OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Globalive does not meet the Canadian ownership requirements set out in the Telecommunications Act, the CRTC ruled late Thursday.
Under the legislation, a telecommunications company is only eligible to operate in Canada if it is not at any time owned and controlled, in law and in fact, by non-Canadians. Egypt-based operator Orascom Telecom, which has about 78 million subs world-wide, is providing much of the funding and the Wind brand name for Globalive.
During its proceeding, the Commission examined the influence of Orascom over Globalive’s business decisions and day-to-day operations. Despite the fact that Globalive made structural changes…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has added the channel Russia Today to the list of eligible satellite services.
Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. applied to the Commission in July to add the non-Canadian, English-language satellite news service to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis.
The channel is described as a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week English-language international news and information service targeted to an international audience.
www.crtc.gc.cawww.ethnicchannels.com
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TORONTO and VANCOUVER – Calling it “a bad day for Canadians and wireless competition in Canada”, Globalive may be down, but it doesn’t sound like they’re entirely out of the wireless industry in Canada.
After learning that the CRTC found it to be non-compliant with Canadian ownership and control requirements, the company said in a statement that “Wind Mobile will be delayed in becoming Canada’s newest competitive wireless operator in over a decade.”
It also expressed surprise that the Commission’s decision would be “at odds” with Industry Canada.
“Having already received approval from Industry Canada, we are extremely disappointed that the…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications and Bragg Communications are in discussions on potential system swaps, Cartt.ca has learned.
A source with direct knowledge of the talks said late Wednesday on condition of anonymity that the two companies are negotiating a deal in which the primary assets exchanged would be Bragg’s Delta Cable and Coast Cable systems in southern B.C. (and potentially some of EastLink’s other operations in Western Canada, too) in exchange for Rogers’ systems in St. John’s, Corner Brook and Gander, Nfld.
The deal would certainly make sense for Bragg’s EastLink cableco since it owns many small systems throughout Newfoundland &…
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TORONTO – The Ontario Association of Broadcasters annual general meeting and awards luncheon honoured former Global Television and Rogers Radio, president and CEO, Jim Sward.
The Ontario Association of Broadcasters’ Community Service Awards are presented annually to member stations for their outstanding contributions of airtime and staffing to worthwhile organizations in their respective communities, says the OAB release.
The gathering Wednesday at Toronto’s Boulevard Club featured a longer networking reception and a new feature, a panel discussion, where industry leaders discussed the impact of new technology on radio revenue, according to the OAB press release.
Laura Gaggi, president of Gaggi Media moderated…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has amended its new media exemption order, and revoked the mobile TV exemption in the process.
After calling for comments back in June, the Commission decided Thursday to expand its definition of ‘new media broadcasting undertaking’ to encompass all Internet-based and mobile point-to-point broadcasting services.
The amendment, designed to “provide regulatory clarity”, blends the existing definitions of new media broadcasting undertaking and mobile television broadcasting undertaking, causing the Commission to revoke the original mobile television exemption order set out in 2007.
The CRTC also introduced an undue preference prohibition on new media broadcasting undertakings, and…
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CALGARY – Stable growth across its key metrics helped Shaw close out its 2009 fiscal year on solid ground.
Consolidated service revenue for the year ended August 31, 2009 grew 9% over last year to reach $3.39 billion, while service operating income before amortization also improved by 9% to top $1.54 billion.
Basic cable subscribers grew 29,467 to 2.29 million, and digital penetration grew from 40% in 2008 to 57% as Shaw reached 1.29 million digital customers. The company also reported 1.67 million Internet customers and 830,000 digital phone lines. DTH customers for Shaw Direct topped 900,000.
Cable service revenue was up 11%…
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TORONTO – The Radio-Television News Directors Association has waded in to the debate on local television.
Saying that it is “impossible for RTNDA Canada to remain silent in the face of growing concerns about the future of broadcast journalism in this country”, the organization issued a statement Thursday urging “all stakeholders to recognize the importance of local television.”
“RTNDA members believe local news is critically important to Canadians”, the statement read. “Local news has intrinsic value beyond what it may generate in terms of revenue. Local news is about telling Canadians what is going on in their community. While there are…
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OTTAWA and CALGARY – Shaw is now Canada’s largest cable company after receiving CRTC approval to proceed with its purchase of Mountain Cablevision.
As reported by Cartt.ca, Shaw offered to buy the Hamilton-based BDU back in July. Rogers tried to block the acquisition citing a near decade-old non-compete arrangement it had with Shaw, but that argument was dismissed by the Ontario Superior Court last month.
The Commission officially approved Shaw’s application on Thursday, meaning that Mountain’s ownership and control will be changed to 1474888 Alberta Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Shaw Communications Inc. Approximately 135 employees, 41,000 cable customers, 29,000…
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NEW YORK – While the latest CRTC hearing into the regulated video system will be in full swing in Gatineau, Rogers will be unveiling its TV Everywhere portal, senior vice-president David Purdy told a conference panel on Wednesday.
Rogers customers will be able to get content from 15 channels, Purdy told his audience at the Broadcasting & Cable/Multichannel News’ On Screen Summit and eventually, they will be able to go mobile with their TV.
Cartt.ca originally reported on this upcoming launch earlier this year.
Click here for the full story on Multichannel.com.
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