By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is asking for comments by Friday on a request by a consortium of internet service providers urging the regulator to rule on the eligibility of the big three telecoms to lease bundled access to middle and last mile fibre facilities both under the interim, and any future permanent, mandated regime.
The consortium – which is made up of Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, TekSavvy, and the indie rep the Competitive Network Operators of Canada – filed a request dated March 28 to the CRTC asking for a final ruling before May 7 on whether Bell, Rogers, Telus and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers wants the CRTC to limit the time telcos reserve space to attach wireless equipment on their own poles, according to a submission to the regulator.
The ask comes in response to a consultation launched by the commission inquiring, among other items, about whether it has jurisdiction over wireless attachments on telco-owned or controlled structures. The CRTC holds the preliminary view that it has concurrent jurisdiction over those structures with the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which has domain over towers and siting.
Beside recommending that the CRTC confirm that jurisdiction – which…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has ordered Cogeco on Monday to ensure TekSavvy can continue to access its facilities at two Ontario locations the cable provider said it would need to migrate to fibre by May 1.
Cogeco’s transition to fibre facilities would lock TekSavvy and its customers out of locations in Burlington and Windsor – where it uses the Montreal company’s older coax facilities – in part because the commission does not allow mandated access to cablecos’ bundled middle and last mile fibre infrastructure, the Chatham-based company argued in an application in January. TekSavvy also alleged Cogeco…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The country’s largest broadcasters are asking the CRTC to wait until it has implemented the rules from the Online Streaming Act before it does anything to the rate that broadcasters must pay to carry certain television programs.
Not-for-profit media company Accessible Media Inc. filed a Part 1 application in February asking the regulator to up the price broadcasters pay it to carry its English-language AMI-tv and French-language AMI-tele programs, citing financial difficulties. It is asking for “modest” 1 cent and 2 cent increases per subscriber per month for the programs, respectively, until the next licence…
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Bell confirms April 11 appearance before Heritage committee
In a message titled “Facts Matter” published Thursday on its website, Bell outlined what it says are the facts about its recent restructuring, which includes the elimination of 4,800 positions across the telecom and media company.
The web post appears to have been prompted by what Bell sees as inaccurate information circulating about the situation, saying, “As some distort the truth, here are the facts about Bell’s restructuring as announced on February 8.”
“Bell is supporting each affected team member with…
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The telco wants other satellite TV undertakings exempt
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell has filed a Part 1 application requesting that the CRTC exempt its ExpressVu satellite TV service from its obligation to contribute 5 per cent of its gross annual revenues toward Canadian content.
The telco said the reasons for this request are because of the “significant challenges” facing the traditional broadcasting industry in general and the satellite TV service undertakings in particular; that ExpressVu doesn’t make a “meaningful contribution” to the objectives of the Broadcasting Act; and that the condition applied to such satellite services is unfair when small BDUs and…
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The CRTC wants to hear the public’s thoughts on the establishment of an association to advocate for the needs of indigenous broadcasters in the larger industry.
The regulator said Friday it has heard from participants in the first phase of the co-development of the Indigenous Broadcasting Policy (IBP) about the need for such a “united front” for indigenous broadcasting groups.
Now, in the launch Friday of the second phase of the IBP consultation, the CRTC wants to know the benefits and challenges of establishing an “Indigenous-led and Indigenous-managed broadcasting association.”
It also wants to know who would be best positioned to create,…
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The CRTC announced Friday that Rogers, subject to fulfilling conditions, will receive up to roughly $12 million from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund to build new cell towers to serve roughly 70 kilometres of Highway 37 in northern British Columbia.
The CRTC approved the exact amount the cable giant asked for in its application during the commission’s third call for money from the $750-million Broadband Fund.
It is expecting Rogers to complete the project within three years.
Rogers said it is looking to get new towers up on the highway between Kitwanga and Dease Lake with the latest generally deployable mobile wireless technology,…
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By Connie Thiessen
Traditional broadcasters will pay, starting April 1, lower regulatory fees under a new structure the CRTC announced Thursday.
Drafted with an eye to striking a fair balance between the regulatory fees paid by traditional broadcasters and online streaming services, the Broadcasting Fees Regulations are calculated and based on broadcasting revenues.
“In making these regulations, the Commission was mindful to minimize the regulatory burden on the Canadian broadcasting system in order to support flexibility and adaptability in its regulatory framework,” the commission stated in a summary. “The Broadcasting Fees Regulations allow traditional broadcasters and online streaming services to continue to benefit from exemption…
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The CRTC said last week that it will accept applications for another FM radio station in Calgary.
The regulator received 75 interventions in support of providing at least one more licence for a station in the market it now says is on the economic rebound with strong population growth and higher average household income despite the downturn caused by the pandemic.
“This is mainly due to a strong energy sector, strong oil prices and significant population growth,” which includes growth in the city’s ethnic and indigenous populations, the regulator said in its reasons, adding in the 2021-2022 broadcast year, the market…
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