By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a tweet yesterday, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) announced it would grant leave to the CBC/Radio-Canada (SRC) allowing it to appeal the CRTC’s decision, issued in June, to force the SRC to apologize to a complainant (Ricardo Lamour) for the use of the N-word on air and to outline the measures it will take to avoid such incidents in the future.
Back in August 2020, a SRC commentator on the radio program Le 15-18 used the offensive word four times during the show in reference to a book by Pierre Vallières written…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In the latest development in the list of never-ending disputes between Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE) and Québecor concerning their respective sports channels, the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) denied BCE a judicial review of a CRTC decision that found Bell was giving RDS, its French-language sports channel, undue preference.
Both Bell and Québecor own programming services as well as distribution ones, which has them competing on many fronts.
In a 2018 decision, the Commission sided in final offer arbitration (FOA) with BCE’s rates for the distribution of Québecor’s sports service TVA Sports on BCE distribution services.
Approximately a…
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TORONTO — Canadian Telecom Summit (CTS) organizers confirmed today CRTC chair and CEO Ian Scott (above) will speak at this year’s conference, being held Nov. 21-23 at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ont., just west of Toronto.
This will be one of Scott’s last public appearances as head of the CRTC. His five-year term, which was supposed to expire at the beginning of September, was recently extended by four months.
Scott is scheduled to give a keynote speech at CTS on Monday, Nov. 21 at 4:15 p.m. ET.
“As Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer, Ian Scott supervises and directs the work…
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Says it’s an opportunity for government to support competition and consumer choice
OTTAWA – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) is supporting City Wide’s petition to the Governor in Council, which asks it to vary the CRTC’s decision to deny City Wide’s 2020 application regarding Eastlink’s third-party Internet access (TPIA) point of interconnection (POI) in Nova Scotia.
City Wide wants the CRTC to order Eastlink to move its TPIA POI from the rural community of Pennant Point to a location in the core of Halifax, or alternatively, for the CRTC to regulate the rate the company charges for its…
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TALLCREE TRIBAL GOVERNMENT, Alberta — Telus Communications and Tallcree Tribal Government in Alberta announced earlier this month funding from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund will help to bring wireless connectivity to Tallcree First Nation in northern Alberta for the first time.
“With a wireless connection, small businesses can thrive and compete both locally and globally, families can stay connected to loved ones who live out of town, young people can stay in their hometowns longer and participate in distance education, and perhaps most critically, a wireless connection provides a lifeline to call for help in the event of an emergency,” reads…
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OTTAWA – Telus has told the CRTC this week that Timeless Inc.’s complaint that Rogers’s refusal to carry its OneSoccer channel gives it an undue preference should be investigated by the regulator as “timely,” as Rogers pushes to buy Shaw Communications.
Rogers has refused to carry the channel because it said it has limited appeal with its viewers. Timeless, which said it has been trying to get a carriage agreement with Rogers for over a year, has argued in its original complaint last month that there is a “surge in popularity and success for Canadian soccer” and that Rogers…
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OTTAWA – Canada’s major telecommunications providers have agreed on an initial five-year term to allow customers to roam on each others’ networks on an emergency basis in the event of a major network outage to ensure Canadians are not left out of essential services, such as 911 access, according to a formal agreement announced Wednesday by the Minister of Innovation.
The companies, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Shaw, have also committed to assisting each other in such an event and also “to providing clear and timely communications to keep Canadians and appropriate authorities informed about response and restoration during major…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC said in a letter Friday that it is giving Bell and Videotron until the end of the month to report back on progress in negotiations involving Bell French-language channels that Videotron wants to axe from its rotation — while also moving up dates for intervenors to file comments in the matter.
Bell initially filed a Part 1 application on August 11 asking for the regulator to make a decision on allegations that Videotron is giving itself an undue preference by allowing its own competing channels to stay on while proposing to remove Bell’s Vrak.tv and Z….
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OTTAWA – The operator of the country’s emergency alert system is suggesting possibly developing “protocols and procedures” for distributors to inform it about any disruptions to the delivery of alerts.
In a Wednesday response to the CRTC’s request for more information about the Rogers network outage in July, Pelmorex said such measures could enable it to quickly notify government issuers of the alert about the problem. Pelmorex was asked by the regulator to provide comment earlier this month.
The company also suggested that it could potentially work with trade associations representing the broadcasters of the alert — including Rogers in…
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MONTREAL and TORONTO — Independent internet service provider Distributel has agreed to be acquired by Bell for an undisclosed amount, the companies said in an announcement today.
Distributel will continue to operate independently after close of the deal — which is subject to standard regulatory approval — and Matt Stein, the CEO of the company, will remain at the helm, a press release said.
“With this announcement, Distributel is better positioned to compete and deliver on our decades-long commitment to bringing choice and affordability to Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” Stein said in the release. “We hope Canadians are…
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