By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC is proposing a new Canadian content contribution framework that would take into consideration different business models of the broadcasting services under the rules of the new Online Streaming Act.
Under the proposal, traditional and online streaming services would contribute a base amount of money toward a Canadian content support fund, such as FACTOR, Musicaction, and Radio StarMaker Fund. The funds are still to be determined.
CRTC officials said in a technical briefing with media Friday that they will have to determine first how it will come up with the formula to determine the base amount…
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By Ahmad Hathout
MONTREAL – Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said Thursday it is “essential” that the company’s Videotron subsidiary gets access to last mile fibre under the current wholesale access regime to be the country’s fourth national telecom.
The CRTC said in March that it has made it a priority to make a decision on mandating third parties to access the incumbent’s fibre facilities to homes under the current aggregated wholesale regime. The current regime mandates that wholesalers can bundle from the incumbents the transport and last mile coaxial facilities, but not last mile fibre.
“It is essential that incumbent…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Bill C-18 is both “fair” and “necessary,” the president of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters told members of the Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications Wednesday evening during a hearing on the Online News Act that would require digital platforms to compensate news publishers for linking to their stories and which passed second reading in the Senate last week.
“The dominant internet platforms have told you and members of Parliament that Canada’s news is of little value or consequence to them,” said Kevin Desjardins. “They have already blocked access to content and have threatened to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has ordered Tuesday several changes be made to the proposed tariff pages of the national players and has set a timeline for the implementation of the mandated mobile virtual network operator regime.
MVNO-eligible regional providers with spectrum and facilities were provided the opportunity to comment on the proposed tariffs of Rogers, Bell, Telus and SaskTel, which include the terms by which they would provide access to their wireless networks.
On Tuesday, the CRTC kept some of those terms the same but is forcing the large players to modify their proposals in response to regional carrier…
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By Pierre Karl Peladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor
The Online Streaming Act (bill C-11) has been passed. This means foreign streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and YouTube will be subject to Canadian law and will be required to pay their fair share, just as Canada’s private broadcasters have always done. For too long, Canadian broadcasters, who have been operating in a rigid, highly regulated environment for decades, have had to contend with unfair competition from the web giants.
On the day the bill received Royal Assent, the Minister of Canadian Heritage said, “We are standing up for our stories,…
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By Douglas Barrett, featured above, adjunct professor in the arts, media and entertainment MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
As some wags have said, now that bill C-11 has become the Online Streaming Act, the real fun begins. That’s because the CRTC will be put in a position to make most of the “rubber meets the road” decisions based on the policies outlined in the Act. This is no easy task.
Strangely, to me anyway, despite months and months of debate around the topic, we have yet to see any models that specifically…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC on Monday published its plan to tackle the implementation of the new law that will require digital platforms to contribute to Canadian content.
As part of the first phase of its implementation of bill C-11, which became law late last month, the CRTC said it will publish an information bulletin “clarifying technical details for broadcasters” this spring, which ends June 21. In this phase it will also hold consultations including who should contribute, how much and how (the CRTC is proposing streaming services that have more than $10 million in annual revenues); which streaming services will…
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By Connie Thiessen
The CRTC has opened a Part 1 Application for the removal of Fox News from the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution.
The move comes following publication of an open letter to CRTC Chairperson Vicky Eatrides in early April from Egale Canada calling for the channel’s removal from Canadian airwaves. The LGBTQ advocacy group says the American news channel’s programming is known to incite hate, violence and discrimination, and is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards.
The letter’s main target was former host Tucker Carlson, who has espoused anti-trans views. He was recently released by the network.
Egale notes that specifically,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC has denied Bell a request for the CRTC to temporarily suspend its collection of money for the $750-million Broadband Fund until it makes a decision on its review and vary application.
Bell filed the Part 1 application in December – in response to a CRTC decision to collect $150 million this year – asking the regulator to immediately stop drawing money from the telecoms toward the fund until it has concluded its scheduled policy review of the fund, which it launched in March. It argued that the regulator…
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CRTC says it has “no intention” to regulate user-generated content
By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA — Following a legislative journey that involved back-and-forth amendments between the House of Commons and Senate since it was introduced in the House in February 2022, Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act reached the finish line on Thursday when it passed the upper chamber and received royal assent.
“This new law will help ensure Canadian stories and music are widely available on streaming platforms, and will help to reinvest in future generations of artists and creators in Canada,” said the Department of Canadian Heritage in a news…
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