OTTAWA – After years of delay, will this be the venue where the government finally provides details about its digital economy blueprint for the country? Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State (Agriculture), will provide the closing keynote address at the 2012 International Institute of Communications (IIC) Canada Conference, Innovation, Investment and Infrastructure, on October 30th.
In late August Paradis spoke at the Economic Club of Canada in Toronto where he once again promoted the importance of the digital economy, but provided scant details on what the government’s upcoming digital economy strategy will…
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YELLOWKNIFE – Embattled telecom Northwestel has announced a new partnership with Aurora Communications of Norman Wells to create a new business that will focus on providing voice and data solutions for the exploration industry. Borealis Communications will operate in the Tulita District of the Northwest Territories.
"Northwestel has enjoyed great success with partnerships for over 20 years," said Paul Flaherty, Northwestel President and Chief Executive Officer. “Bringing our expertise in telecommunications to specific markets identified by partners like Aurora Communications has worked very well for all parties involved, especially northern customers. Based on the continued growth in…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has told Canada’s wireless companies that their collective inaction when it comes to the loss or theft of customer handsets – and the personal data those mobiles contain – will not be tolerated.
Back in the summer, the Commission sent a letter to the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association asking what the group and its members (which include all Canadian wireless carriers, big and small) are doing to keep track of lost or stolen mobile phones and help their customers who are impacted. In most other jurisdictions around the world, a central database has been created so…
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TORONTO – More than a year in the works, Sirius and XM users can finally find out what the other is listening to for an extra $4 a month. But can SiriusXM’s new premier subscription service compete against free?
With the launch of “Best Of” SiriusXM Canada is following the lead of its U.S. counterpart and is now offering subscription packages allowing Canadian Sirius and XM subscribers to add a selection of channels from the other service.
"Our combined subscriber base has been waiting for this exciting benefit since the Sirius XM Canada merger and we're…
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OTTAWA – The Competition Bureau has appointed economist John Pecman as the interim Commissioner of Competition for up to a one-year term. One of Pecman’s first major tasks will be to analyze and respond to the CRTC’s upcoming decision on Bell’s proposed purchase of Astral Media. He takes over from former commissioner Melanie Aitken, who left the bureau on Friday, with two years left in her mandate.
"With nearly 30 years of experience at the Bureau, Mr. Pecman has a keen understanding of competition law and marketplace conduct," said Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry,…
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HUNTSVILLE – Delegates to the 2012 Canadian Cable Systems Alliance annual Connect conference were advised by a series of speakers Monday afternoon (and we’re paraphrasing here) that their customers care only about themselves and what’s happening, or isn’t happening, on their screen, whichever one they happen to be using, rightnow.
As any cable operator will know, customers are increasingly demanding, but this where independents have a chance to shine, digital marketing expert Mitch Joel of Montreal’s Twist Image told delegates (a number of pictures of whom are posted below this piece). He demonstrated how the retail world is moving more…
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ST. JOHN’S – Cutbacks, concentration of ownership, reimagining public media, and even the cable bill of president and CEO Hubert Lacroix were all up for discussion at CBC’s 4th annual public meeting. Ahead of its CRTC renewal hearing scheduled for November 19, executives also called for a regulatory framework that will enable the public broadcaster to maintain a presence “no matter what degree of industry consolidation may happen, or how fast technology and demographics might evolve.”
But before they got to the CBC’s numbers, Lacroix, whose future at the CBC remains unclear as…
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OTTAWA – In a battle of GOs, Telus is charging Corus Entertainment and Shaw Communications of conspiring to block its efforts to stream Movie Central/HBO content to its Optik On The Go customers, which competes directly now with Shaw`s GO TV Everywhere service.
Telus filed a complaint with the CRTC last week saying Telus has tried unsuccessfully for nearly a year to acquire the premium content for its Optik on the go service from Corus, to no avail.
“Corus is offering in-home, out-of-home and on-the-go access to Movie Central…
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GRANTING BELL THE RIGHT to buy Astral Media will make an already big company that acts badly, enormous, add incentive for it act even worse, which in the end will crush competition and choice in Canada. Therefore, the deal needs to be quashed altogether or tough new rules applied to constrain the biggest player in Canadian media, say final replies to the CRTC’s public proceeding into Bell Canada’s quest to buy Astral Media.
Those last written rejoinders to the Commission’s public proceeding into Bell Canada’s purchase of Astral Media (CRTC 2012-370) from intervenors were due into the Commission on Friday,…
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I DON’T RECALL THIS question being clearly asked last week of the company executives who would block Bell Canada’s purchase of Astral Media: Why do you fear Bell would act the way you say it will?
The subject was broached a few times last week during the CRTC hearing and was sort-of asked, just not in as direct a way as we’ve put it above. The answer was given a number of times. Put simply, the executives of Quebecor, Cogeco, Rogers, EastLink and others say Bell is behaving poorly already and they fear an even bigger Bell would act as…
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