OTTAWA – The CRTC also approved the addition of NEW SAT, a channel out of Lebanon.
The 24-hour general interest service offers programming in Arabic without English subtitles or secondary audio program. NEW SAT offers a wide range of programming including news, political programs, talk shows, comedy, drama, music and sports.
www.crtc.gc.ca
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Fair and not-too-expensive access to the incumbent telco infrastructure must be maintained, especially in the enterprise market, for real competition to be seen, MTS Allstream CEO Pierre Blouin said in a keynote address to the Canadian Telecom Summit on Tuesday.
"For competition and innovation to thrive in the national business market, Canada needs a regulatory environment that creates a level playing field."
He spoke prior to Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, who told conference attendees that the government was telling the CRTC to let the market decide – and that includes wholesale arrangements.
Last year, MTS Allstream paid…
Continue Reading
BANFF – Speaking in his opening address to the Banff World Television Festival, CRTC chair Charles Dalfen invited stakeholders to comment on the technological environment facing the Canadian broadcasting system.
The CRTC released Public Notice 2006-72 today in response to the announcement, seeking submissions from the public by September 1, 2006. The final report is required by December 14, 2006.
“We expect that the material contained in the parties’ submissions in response to the Order in Council will form part of the basis of their filings in our proceeding on over-the-air television, thereby avoiding unnecessary duplication of effort and resources,”…
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 – 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
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
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 – 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
