested by the Commission wouldn’t work. “Let’s be clear: a ‘must offer’ licence would not have a meaningful impact on the current trajectory of Sun News, and would…
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CALGARY, ALTA. – Shaw says a spate of recent phone calls to its customers that claim to be from the company are fraudulent and warns customers should not provide any personal information.
The company has received numerous complaints from customers saying they have received phone calls from someone posing as a Shaw agent. The calls, which usually originate from a blocked caller ID or from overseas, claim to be calling for various reasons.
From account information requiring an update, to billing issues or a customer…
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TORONTO – This past Monday, the federal government announced new measures added to its budget bill that would give political control to the Cabinet over how much Crown corporations such as the CBC pays its union and non-union staff and other terms and conditions of employment.
“CBC is not just another crown corporation. The financial decision-making the government plans to take over will affect CBC’s editorial independence,” said Ian Morrison, spokesperson for Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, in a release. “If this bill becomes law, the government will have one more lever to control what…
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VANCOUVER – To meet the growing demand for new phone numbers in British Columbia, the CRTC is adding a new area code, 236, to the entire province starting June 1.
Individuals do not need to change their existing phone number. The new area code will come into effect as new telephone numbers are introduced when the supply of 604, 778 and 250 numbers are exhausted. Timing and availability of phone numbers with the new area code will vary by community, depending upon the local inventory and demand.
The geographic boundaries that govern long distance…
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HALIFAX – Growth in regional telco Bell Aliant’s TV, Internet, wireless segments helped operating revenues increase by $2 million to $684 million in the first quarter of 2013.
The company reported a first-quarter profit of $84 million, up $1 million from the same period last year. Those gains, however, were offset by lower revenue from Bell Aliant’s local and long-distance telephone services. “Returning to revenue growth is a key milestone in our strategy and our first quarter results have us off to a great start for 2013,” said Karen Sheriff, Bell Aliant president and CEO, in…
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GATINEAU – That broadcast distributors would increase the price of basic packages if the CRTC licensed new 9(1)(h) services is a red herring, according the Canadian Media Production Association (CPMA) told commissioners on Tuesday.
“We believe that the impact of 9(1)(h) services on ‘affordability’ is a red herring that threatens to overshadow the achievement of more significant objectives under the Act,” Michael Hennessy, president and CEO of the CMPA, said during his opening remarks.
The association acknowledges that licensing additional services with mandatory carriage orders may trigger basic package rate increases, but it says this isn’t the sole reason broadcast…
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OTTAWA – Canadian broadcasters spent a record $177 million on public benefits related to the acquisition of regulated Canadian broadcast television assets in the 2011-2012 broadcast year ended August 31, 2012, according to new research from consulting firm Boon Dog Professional Services.
The level of English-language television benefits spending by various Canadian broadcasters in 2011-2012 more than tripled from the amount ($52 million) spent in the previous year.
That $177 million is roughly the same amount as what was spent on tangible benefits in the previous four years combined – or almost as much as…
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GATINEAU – Shaw Communications was the first broadcast distributor to take the stand before the CRTC?s 9(1)(h) hearing on Monday and it appealed to the Commission to ensure that it maintained high standards when considering additional channels for mandatory carriage.
Jean Brazeau, senior VP of regulatory at Shaw, noted during his opening remarks that exceptional importance should be the minimum threshold that channels need to meet to achieve mandatory carriage status. ?Once satisfied, the applicant still must meet the additional criteria. This includes demonstrating ?extraordinary? need among an intended audience and widespread acceptance by Canadians of an increase in the…
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MONTREAL – Bell learned its lesson after the CRTC refused its request to acquire Astral Media last fall and, among other things, the company won't be making any surprise changes to its proposal when it goes in front of the commission May 6 for its second attempt.
That's what Bell Media president Kevin Crull told reporters Friday after a speech to the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television in Montreal. In that speech, delivered in English in the presence of Astral executives Ian Greenberg and Jacques Parisien, he reassured francophone TV and film producers that the acquisition would result in…
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OTTAWA – More than a year after announcing its launch, the CRTC has activated the Broadcasting Participation Fund.
The Commission made the announcement via Twitter Friday. The independent fund, which originated with $3 million in benefits proposed by BCE when it purchased CTVglobemedia in 2011, is designed to aid public interest groups and consumer groups offset their costs of participating in broadcast hearings before the Commission.
The CRTC approved the proposal to establish the BPF on March 26, 2012. The fund’s new website attributed the year-long delay to the time needed to finalize the fund’s…
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