GATINEAU – Using SAP for CPAC is not good enough for the federal government.
Earlier this year, the feds directed the CRTC to change its exemption policy when it came to the Cable Public Affairs Channel so that most systems will now be forced to carry both the English and French channels.
Friday, the Commission issued a Public Notice, calling for comments on the revised distribution order for CPAC (which carries House of Commons and Senate proceedings as well as other public affairs programming), reflecting the government’s order.
Currently, most cable systems carry one video feed of CPAC, with…
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GATINEAU – Thanks to the NHL lockout, both TSN and Rogers Sportsnet couldn’t make their required Canadian content spending obligations and were granted license exemptions today by the CRTC to reflect that.
Normally, in any broadcast year, Sportsnet and TSN are allowed to spend up to 5% less than the minimum required expenditure for that year. If that happens, the channels must then spend in the next broadcast year of the licence term, “in addition to the minimum required expenditure for that year, the full amount of the previous year’s under-expenditure,” says their licenses.
However, with no hockey to broadcast,…
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WITH LIMITED NETWORK RESOURCES and many competing demands by subscribers, applications, and content providers, satisfying the demands of one stakeholder means taking resources away from another.
This problem, along with the greedy nature of applications and the over-subscription model of the Internet challenges network operators and the regulatory environment as they strive to maintain Internet freedoms that subscribers expect from the industry.
What follows is a technical White Paper from Sandvine Inc. Broadband service providers are thus in a position to ensure network neutrality with the fair allocation of network resources between potentially competing uses of the network.
To…
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GATINEAU – TV Ontario has applied to the CRTC to reduce its required Canadian content from 65% to 60%.
Its current condition of license says that it must broadcast no less than 65% Canadian content every day.
“The 5% reduction will provide the flexibility needed to invest more in new, high quality Canadian programs throughout the broadcast day,” says the application.
“It also points out that a minimum of 60% Canadian content over the broadcast day will bring its obligation in line with most other broadcasters in Canada, including all other educational broadcasters.”
The deadline for intervention is…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC today added Sony Entertainment Television Asia to the list of eligible foreign satellite services and deleted the Scandinavian Channel.
The Scandinavian Channel has been out of business since 2001.
According to today’s release, SET Asia is "a satellite-delivered, advertiser-supported, general entertainment television service which features Hindi language programs including feature films made for television, game shows, sports programs and drama serials.”
South Asian Television Canada Limited (SATV) filed its request to add the channel in December of 2002 but the decision was long-delayed as the Commission searched for a new policy on the addition of…
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VANCOUVER – A strong performance by the company’s wireless division helped lead Telus Corporation to strong revenue and income growth in the second quarter of 2005, ended June 30th.
Consolidated operating revenues in the quarter came in at $2 billion, up 8% from a year ago while operating income was up 24%. Earnings per share for the second quarter were 53 cents, up 10% compared from Q2 2004 and net income was $189.5 million, a 10% increase.
While praising the company’s results Telus president and CEO Darren Entwistle also addressed the current strike by its employees in British Columbia…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada today today announced the purchase of the residential assets of MDU cable operator Cable VDN.
Based in Montreal, Cable VDN offers analog and digital television (under the brand MAXTV) and high-speed Internet to customers living in apartments and condos in a large segment of the city (see map, from VDN’s web site).
The company – part owned by lead investor and president Philip Gale and minority shareholder Gaz Metropolitan, among others – also holds a BDU license for downtown Toronto, which it received in January of this year.
The purchase…
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GATINEAU – These category two digital specialty service licenses must be a pretty good money-making idea because companies keep applying for licenses, the Commission keeps approving them and they keep launching.
Today, two more were approved. CTV was granted a license for CTV NewsVu, which, if and when launched, would be dedicated to showcasing local newscasts from its affiliates to all parts of the country.
Insight Sports was granted a license for something it’s calling The Soccer Net, which is pretty self-explanatory. The programming would focus on instruction from beginner to advanced play, and for both amateur and…
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GATINEAU – Due to concerns raised by a couple of local independent broadcasters, the CRTC today denied a request from Standard Radio to convert CHOR Summerland (B.C.) from an AM station to FM.
Standard wanted to switch CHOR from 1450 AM and its oldies format to 98.5 MHz FM as an adult contemporary station.
While the Commission has showed much willingness in the past to allow AM station owners to make the switch to the better-quality FM signal, issues raised by SILK FM and Great Valleys Radio Ltd., the licensee of CIGV-FM Penticton, caused it to turn down Standard’s application….
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GATINEAU – Three more category two digital specialty channels (two fully HD) were approved by the CRTC today.
The Family Channel received a license for The Parent Channel, which will be devoted to providing informative and entertaining programming to parents and caregivers and children from infancy through the teen years. The service will focus on educational themes of interest to parents and caregivers such as discipline, safety and emotional and physical development, according to its license.
Documentary producer and cinematographer John Panikkar received two category two licenses called OasisHD and ArtefactHD.
Oasis sounds a bit like a…
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