OTTAWA – After thousands of words of testimony from various telecom industry players and consumer groups, the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology has recommended the Minister of Industry withdraw his order varying the local forbearance decision of 2006.
In December, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier issued a policy directive ordering the CRTC to change its April 6, 2006 decision and rely on market forces to let competition flourish. The CRTC set out a number of tests that had to be met prior to deregulation in its decision, but the Minister proposed a simpler…
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TORONTO – Through their taxes as well as their cable and satellite bills, Canadians will contribute over $242 million to Canadian TV production via the broadcast performance envelope system of the Canadian Television Fund.
More than $242 million will be injected into the Canadian television industry over the next 12 months to support programming including drama, children’s and youth, variety and performing arts and documentaries, in English and French.
The CTF allocates production funding to eligible Canadian productions through its broadcaster performance envelopes (BPEs) and its special initiatives streams. Of the CTF’s total program budget of $265 million, English-language…
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TORONTO – The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit, June 11-13, includes 18 keynote addresses by some of the most senior folks in the sector and has become a must-attend event.
Delegates will hear from the leaders of Canada’s major telecom service providers, equipment and software suppliers. Panel discussions will take more in-depth looks at wireless networks, consumer and business services, wireless content, VOIP/unified communications and illegal content on the Internet.
With the continued growth of wireless and the strong emergence of IP that will power next-generation voice and broadband offerings, Canada is embarking on an exciting and fast-paced telecom journey…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – A 12.2% increase in spending on the likes of CSI, House, Lost, Prison Break, Ugly Betty, and other U.S. shows helped decimate broadcast TV profits in the 2006 broadcast year, said the CRTC on Wednesday.
While overall Canadian television station revenues were flat at close to $2.2 billion, expenditures rose by 7.8%, which reduced profits before interest and taxes (PBIT) from $242.2 million in 2005 to $91 million in 2006. The PBIT margin also decreased from 11.02% in 2005 to 4.14% in 2006.
From 2005 to 2006, revenues from the sale of local advertising grew by 3.4%…
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OTTAWA – Despite the CRTC’s announcement today that it has deregulated the local telephony market in Fort McMurray, Alberta – where resident have been among the keenest adopters of cable telephony – Canada’s two largest incumbent telcos remain unhappy.
Shaw Cable boasts a high speed Internet penetration rate in the city of over 80% of its basic cable customers there. Convincing those customers to add cheaper VOIP phone service has been easy so far and incumbent Telus has admitted it’s lost well over 25% market share in the community when it applied for forbearance last fall.
Today, the Commission…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC on Friday denied an application for a Category 2 French-language specialty TV channel that would operate as an adult pay service on sex appeal, sensuality, eroticism and sexuality (Broadcasting Decision 2007-98).
In response to individuals opposing the proposed channel known as Télé Sex-shop on moral grounds, the owners told the commission the channel would be discretionary and accessible only to subscribers who requested it.
But what did the channel in was the applicant’s refusal to accept as a condition of licence a requirement that it would comply with sections D.3 and E.1 of the Industry…
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TORONTO – More than eight in 10 Canadians oppose mandatory inclusion on digital basic of the five new channels being considered for the priority carriage, according to a telephone survey of 1,000 Canadians polled March 18-22 by Strategic Counsel on behalf of Rogers Communications.
The survey of Canadians 18 years and older from across the country – 70% of whom were cable subscribers and 30% of whom were satellite TV subscribers – also revealed strong support for pick and pay options.
The CRTC is considering adding the new digital specialty TV channels Metis Michif Television and Canada One along…
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OTTAWA – Shaw Communications Inc. is looking for CRTC approval to carry on a digital basis USA Network, a popular U.S. channel that broadcasts blockbuster theatrical movies.
At the same time, Shaw is asking the commission to change the way foreign TV channels are put on the list of non-Canadian services eligible for carriage in Canada.
The cableco wants the CRTC to automatically approve all general interest non-Canadian services, and to allow distributors to carry channels on the eligible lists on either an analog or digital basis. Specifically, Shaw wants the commission to remove section C from the lists…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC should amend the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to stipulate distributors must make monthly, rather than just annual, contributions to the Canadian Television Fund (CTF), the all-party Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommended in a report released this week.
That was one of six recommendations contained in the report, entitled The Future of the Canadian Television Fund. It includes dissenting opinions from the Bloc Quebecois and Conservative Party members. The report was tabled on March 21.
The Standing Committee under recommendation number one strongly condemns the actions of Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Media – both of…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC appears on the verge of having to revoke another radio licence.
Radio Express inc., the owner of the French-language CKOD-FM based in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC, doesn’t appear to have cleaned up its act since the commission last checked in.
Last August, the regulator granted the station only a nine-month licence renewal until May 31, 2007 and slapped it with four mandatory orders in an attempt to get it to comply with its licence conditions. The mandatory orders were filed with the Federal Court and failure to comply with them could result in contempt of court charges.
The station…
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