GATINEAU — The CRTC today denied Bell’s application to review and vary the Commission’s December 2019 decision that ordered Bell to deploy one-way toll-free (TF) trunks between Bell’s network and Rogers’s network to carry TF traffic destined for Bell TF numbers.
Shortly after the Commission released its decision on December 2, 2019, Bell filed an R&V application which said the correctness of the ruling was in substantial doubt. In addition, Bell requested a stay of the decision until the Commission ruled on the R&V application.
In the December decision, the Commission had told Bell to have the toll-free trunks deployed…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – The ongoing saga between Cloudwifi, a CLEC from Ontario, and Bell Canada took another turn last week, as the CRTC on Thursday issued a denial to Cloudwifi’s request to have a 2019 decision changed.
The decision, 2020-419, was the outcome of a Review and Vary request filed by Bell Canada regarding Decision 2019-218. In that decision the Commission “determined the differences between in-building copper and fibre are greater than previously anticipated and that the tariff for in-building copper access connections may not have been the correct model on which to base the tariff for…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC announced Tuesday it’s extending the deadline for interventions to its review of the rate-setting methodology for wholesale telecom services.
When the wholesale rate-setting review proceeding was announced in April, the intervention deadline was set as July 23, with replies to interventions due August 24.
In an updated notice of consultation today, the Commission has revised the intervention deadline to August 13 and is suspending the deadline for replies.
This comes after Rogers and TekSavvy separately asked for extensions to the deadlines. Rogers made its request for various reasons, including competing priorities related to other regulatory proceedings,…
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GATINEAU — Amid ongoing concerns about Super Channel’s ability to comply with its conditions of licence regarding Canadian programming expenditures and regional outreach programs, the CRTC announced last week it is renewing the pay-TV specialty channel’s broadcasting licence for a four-year period, but was also suspending the licence at the same time.
However, the Commission says in its decision, the suspension will automatically go into effect only if:
the licensee (Allarco Entertainment) fails to make shortfall payments or remit reimbursed funds related to required script and concept development expenditures set out in its conditions of licence; or
the licensee…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC met its obligations under the 2006 cabinet directive, was never beholden to requirements for detailed explanation, and the wholesale rate review itself proved the Regulator has been aware of and followed-through on its cabinet and statutory obligations, lawyers for the third party internet access providers said Friday.
The final day of the two-day Federal Court of Appeal virtual hearing about whether the CRTC erred in law when it decided in August to slash the wholesale internet rate for resellers and force retroactive payments to them from the incumbents, featured lawyers for the independent ISPs…
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GATINEAU — While it determined the radio market in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough cannot support an additional commercial English or ethnic service, the CRTC announced today it will consider an application already submitted for a specialty Christian music station in a future non-appearing public hearing.
In January 2019, the Commission announced it had received an application from International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association for a broadcasting licence to operate a new Christian music FM station in Scarborough.
The Commission received a number of interventions, some opposing the introduction of a new commercial service in the Scarborough market, and one opposing…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Some of the country’s largest carriers tried to persuade a panel of Federal Court of Appeal judges Thursday that the CRTC – in its reasoning that led to a decision to slash the wholesale internet rate – did not adequately balance the impact of the decision with a 2006 cabinet directive setting out a market-based approach to regulatory decisions.
The 2006 cabinet directive outlines that the CRTC “should rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and regulate, where there is still a need to do so, in a manner that interferes with market…
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OTTAWA — The two vacant commissioner spots at the CRTC have been filled, with the announcement Thursday by Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault that Ellen C. Desmond (pictured, left) has been appointed as commissioner for Atlantic Canada and Nunavut, and Nirmala Naidoo (right) as commissioner for Alberta and Northwest Territories.
Desmond is filling the vacancy left when former Atlantic Canada and Nunavut commissioner Christopher MacDonald’s five-year term ended June 16. Naidoo is taking over from former Alberta and Northwest Territories commissioner Linda Vennard, whose term expired in May. Each new commissioner will serve a five-year term.
Desmond, of New Brunswick,…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC is extending the deadline for interventions to an application filed by Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) for a Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) licence for Starlink.
As reported yesterday, SpaceX applied for the BITS licence on May 20, and interested parties had until June 19 to comment. The company wants to serve rural and remote areas with satellite delivered broadband using low earth orbit birds.
OneWeb Global (another company which also wants to serve the far north with LEO technology, but is also in bankruptcy protection) submitted a request to the Commission on…
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GATINEAU – On May 20, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) filed an application with the CRTC for a Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS) Licence.
Interested parties had until June 19 to intervene and more than 1,800 of them (mostly individual Canadians and businesses supporting the idea) did.
A BITS licence is obtained by submitting an affidavit to the CRTC and is, for all intents and purposes, a mere registration regime. Nearly all are approved.
The mystery, in this case, resides in the fact that after filing its affidavit, SpaceX triggered so many interventions, which is truly unusual and not exactly useful. As of…
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