TORONTO – The Canadian Telecom Summit’s "regulatory blockbuster" session is a must-view event every year.
This year was no different as regulatory chiefs from Bell Canada (Mirko Bibic), Rogers Communications (Ken Englehart), Telus (Janet Yale), Shaw Communications (Jean Brazeau), and MTS Allstream (Chris Peirce) traded barbs for over an hour about the competitive state of the industry, and just whom is benefiting most from the current state of regulation. It was funny and terse and interesting. ("Ken Englehart’s has such a learned and scholarly style, you automoatically think what he’s saying must be true, even though it isn’t," said…
Continue Reading
BANFF – Canadian industry execs filling the halls at the Banff World Television Festival told Cartt.ca they welcome CRTC review of conventional television and the request from the Heritage Minister Beverley Oda to study the technological changes facing the broadcast industry.
“We want a little freedom,” says Phil Lind, vice-chairman, Rogers Communications.
“We have been shackled to death with regulation over the years, and we want to break out of that somehow. We’ve got to realize that people just don’t really understand all of these arcane rules and regulations that have been developed in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Industry Canada and Heritage Canada will work together when it comes to telecom and media policy, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier said today.
Since many of those working in the telecom and cable side of the industry would like to see a more holistic approach to regulation, rather than maintaining two different silos of telecom and broadcast rules, Cartt.ca asked the Minister if he will be working with Heritage Minister Bev Oda on new combined policy directives for the CRTC, given her own new tasks she has set out for commissioners?
"Yes we are working very closely," said…
Continue Reading
BANFF – In her speech launching the 2006 Banff International Television Conference on Sunday, Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, announced the government will ask the CRTC to study the technological changes facing the broadcast industry and throws her support behind sustaining our public broadcaster.
“Other nations began to build the policy framework for the new digital world decades ago,” says the Minister. “Unfortunately, Canada did not.”
“Without a doubt,” she adds, “there are challenges.”
“With the arrival of new technologies, the growth of the private sector and the virtual explosion of choice on our…
Continue Reading
BANFF – Fire up the consultants, it’s going to be a hot summer of TV policythink.
As expected, CRTC chair Charles Dalfen announced a review of the TV broadcasting industry today at the Banff World Television Festival this morning.
In light of narrowing profit margins for conventional broadcasters by two percent since 2001, not the kind of showing seen by the growing revenue line of pay and specialty networks, and the limited spending on Canadian drama, among many other issues presented by new and emerging technology, the CRTC has decided to take a step back and re-evaluate the entire…
Continue Reading
BANFF – The CRTC has a new task ahead of it now: predict the future.
During her speech at the Banff World Television Festival today, Bev Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, said the Federal Government will ask the CRTC to study "how continuing technological changes are expected to shape the entire broadcasting industry in the years ahead."
Oda is using Section 15 of the Broadcasting Act, which lets the government request that the CRTC hold hearings or report on issues that fall under the Commission’s jurisdiction.
"With the arrival of new technologies, the growth of…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – As long as mobile TV services maintain their current unicast model, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters say they don’t need to be regulated, according to a submission made Friday to the CRTC.
But, that exemption should remain only if the mobile TV services currently offered by Rogers Wireless, Telus and Bell Mobility keep their one-to-one technological model, where a wireless subscriber has content streamed to them individually via their cell phone or other mobile device, says the broadcasters’ lobby group.
The submission was made in response to the CRTC’s call for comments on its decision to…
Continue Reading
BANFF and TORONTO – Watch for coverage of the Banff World Television Festival 2006 in Banff, Alberta and The Canadian Telecom Summit in Toronto next week as Cartt.ca provides in-person coverage from both important events.
In Banff, Cartt.ca will plug into the television industry for a look at global content developments. We will attend the lauded after-sessions, follow key announcements and trends; and interview “the personalities” within the industry.
This year’s Banff World Television Festival, June 11-14, 2006 is being held at the Fairmount Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta. It opens with a day-long session led by Kit Readman…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – The Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ three-year battle to get the CRTC’s Part II fees abolished cleared a legal hurdle this week.
The Federal Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision issued last fall that if the fees charged to broadcasters are indeed a tax, then they are unlawful. The matter of whether the fees are a tax will be heard in a trial starting this November. The CAB says the decision will give it “a very good argument” to make during that trial, when it will ask for the Part II licence fee scheme to be abolished….
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Former CCTA president Michael Hennessy started his new life at Telus this week.
As vice-president broadband and video policy he’s the western telco’s "content guy" Hennessy told Cartt.ca. He will be based in Telus’ Ottawa office working under another former Canadian Cable Television Association president, Telus EVP corporate affairs, Janet Yale,
"I just love this broadband and convergence stuff," added Hennessy, who has been working in the telecom space for the since the early 1980s when he was with the CRTC.
Despite the fact Hennessy has "switched teams" – as many will no doubt say – he…
Continue Reading
