GATINEAU – The CRTC today released new pricing rules that will govern the rates charged by large telephone companies for local telephone services, until forbearance arrives.
The rules, known collectively as the price cap regime, will come into effect on June 1, 2007, and apply to Bell Canada, Telus, SaskTel, MTS Allstream and Bell Aliant.
They only apply in regions where local phone service has not been deregulated. So they will apply everywhere at first and quickly become less and less important as markets are forborne from regulation.
"This third-generation price cap regime provides greater pricing flexibility for large…
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OTTAWA – While Shaw Cable might say that American cable channel USA Network doesn’t compete with existing Canadian services, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters begs to differ.
In February, Shaw submitted an application asking that the popular general interest channel – which is seen in 90 million American homes and is anchored by shows like Monk, The 4400, pro wrestling, a couple of Law & Orders, reruns like Walker Texas Ranger, Coach and JAG and feature films – be added to the eligible satellite list for digital distribution.
The rights to all those shows – and several others, not…
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MONTEBELLO, Que. – Canada’s telecom industry must move swiftly to create the new consumer protection agency the federal government has called for or face the prospect of new legislation governing how the companies deal with miffed customers.
In a speech Wednesday at the 2007 Telecommunications Invitational Forum (read: no media) in Montebello, CRTC Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein told delegates that he wants to see the industry establish this new consumer agency so that it’s up and running when Canada’s incumbent telcos are forborne from regulation, which is likely to begin happening late this fall.
Part of the federal government’s…
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CANADIAN BROADCASTERS AND cable companies aren’t the only ones that feel the power of a Regulator.
However, while our CRTC is concerned about Canadian content and cultural concerns, the American FCC is preoccupied with taking on the role of a parent and protecting children from violent images. Below is a story, reprinted with permission, from today’s Multichannel News.
FCC TV-Violence Report Threatens Cable: Parental Controls, Ratings System Not Enough? By Steve Donohue — Multichannel News
Parental controls offered by cable operators and the TV-ratings system aren’t enough to protect children from violence on TV, the Federal Communications Commission said…
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TORONTO – The Competition Bureau has approved CanWest Global Communications Corp.’s proposed $2.3-billion takeover of Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc., the two broadcasters announced Monday.
The deal still must get the greenlight from the CRTC. It also awaits a court decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which will hold a fairness hearing on May 18 to determine whether Alliance Atlantis requires the consent of the minority shareholders of Movie Distribution Income Fund (MDIF) before proceeding with its sale to CanWest Global Communications and Goldman Sachs.
Under the proposed deal, CanWest will contribute $200 million to the takeover of…
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OTTAWA – It’s time for the CRTC to set a deadline for Canadian television broadcasters to shut off their analog signals, Industry Canada’s assistant deputy minister Michael Binder told a wireless gathering this morning.
The 700 MHz band, which broadcasters use to send their traditional over-the-air analog signals, is being given back to the U.S. government as of February 17, 2009 and Binder says now is the time to set a deadline in Canada. “We would like to see broadcasters vacate this band and we could use (it) for other applications,” he said during the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications` director and counsel – copyright and broadband law, David Laliberte, will be leaving the company at the end of next month.
He has accepted a job offer as general counsel and head of licensing and compliance at the Information and Communications Technology Authority (ICTA) in the Cayman Islands.
The ICTA performs a similar role in the Caymans as the CRTC in Canada, plus a few other functions such as spectrum allocation and domain name registration.
Based in the capital, Georgetown, the country`s regulatory framework is modelled after the Canadian one and “as a result, there…
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VANCOUVER – Telus announced Monday it has applied for local phone service deregulation in Calgary, Victoria, and Rimouski. These applications follow similar filings for Vancouver and Edmonton last Wednesday. The company intends to file additional applications for deregulation in the near future.
Telus’ application to the CRTC follows the April 4 announcement by Industry Minister Maxime Bernier that telecommunications companies can apply for relaxation of local phone service regulations in communities where significant competition exists.
“Local service deregulation in Calgary, Victoria and Rimouski will bring the full benefits of competition to these cities,” said Janet Yale, Telus executive vice-president…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada has applied to the CRTC to deregulate the most populous regions inside its Ontario and Quebec territories.
The company has asked for forbearance from regulation of local telephone services in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, London, Hamilton and Quebec City.
Bell filed separate forbearance applications for residential services in 139 exchanges and for business services in 103 exchanges in the six cities. These applications are the first made by Bell under the new framework for forbearance announced by the federal government on April 4, 2007.
Additional applications for forbearance in other qualifying areas will follow shortly.
The…
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MONTREAL – While the big news was in Toronto for the company’s acquisition of Standard Radio, Astral Media also released some solid second quarter results on the TV, radio and outdoor sides.
Consolidated net earnings for the first six months of fiscal 2007 increased by 9% over last year to $57.3 million. Consolidated net earnings for the second quarter also jumped by 9% over the same quarter last year, to $24.6 million. Consolidated revenues totalled $315 million for the first half of the year, an increase of 7% over the same period last year. Consolidated revenues for the second…
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