OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians in many parts of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut may soon have the option to choose from competing telephone service providers for the first time starting next May, the CRTC said Wednesday.
In its ruling approving the far north for telecommunications competition, the Commission also denied incumbent Northwestel's request to raise the rates for residential and business local telephone service, noting that an increase “is not justified at this time and is inconsistent with the current regulatory regime”. The CRTC said that Northwestel has insufficiently invested in its network despite its strong financial performance during…
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GATINEAU – CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein told the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance and Telus on Monday that the two organizations need not fear Bell Media withholding its TV signals while the independent carriers continue to try to convince the broadcaster to alter its new wholesale carriage agreement.
As Cartt.ca first reported last week, a number of Canada’s independent TV distributors have balked at signing the new contract, which encompasses up to 30 Bell Media channels (including TSN, BNN, Comedy, MuchMusic, Discovery and so on) and have complained to the CRTC that the terms demanded by…
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MONTREAL – Both of Canada's two French-language private television networks made commitments to increase local news programming as CRTC hearings concluded Friday in Montreal.
Remstar, which bought the TQS network out of creditor protection in 2008 and eliminated its news-gathering operations, read the writing on the hearing walls and committed to increase local news programming on its five owned-and-operated stations after spending the week resisting calls to do so.
In '08, the CRTC gave what is now called V Interactions three years of reduced local news minimums when the station was purchased (from…
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By Pierre Dion, CEO, TVA Group
WHEN IT APPEARED BEFORE the CRTC for television licence renewal hearing last week, TVA Group pointed to the changes underway in the competitive and technological environment for the broadcasting industry and explained the conditions it needs to continue to thrive in the new broadcasting landscape.
Over the years, thanks to the efforts of its 1,600-plus employees, TVA Group has become the largest French-language broadcaster of entertainment, news and public affairs programming in North America. It is also one of the largest private creators and producers of Québec cultural content. Every year,…
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OTTAWA – A number of Canada’s independent cable operators have balked at signing a new omnibus carriage agreement for the up-to 30 specialty channels owned by Bell Media and instead are demanding the CRTC step in and decide who’s right.
According to sources with direct knowledge of the agreement and the ongoing battle, both Cogeco Cable and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance have been through a few rounds of official CRTC staff mediation, which hasn’t yielded much in the way of results. It now looks like the disputes are headed towards binding, final offer arbitration in front of a CRTC…
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OTTAWA – In an effort to lessen the administrative paperwork, the CRTC has simplified some of its requirements for BDUs.
On Wednesday, the Commission said that it is eliminating the requirements for BDUs to seek regulatory approval for amendments to their service areas and to file service area maps as part of an application for a new BDU licence, for a licence renewal, or for an extension to their licensed service area.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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OTTAWA – A new channel called SuperHero plus a new Canadian pay-per-view service received CRTC approval Wednesday.
Owned by Bell Media, SuperHero is a national, English-language specialty Category B service that would offer programming from international markets featuring the latest trends in non-violent action, adventure, superheroes, comedy and interactivity. The service would reach an interactive level with programs on the games associated with action series as well as magazine shows to cover current comic book trends and the classics, according to its application.
Canyon.TV Inc. was given the go-ahead for a broadcasting licence to operate a national, English-language terrestrial pay-per-view programming…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Diffusion shut down its Sherbrooke-based radio station CJTS-FM Tuesday at noon after failing to find a buyer. The move puts a dozen employees out of work, the company confirmed to Cartt.ca.
After approving its acquisition of Corus’ Quebec radio stations last April, the CRTC told Cogeco to divest of three of the stations in keeping with its common ownership policy which limits the number of stations in one market owned by the same company. Cogeco sold off two of its four Quebec City area stations last week to Leclerc Communication Inc., as Cartt.ca reported.
Cogeco said…
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OTTAWA – Just a few days ago, so many were so hopeful that the federal government would finally have something to say Tuesday on one of three issues: the oft-mentioned but never announced digital economy strategy; foreign investment in the communications sector; or the rules for the 700 MHz spectrum auction.
No such luck. Industry Minister Christian Paradis, in his speech closing the International Institute of Communications Canadian conference, agreed all those issues are important, but that he had nothing further to add.
“I know there has been a lot of interest and speculation about what I may have to say…
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MONTREAL – Cogeco Diffusion said Wednesday that it has sold two of its four Québec City region FM radio stations to Leclerc Communication Inc. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The sale of CJEC-FM and CFEL-FM comes at the behest of the CRTC which required Cogeco to sell off some of the stations that it acquired from Corus in order to comply with the common ownership policy in the Québec City and Sherbrooke markets.
The company said in a statement that proceedings for the sale of CJTS-FM in Sherbrooke are continuing.
In other company news, Cogeco Inc. has renewed its…
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