CCO Tony Geheran on growth opportunities and funding broadband better
By Greg O’Brien
IN THE CANADIAN TELECOM world, the two big eastern Canada-based companies get a lot of the attention from those of us in the press.
And they should. They’re dominant in wireless and broadband and pay-TV in the most populous two provinces in Canada. They also own sports teams and television and radio stations and digital outlets. Their names are on the arenas in which some of our most beloved pro teams play. They’re in the media and they are the media. We can’t help ourselves.
Which means Telus, big as…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU — The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) are asking the CRTC for expedited and temporary relief from Rogers Communications’ recent move to phase out new activations of DOCSIS 3.0 modems used by third-party Internet access (TPIA) service providers leasing Rogers’ networks. Rogers wants its TPIA customers to transition to DOCSIS 3.1 modems.
In a Part 1 application filed February 16 and posted to the Commission’s website on February 22, CNOC asks the Commission to determine that competitors using Rogers’ TPIA service be allowed to continue to activate DOCSIS 3.0 modems, when ordering download speed tiers…
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SAINT-GABRIEL-DE-VALCARTIER, Que. — The federal ministry of Innovation, Science and Industry announced today 326 households in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier now have improved access to high-speed Internet thanks to a $365,000 combined investment from the government of Canada, government of Quebec and Bell Canada.
This infrastructure project, which included the construction of fibre-optic backbone networks by Bell, was funded through the federal government’s Connect to Innovate program and was carried out as part of a large intergovernmental initiative to provide connectivity to up to 24,000 households in 58 regions of Quebec, says the ministry’s press release.
For more, please click…
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STOCKHOLM — Ericsson announced today it is launching three new lightweight radios in its massive MIMO portfolio and six new RAN Compute products, all designed to help accelerate 5G mid-band rollouts, the company says.
Weighing only 20 kilograms, the new mid-band massive MIMO 5G radios from Ericsson’s antenna-integrated radio (AIR) portfolio are up to 45% lighter than the previous generation, and 20% more energy efficient, the company says in its press release.
The six new products being added to Ericsson’s RAN Compute portfolio include both indoor and outdoor options for 4G expansions and mid-band 5G deployments, with up to…
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Third in a three-part series
By Len St-Aubin
FOR DECADES, CANADIAN broadcasting policy, grounded in the limitations of over-the-air radio and TV, has restricted consumer choice in the name of Canadian culture.
Quietly, Canadians have resisted: with set-top “rabbit ears”, roof-top antennas, pre-regulation cable-TV, and satellite dishes big and small, we asserted our freedom of choice, pulling in foreign signals. We took to online streaming like fish to water.
If passed, Bill C-10 would apply those increasingly out of touch (OOT) policies to online streaming. Virtual private networks (VPNs) are about to flourish.
It’s not that Canadians don’t like Canadian content. Our maple-leaf hearts…
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SEVERAL MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT for Southwestern Ontario are getting behind Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) and its 2.0 GigaProject, calling on the federal government to provide funding for the project which aims to bring 1 Gbps broadband services to 95% of the population in the region by 2026.
In a letter dated February 10, the 14 MPs who signed the letter ask Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, and Maryam Monsef, minister of rural economic development, to ensure the SWIFT 2.0 GigaProject receives federal funding. The MPs point out the Southwestern Ontario region did not receive funding for…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – Netflix’s announcement last Thursday that it will open a Canadian office and, in the words Ted Sarandos (above), co-CEO and chief content officer, hire a “dedicated content executive to work directly with the Canadian creative community” is a “first good step,” federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told Cartt.ca in an interview on Friday.
His concern, though, is the “cozy relationship” the federal government appears to have with major digital platforms, including Netflix.
Singh referred to the “secret deal” between the California-based company and Ottawa in 2017 in which then-Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly provided little…
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TORONTO – ACTRA National announced today the hiring of Raj Shoan as general counsel, effective February 16, 2021.
Shoan “brings with him a solid understanding of Canada’s regulatory framework after having spent the past 18+ years working in our broadcasting, telecommunications, and entertainment sectors,” reads the announcement sent to members from ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) executive director Marie Kelly. “Raj’s extensive knowledge of entertainment law and regulatory policy and compliance will help support our union’s objective of improving the working lives of Canadian professional performers.”
Shoan held various roles with the CRTC over the years, including…
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MONTREAL – CBC and Radio-Canada Media Solutions announced Thursday the promotion of Patricia Châteauneuf (above) to the role of executive director, multi-platform media sales, Montreal and Eastern Canada and the hiring of Émilie L. Laguerre as the director of business-to-business marketing and communications.
Châteauneuf was most recently CBC/Radio-Canada’s director, national multi-platform sales and client innovation, a position she held for more than seven years. “With experience in building strategic alliances which have led to many successful consortiums with other media groups, Patricia was a natural choice to fill the role of the executive director following the retirement of industry veteran…
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By Doug Bingley
AS A RADIO BROADCASTER, I’ve seen governments and their policies to support Canadian culture come and go. The formation of the CRTC in 1968 ushered in an era where a key goal was to ensure Canadian artists and Canadian content creators receive the exposure they deserve.
Creating and supporting Canadian content remains an important part of the work I do today, through the three stations I own in Ontario. I am proud of the creative output of our talented staff; I see how important our stations have become to the communities we serve, and equally important, how we…
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