OTTAWA – Lobby group OpenMedia.ca took centre stage Tuesday at the House of Commons Committee on Canadian Heritage concerning the future of media.
In an effort to “ignite Canada’s digital media revolution”, OpenMedia.ca said in a statement that it brought “citizen voices to Ottawa” on issues such as net neutrality, media ownership, independent media, and broadband access.
The Committee on Canadian Heritage is exploring the developments in emerging and digital media, how these developments are affecting Canadian cultural industries, and what federal institutions could do to assist Canadians and Canadian cultural industries.
The group is also scheduled to appear at…
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TORONTO – It sounds like Rogers isn’t interested in making any changes to their community channels.
As the CRTC began its review of the community TV policy framework, Canada’s largest cable operator released a survey that found that over 70% of its cable customers “strongly value” their Rogers community television service, just the way they are.
The research, conducted by The Strategic Counsel last month, determined that Rogers cable customers in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland “support the community channel as is and reject proposals to substitute programming created by those with special interests”.
Rogers’ customers advocated that local information programming (82%), festivals and…
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OTTAWA – More than 3,000 Canadians have pledged their support of community ownership of community TV, according to the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).
After new analysis of the submissions filed in the CRTC’s review of its community TV policy, CACTUS said that letters appearing to support continued cable authority over communities’ TV channels may not have understood that cable companies have “virtually eliminated Canadians’ ability to create and produce their own programs on community channels”.
“Cable companies have so thoroughly eroded the access concept by replacing community-produced programs with their own productions, that many of those who…
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PLESSISVILLE, QC – The CRTC should guarantee that independent producers have access to Canada’s community channels, and cable companies should foot the bill for the programming that they produce, says The Federation of Autonomous Community Television of Quebec.
On the eve of the CRTC’s community channel policy review hearing, The Federation said that broadening the scope of community channels licences would endow them with “an official status in the Canadian broadcasting system to all groups who claim a right to produce local and access programming for the community channel of cable operators”.
"Autonomous TVCs are a space for citizens’ involvement”, said…
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OTTAWA – Astral has received regulatory approval for a pair of new TV channels.
The CRTC has given the thumbs up for two national, English-language Category 2 specialty television networks entitled TV Time and Superstar in both standard and a high definition formats.
According to Astral’s applications, TV Time will air programming devoted to action and adventure programming from contemporary action and adventure films and series to classical westerns, rodeo and western horse shows. Superstar will be devoted to romance, including relationship-themed game shows and magazine-style programs featuring romantic vacation resorts, as well as programs exploring romantic moments in people’s lives, classic…
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OTTAWA – Public Mobile got the green light from the CRTC on Thursday to proceed with the launch its new wireless service.
In its ownership and control review, the Commission determined that, subject to certain modifications to the company’s unanimous shareholders agreement, Public Mobile will meet the requirements of the ownership and control regime making it eligible to operate as a Canadian telecommunications common carrier.
Public Mobile, which spent $52.3 million for G-Band spectrum covering the Windsor to Quebec City corridor across Ontario and Quebec, opened 25 stores in Toronto and Montreal last month. Company CEO Alek Krstajic said…
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OTTAWA –GATINEAU – Despite a slumping advertising market, Canada’s specialty, pay, pay-per-view television services, and video-on-demand services saw total revenues grow 6% in the 2009 broadcast year, says the annual CRTC report released Thursday.
From September 1, 2008 to August 31, 2009, revenues increased from $2.9 billion to $3.1 billion, as subscriber revenues offset advertising declines, while expenses rose from $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion.
As a result, profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) improved to $728.7 million, up from $648.2 million in 2008. These services posted a PBIT margin of 23.5%, slightly better than the previous year’s margin of 22.1%.
Cable TV…
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OTTAWA – The case goes back a few years and involves a complex network migration of Department of National Defence telecom services from Bell to Telus, but Telus is again insisting to the CRTC that its decisions in the DND versus Bell Canada dispute will have a negative impact on future competition in the large enterprise market.
The western-based telco filed the Part VII on April 12, appealing two previous rulings in the case (Decisions 2009-85 and 2010-11).
The CRTC ultimately determined that DND would have to pay Bell for a set period of time while services were…
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OTTAWA – Industry minister Tony Clement created a tilted ice sheet when he overturned the CRTC decision on Globalive’s ownership, Public Mobile CEO Alek Krstajic told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology earlier this week.
Krstajic used a hockey analogy to explain the impact of the minister’s decision.
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“Had we known that we could have had a different structure with almost all our money coming from foreigners, we would have been able to bring on more capital and buy more spectrum,” Krstajic explained.
Simon Lockie, chief legal officer and secretary for Globalive Communications Corp., said that under…
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OTTAWA – Glassbox co-CEO Raja Khanna was nearly at a loss for words Wednesday after hearing that the CRTC had turned down his company’s request for a new French-language Category 2 station dedicated to new musical artists, thanks in large part to objections from incumbent MusiquePlus.
“I’m shocked… really surprised”, he told Cartt.ca. “(The decision) is very, very surprising and I don’t understand what happened. It’s a blow to the Quebec emerging music scene.”
And at least one CRTC Commissioner agreed with him. Wednesday’s ruling was followed by a lengthy dissenting opinion by Commissioner Michel Morin who called the…
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