Channel closures could contribute significantly to possible double-digit sub declines
By Ahmad Hathout
Corus executives are looking forward to the end of the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series run, as the millions of Canadian eyeballs on the team have, at least temporarily, pulled advertisers away from the media company’s properties, its CEO and interim CFO said Thursday.
When asked about the 23-per-cent dip in advertising this fourth quarter compared to last year’s, John Gossling said the postseason run by the nation’s only big league baseball team has definitely had an impact.
“The audiences for Blue Jays domestically have been massive, more than five…
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Northwestel announced Tuesday it is now offering up to 700 Mbps download and upload speeds to home internet users in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, and businesses in the community can now access speeds of up to 750 Mbps.
With the upgrade, the community also now has access to Northwestel TV Plus, the northern telecom provider’s live and on-demand TV service.
Northwestel first launched fibre internet in Tuktoyaktuk in October 2023, offering speeds up to 50 Mbps. The speed boost to 700 Mbps is made possible after Northwestel recently connected its fibre…
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The CRTC is asking Cogeco Communications to provide information regarding a complaint about a July 24 tornado risk warning issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada via the National Public Alerting System (NPAS) in Sharbot Lake and Lanark County, Ont., that was allegedly displayed in English only during Radio-Canada’s program Le Téléjournal when received through Cogeco’s set-top boxes.
Sharbot Lake and Lanark County are located approximately 120 kilometres and 75 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, respectively.
Broadcasting regulations require last mile distributors to present emergency alert messages in both French and English when an alert is issued in…
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Cogeco considering appeal options
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said an agreement to get Quebecor’s internet station QUB Radio on the traditional FM dial run by Leclerc Communication did not require commission approval because the owner still had and has control of the station.
Cogeco and Bell, two major players in the Montreal radio market, filed a complaint to the commission arguing that because the agreement last summer sees QUB Radio programming take over CJPX-FM (99.5 FM) during primetime Monday through Friday, it required a change of control application to the CRTC. Had that process been followed, they further argue, the CRTC…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Iristel is asking cabinet to force the CRTC to revisit a complaint that alleges Bell and its subsidiary Northwestel violated aspects of a wholesale call traffic agreement.
The far north provider is only asking cabinet to instruct the CRTC to make “full use of its investigative powers” to decide on a matter it has already adjudicated twice – against Iristel.
The issue first emerged in 2023, when Iristel filed a Part 1 to the CRTC claiming that Bell had effectively reneged on its agreement to provide a convenient call traffic point of interconnection (POI) at Kuujjuaq…
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Cogeco announced Thursday that it is rolling out its home internet service across most of Quebec, including Montreal, Laval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, and Quebec City.
Residents in the new expansion areas can enter their address to confirm availability by visiting Cogeco’s website at cogeco.ca/en/internet/packages.
“After successfully bringing much needed competition to the wireless industry, today, we’re taking another critical step, expanding our home Internet service across the majority of Québec,” Frederic Perron, president and CEO of Cogeco, said in a press release. “Canadians have been clear: regional carriers, like us, are vital in providing a compelling alternative to the three…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The attorney general of Canada (AG) is asking the Federal Court to reject an application filed by Cogeco and Eastlink asking the judicial body to review whether cabinet did not provide the legally required justification for rejecting their request to send back a CRTC decision that allows the three largest telecoms to access the wholesale internet framework.
The AG said in a submission last week that the parties have already filed a review of the decision directly to cabinet and have won an appeal related to the CRTC’s decision that rejected their request to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Several internet service providers have filed petitions asking cabinet to send back a decision by the CRTC this summer that refused to back down on letting Rogers, Bell and Telus (Big 3) access the wholesale internet regime.
Rogers, SaskTel, Cogeco, Eastlink, the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC), and TekSavvy filed petitions in September – made public on Friday – requesting that cabinet send back for reconsideration the decision by the CRTC in June refusing to heed their advice to review and vary the commission’s final framework in August 2024.
That framework allows…
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The CRTC last week approved Akash Broadcasting’s acquisition of Bell Media’s radio station CFRW-AM Winnipeg, which has been off the air since June 2023.
The one-time TSN Radio station had last operated under Bell Media’s “Funny” format before its 2023 shutdown.
In its Oct. 16 decision to approve Akash’s purchase of CFRW-AM, the CRTC said it had determined the value of the transaction is $1,047,250, and thus Akash must pay tangible benefits totalling $62,835 (six per cent of the transaction value) in equal payments over seven consecutive…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has approved final attachment rates for competitors to access Bell and Telus poles.
The rates, on a per unit per month basis, are higher than those approved by the commission many years ago but are less than what the telcos asked for.
After roughly 15 years renting out its poles in Ontario and Quebec for a rate of $1.04, Bell got a final approved rate of $1.32 – 77 cents less than what it asked for. Telus’s pole attach rates for British Columbia and Alberta were bumped up from $1.61 to $2.29, 20 cents less than what…
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