MONTREAL – A new report authored for Videotron released today says that voice over Internet protocol telephony offers a unique window of opportunity for real competition in the Canadian voice marketplace.
Videotron, not surprisingly, calls the CRTC’s May 12th decision on the regulation of VOIP-delivered telephony the right one.
“In its decision, the CRTC recognized the potential of VoIP technology to finally bring meaningful entry into the local telephone market, eight years after this market was formally opened to competition. At the same time, the CRTC purposefully refrained from a premature deregulation of VoIP services offered by the former…
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TORONTO – Look for some day two fireworks at the 2005 Canadian Telecom Summit.
The 11 a.m. session on May 31st, day two of what looks to be a great three days, is entitled “The Regulatory Blockbuster”, which most will identify as last week’s VOIP ruling from the CRTC. The session’s panelists are scheduled to be Lawson Hunter, executive vice-president, BCE Inc.; Janet Yale, EVP corporate affairs, Telus; Jean Brazeau, senior v-p regulatory, Sprint Canada; Ken Englehart, v-p regulatory, Rogers Communications; Chris Peirce, senior v-p regulatory, MTS-Allstream; and Michael Hennessy, president, Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association.
Given the hundreds of…
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TORONTO – Bell Canada Enterprises shareholders are risking their investment, the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union told those attending the company’s annual general meeting in Toronto today.
By not settling with striking telephone installation and repair workers employed by Bell Subco (Entourage), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bell Canada, service levels at Bell have fallen well below regulated levels imposed by the CRTC, says CEP Canada.
"That means," said CEP Ontario administrative vice-president Bob Huget, "that Bell Canada is potentially subject to millions of dollars in penalties for not living up to its service commitments. That money will come…
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MONTREAL – When it comes to unbundled DSL, Bell Canada must eliminate the surcharges foisted upon independent ISPs if Internet competition is to survive, a group of Quebec ISPs told the CRTC today.
Calling themselves the Coalition of Quebec Internet Service Providers, the group says it needs a compromise on a recent tariff notice Bell has filed with the Commission, “that will spare smaller ISPs from being subjected to further anti-competitive practices regarding naked DSL (unbundled local loops), a high speed DSL access without a phone line.”
“Bell Canada must waive their extra surcharges for reselling naked DSL to the…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications told the CRTC on Thursday that it will take the necessary steps to become a competitive local exchange carrier (CLEC).
Having entered the local telephony market in Calgary on Valentine’s Day this year with a voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) service, Shaw has put a scare into Telus, which complained in a submission to the Commission in March that Shaw should be forced to cease and desist selling the service due to the cableco’s “non-compliance with local entry rules.”
Telus is of the opinion that Shaw needed to comply with the CRTC’s Telecom Decision 97-8…
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OTTAWA – Rules that go too far in preventing telcos from contacting customers in order to win them back is contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, say Canada’s incumbent telcos.
A submission to the CRTC last month from Eastern telco Aliant (since supported by Bell Canada, Telus and Sasktel) says, in part, “that the Commission’s order extending the ‘no-contact’ rule beyond local residential service is inconsistent with the principle of freedom of expression, encompassed in s. 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
As a way to foster competition, telco regs have prevented the…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s recent decision on voice over Internet protocol telephony has rendered complaints from the Canadian cable industry pointless, said Bell Canada in a letter to the Commission on Thursday.
Cogeco Cable, Quebecor Media (owners of Videotron) and the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association had all complained in April that Bell Canada had launched a VOIP service in violation of the CRTC’s telecom regs, since Bell did not apply for rate tariffs prior to its launch in Quebec City, Trois Rivieres and Sherbrooke.
Knowing full well that the CRTC had already said in a preliminary viewpoint that it…
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TORONTO – More than 150 broadcast news executives and journalists will converge on Toronto in two weeks for the National Conference of the Radio-Television News Directors Association of Canada (RTNDA).
The three-day conference, June 9 to 11, 2005 will explore a wide variety of topics that impact markets of all sizes. Session highlights include:
* One-on-One with CRTC Chair Charles Dalfen * Diversity: The Power, Profitability and Potential featuring Statistics Canada * CNN’s Soledad O’Brien and others on "Tales of the Tsunami" * A panel session with Canada’s top reporters on Enterprise Reporting * Motivational speaker Bob Nelson on…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The Canadian cable industry wants to add six more channels to the eligible satellite list.
The Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association has asked that the Commission add Radio Television Portugal International (RTPi), New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV), Phoenix North American Chinese Channel (Phoenix), TV Globo and PTV-Prime USA to the eligible satellite list for digital distribution.
The CRTC put out a call for comments on the request to add those channels today.
RTPi is the international television network of Radiotelevisao Portuguesa, SA, Portugal’s public broadcasting company. The RTPi service consists of diverse, general interest, Portuguese-language programming, including news and…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC this morning approved the $13 million acquisition of religious broadcaster NOWTV by Rogers Broadcasting.
According to the terms of the deal released last year, Rogers will pay $12.25 million for CHNU-TV Fraser Valley (which serves the Vancouver region as NOWTV BC) and $750,000 for CIIT-TV Winnipeg, or NOW TV Manitoba, which has not yet launched. Rogers also proposed a benefits package of $1.3 million.
When contacted by www.cartt.ca, Rael Merson, president of Rogers Broadcasting, said that the Winnipeg station will launch by September 2006, “at the latest.”
The Commission also approved Rogers’ request to add…
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