OTTAWA – While the massively confused usage-based billing issue gets all the attention these days, another media issue that will affect tens of thousands more Canadians than UBB is still receiving scant notice: the transition from analog over-the-air TV to digital.
Granted, most Canadians won’t notice a thing come September 1 of this year as most of us are plugged into a cable, satellite or telco TV subscription. When the analog TV transmitters are turned off in the mandatory markets, it will be a non-issue as our carriers will continue carrying and distributing as before.
But for the 900,000 estimated households…
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OTTAWA – In a 2-1 decision, the Federal Court of Canada said the CRTC does, in fact, have jurisdiction and can let broadcasters demand a fee from satellite, cable and telco TV carriers for the broadcasters’ off-air signals.
Given that the big Canadian broadcasters are now all owned by large distributors (we’re assuming Bell will soon get approval for its CTV purchase), this seems a pyrrhic victory. During the often nasty debate throughout the second half of 2009 (Stop the TV Tax vs. Local TV Matters), broadcasters and carriers lobbed verbal and digital grenades, each accusing the other of trying…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has added another matter for consideration to its widely anticipated hearing into vertical integration.
On Tuesday, the Commission asked for comments on whether benefits tests in the case of transfers of ownership or changes in control of distribution undertakings should be upheld.
Comments are due by April 27, and the hearing is set for June 20, 2011.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has crushed George Burger’s plans for his own TV network for the second time after denying his application for a new service to be known as Crush.
The former Alliance Communications Corp. executive was also behind a failed attempt a few years ago for a national English-language pay television licence called Spotlight. The Commission awarded the license to Allarco Entertainment for Super Channel, as Cartt.ca reported.
In his latest application, Burger asked for a license for a national, English-language Category 2 network targeting males aged 18 to 34, that would air a mix of theatrical…
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OTTAWA – TV and film production stakeholders are urging the CRTC to not lose sight of its Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) benchmarks when considering the group-based licence renewals of the large, vertically integrated, broadcasters.
The Canadian Media Production Association tells the Commission that it shouldn’t acquiesce to any demands to deviate from its proposed 30% CPE requirement and argues that the CRTC should reject outright broadcasters’ demands to have CPE requirements lower than 30%.
“Since the broadcaster groups all compete for the same types of programming (both Canadian and foreign) and for the same advertisers, they should all be…
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TORONTO – The merger of XM Canada and Sirius Canada is one step closer to fruition after the Competition Bureau proffered its blessing to the proposed union this week.
Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings (CSR), the parent company of XM Canada, said that it was “pleased” by the Competition Bureau’s announcement that it does not intend to make an application to the Competition Tribunal to challenge the proposed acquisition of Sirius Canada by CSR.
"Coming on the heels of last week’s CSR shareholder approval, (the Bureau’s) announcement is another exciting step forward in the process towards the proposed merger”, said CSR executive…
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OTTAWA and TORONTO – Another complaint from an unhappy Rogers Internet customer prompted the CRTC to question the company’s Internet traffic management practices (ITMPs), the third time in as many months.
In a letter dated February 23rd, the Commission asked Rogers to respond to a customer’s allegation that its “ITMP incorrectly identifies time sensitive traffic generated by inter-active games as P2P traffic, subjecting such traffic to the ITMP and rendering the games unusable”. Section 2009-657 of the Telecommunication Act dictates that ITMPs that result in a noticeable degradation of time sensitive audio or video traffic require prior Commission approval.
When contacted by…
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OTTAWA – If you ask Netflix, the CRTC’s planned review into wholesale broadband usage based billing, as it stands, is “unduly narrow” and “disconnected from the broader regulatory framework and priorities for high-speed access services.”
The web-based video streaming provider offered those comments and more this week in response to the Commission’s call for comments on modifying the scope and terms of its review into usage based billing (UBB).
Netflix also backed recommendations made by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC), which include an examination of whether UBB is, in fact, the…
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OTTAWA – With nothing happening in the marketplace to inform Canadians that they will no longer be able to get an off-air TV signal without some new digital gear come August 31, 2011, the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage has called CRTC officials to appear before it on Monday.
Executive director of broadcasting, Scott Hutton, ED policy development and research Namir Anani and senior general counsel John Keogh are scheduled to appear.
Canadian broadcasters have been told by the CRTC to get cracking on letting Canadians know that for most of them, their analog TVs with rabbit ears will receive nothing…
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MONTREAL – The Federal Court of Appeal has refused to hear an appeal by Astral Media to halt the now completed sale of 11 Quebec radio stations to competitor Cogeco.
According to a Canadian Press report, Astral spokesperson Hugues Mousseau expressed disappointment with the move, and accused the CRTC of “flouting its own policies and rules of procedure”.
Astral filed a motion with the Federal Court of Appeal last month seeking to overturn the CRTC’s decision to allow Cogeco to maintain a third radio station in the Montreal market. The move relaxes the Commission’s common ownership policy limiting…
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