OTTAWA – In what can only be viewed as a big win by Canada’s telcos, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier today came very close to deregulating the local telephony market.
The minister is setting aside key portions of the April 2006 CRTC local market forbearance decision and will place cable voice providers and traditional telcos on much closer regulatory footing. The ILECs had appealed the decision to federal cabinet.
The 25% market share loss benchmark has been erased, as have the winback rules which would restrict ILECs from contacting recently lost customers for 90 days after departure,
The new proposed…
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GATINEAU – As the seventh and final day of the 2006 CRTC TV Policy Review hearing wound down yesterday, a frustrated group got very wound up, and a broadcasting legend weighed in.
In a process that has sometimes gone into excruciating detail about how much more we may pay for our TV universe, how we’ll receive programs, how big a role advertising will play and what we’ll see between the ads – a big problem should have been hard to overlook. But on this day, James Roots, executive director of the Canadian Association of the Deaf, made a passionate…
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TORONTO – After saying he believes it’s "good business" to help produce and then show Canadian content, Astral Media CEO Ian Greenberg today sent a message to Gatineau, cautioning the CRTC against letting conventional broadcasters into the wholesale fee game.
"Our pay and specialty television services have invested over $1 billion in the development and purchase of original Canadian-content production, and in support of home-grown talent, since we began in this industry. We believe it is good business to do this," he said in a speech to shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting in Toronto.
"But even more…
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OTTAWA – Under new proposed amendments introduced in the House of Commons today, the Competition Tribunal may order telecommunications service providers to pay an administrative monetary penalty of up to $15 million in cases of abuse of market power.
"Competitive telecommunications markets are vital to a strong economy, especially given the rapid changes in information technologies that are transforming how businesses operate and how individuals communicate and gather information," said Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, who introduced the amendments. "Competition drives firms to become more efficient, invest in new technologies and introduce new products and services that benefit consumers."
"Allowing…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC has announced Namir Anani will be joining the organization as associate executive director, industry analysis, economics and technology on January 2nd.
"Namir comes to us with a depth of experience in new media research, development of new IT and communications technology as well as management in both the public and private sectors. (He) joins us from Canadian Heritage where he is the director general and CEO of the Canadian Heritage Information Network," said a memo from Len Katz, the Commission’s executive director, broadcasting and telecommunications.
Anani has a BSc in electrical engineering as well as…
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QUEBEC – The CRTC’s recent decision to transfer the licence of this city’s troublesome CHOI-FM from Genex Communications to Radio Nord Communications has not gone over well with at least one interested suitor.
MBL Communication Média, which had expressed interest in competing for CHOI’s frequency when it looked like the CRTC would revoke the licence, has filed for leave to appeal the Commission’s approval of the sale before the Federal Court of Appeal.
The company wants the court to require the CRTC to open up bids for CHOI’s much-coveted frequency, as the CRTC originally said it would do in…
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GATINEAU – Organizations representing many persistent voices opposed to Canada’s 1999 over-the-air television policy – along with a rare cameo by the Ontario Culture Minister – took the stage Monday for Day 6 of the CRTC’s review of this policy.
The unions and guilds appearing for English and French writers and actors, and for English directors and crew, almost all requested a mix of re-regulation and new rules for conventional broadcasters – a distinct contrast to many broadcasters, who last week called for fewer rules and greater access to revenues.
In what was described as the “first appearance in…
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OTTAWA – It took three years to produce and then five months to decide that the Senate Committee’s Final Report on Canadian News Media will, in essence, be shelved.
As reported in June by Cartt.ca, Senators made a number of recommendations to government on how to improve news and information getting to Canadians – not to mention the CRTC and CBC (come to think of it, some of those topics have been front-and-centre at the TV Policy Review hearings that began November 27th, but we digress…).
For example, to stem the effects of mega-mergers, the Competition Bureau should…
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COMPETITION HAS COME to Saskatchewan. The little-big (population-area) province has had competition on the terrestrial video side since 2002 but only recently has a serious voice option come available.
It was quite a lag between the cable companies in the province losing 50,000 video customers and their recent launch of voice over IP. With the largest MSOs in the province: Shaw (Saskatoon, Prince Albert) and Access (Regina and area) now – or about to be – adding VOIP, competition is officially hot.
So how is the provincially-owned telco faring, with still 98% of the local phone lines? President…
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TORONTO – While the actors and directors groups were in Ottawa Monday decrying the state of original Canadian programming in front of the CRTC, CanWest MediaWorks on Monday unveiled details on what it will make and air in 2007.
The production slate includes seven scripted series now in production – including the sophomore return of summertime drama, Falcon Beach and the premiere of The Best Years; 78 hours of factual entertainment currently commissioned and in production; 35 featured documentaries now airing or in production, plus an additional 10 original series (124 hours) of original content across CanWest’s specialty networks,…
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