It has now been a year since Videotron launched its cable telephone service, offering consumers an affordable alternative to the residential phone service provided by the major telephone companies such as Bell and Telus. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has allowed competition in local telephone markets since 1997 but this is the first real breach in the big phone companies’ age-old monopoly.
Jumping into a market in which giants such as AT&T and Sprint have foundered meant a massive investment in infrastructure and technology for Videotron, and of course a big risk.
The response from the marketplace…
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OTTAWA – American radio host Don Imus earned a rebuke from the CRTC on Friday thanks to comments made during his show on MSNBC Canada in the fall of 2004.
MSNBC Canada no longer exists, however MSNBC is on the eligible satellite list and Imus in the Morning is MSNBC’s 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. morning program.
The CRTC says it received over 100 complaints about comments made on the November 12 and November 19, 2004 programs. Shaw, Rogers and MSNBC, which owned Canadian version of the channel, shut it down later that month for economic reasons.
Imus and his co-hosts…
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TORONTO – While it’s not yet reflected in any policy announcement, Canadian broadcasters know there’s no way all of their broadcast transmitters can be upgraded to digital and the CRTC must now be feeling pressure to respond.
Fred Mattocks, the CBC’s executive director, English television production and resources, added his voice to CanWest Global CEO Leonard Asper’s, warning that it will just cost too much to convert all 600 CBC transmitters to digital. He was speaking on a panel at today’s CSUA Digital Broadcasting Summit in Toronto.
CBC transmits 18 unique SD streams daily and three unique HD streams (Montreal,…
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OTTAWA – Shaw Cable is selling commercial advertising on its community channels during Western Hockey League games, says the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, which contravenes CRTC regulations.
While Canadian cable companies are allowed to offer sponsorships to local companies for some of its programming, like Joe’s Garage sponsoring a car repair program, for example, they are prohibited by regulation from selling commercial advertisements promoting products on their community channels.
During a WHL game last May, says the CAB’s complaint, Shaw aired 14 commercial messages, at least 11 of which contravened the regs by actively promoting certain products….
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AFTER A DOZEN OR SO years of lobbying the Liberal Party power establishment, the Canadian cable, radio, television and telecom industries will have to start over beginning today.
No matter how long this new Conservative minority government lasts (we sorely hope it’s longer than Joe Clark’s eight months in 1979), those at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association, as well as Canada’s large telcos, have brand new friends to make – and influence.
Issues like foreign ownership of telecom and cable companies, or even broadcasters, might get a more friendly hearing under the Conservatives…
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CABLE OPERATORS STILL (privately, mostly) grouse about the 10-cent fee increase the CRTC granted the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network last summer.
As reported by www.cartt.ca, the Commission granted APTN its license renewal on August 31st, and along with that, boosted the fee pass-through from 15 cents to 25 cents per sub per month. That’s a lot of extra money (over $12 million more).
While the distributors soft-pedaled their opposition somewhat and didn’t raise much of a stink when the decision was made public because it’s a bit of a political hot potato, their message was clear: They didn’t think…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Media Guild said Monday it’s worried that culture, and the CBC specifically, is so low on the priority lists of the federal parties.
Only the Conservative and Green parties mention the CBC in their platforms, despite the fact that the public broadcaster faces a license renewal before the end of 2006.
“But there are more questions about the vague position of the front-running Conservatives than answers,” says the Guild release, ominously.
"I recognize that this election campaign has been fought on a handful of core issues. But it is troubling that the future of Canada’s…
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MONTREAL and THUNDER BAY – Bell Nordiq Group and TBayTel announced late Tuesday they intend to create a northwestern Ontario telecommunications hub.
Further to their discussions, as previously reported by www.cartt.ca, both parties have agreed to not proceed with an equity partnership at this time, but rather will let their relationship evolve starting with “leveraging their collective strengths to expand into new markets and services and enhancing existing telecom offerings,” says the press release.
For example, TBayTel has an application before the CRTC to allow it to launch a terrestrial TV service, but needs help to do it.
"The…
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OTTAWA – Hearings for the CRTC’s long-delayed and anticipated commercial radio policy review have been set for May 15, 2006.
The Commission declined to further put off the hearings, which was requested by Canada’s broadcasters, and today made the hearing date official.
Those wishing to submit written comments must do so by March 15th.
Click here for the full announcement.
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OTTAWA – Some companies want a new TV station to serve Calgary and/or Edmonton.
The CRTC today announced that it has received “applications for broadcasting licenses to carry on television programming undertakings to provide television services to serve Edmonton and Calgary.”
As is its policy, it has now called for additional applicants.
The deadline for submission is April 12, 2006.
www.crtc.gc.ca
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