Feds again being asked to compensate for transitions
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The federal government has historically not compensated companies that must relocate their services to different spectrum bands to make room for emerging technologies. But companies with a vested interest in the repurposing of the C-band spectrum for 5G technology are urging the a change to that position.
Over the air (OTA) broadcasters had to absorb the cost of moving off the 700 MHz band for broadband use years ago. Broadcasters were told more recently by Innovation Canada (ISED) that they wouldn’t be financially covered for the millions of dollars…
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Regulators have a real option to improve canada’s mobile wireless marketplace
by Marie Ginette Lepage
WHEN IT COMES TO THE future of our nation’s mobile wireless telecommunications market, Canadian regulators are fast-approaching an important crossroads. Recent debate, seen on Cartt.ca and elsewhere, has been focused on the idea Canada’s regulators face a terrible trade-off, in which the only way to provide consumers with more competition and choice is to do so at the expense of further investment and expansion of networks.
That would certainly be a difficult choice to make, particularly in a country like Canada, where many rural and…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) today shared the news Charlotte Bell, a long-time broadcasting executive and former CAB chair, died on the weekend. She had been suffering from cancer for some time.
“Charlotte was a dear friend and valued colleague to many of us in the broadcasting sector, and all those who were fortunate to work with her are saddened to hear this news,” said Lenore Gibson, chair of the CAB board of directors, in a press statement. “Our thoughts go out to her family and friends at this time.”
Bell most recently was president and CEO of…
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QUEBEC CITY – Epic Storyworlds co-founders Steve Couture and Ken Faier announced this week they have set up Loomi Animation, a studio based in Québec City focussed on animation series for Epic Storyworlds/Epic Story Media original content and third-party projects.
Louis Leclerc, formerly executive director of Pixel Québec has joined as director of the studio, while Guylaine Robidoux and Daniel Belleville of Montreal’s ToonDraw have come on board as consultants. The studio is the recipient of a funding grant from the city’s economic development initiative.
The first project Loomi Animation will undertake is Epic Storyworlds’ recent commission from Radio Canada -…
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OTTAWA — The Canadian telecommunications industry directly contributed $74.5 billion in GDP to Canada’s economy in 2019 and supported 638,000 jobs, according to a new Accenture report commissioned by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA).
The report looks at the economic impact of facilities-based network operators supplying wireless and wireline connectivity services, and found the industry’s GDP contribution was comprised of $23.5 billion in direct impact from the value chain of service providers and $51 billion in direct impact due to other industries which increased their sales and output by adding incremental wireless and wireline connection.
Released today, this year’s report…
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TORONTO — The Banff World Media Festival, in partnership with Netflix, the Canada Media Fund, Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office and SODEC, today announced applications are now being accepted for the fourth edition of the Netflix-Banff Diversity of Voices initiative.
The Banff Festival also welcomed Canada’s new Black Screen Office as a program partner. In addition, this year’s Diversity of Voices application cycle will introduce important updates to this national training and development program for underrepresented emerging and mid-career creators and producers of film, television and digital media content, Banff said in a press release.
The 2021 edition of the Netflix-Banff Diversity…
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VANCOUVER — Media tech company BroadbandTV (BBTV), which provides distribution and monetization solutions to content owners, announced Tuesday it will extend its content management solutions to the Encore+ YouTube channel in a new expanded deal with the Canada Media Fund (CMF).
Encore+ was launched in November 2017 by the CMF in partnership with Google Canada, Bell Media, BroadbandTV, Deluxe Entertainment, Telefilm Canada and Canada’s film and television producers, distributors, broadcasters, unions, guilds and industry associations. With more than 120,000 subscribers, Encore+ features one of Canada’s largest content libraries, comprised of award-winning documentaries, films and TV shows.
In its expanded agreement…
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By Dan Armstrong
IN RESPONSE TO THE December 7 article by TekSavvy’s Peter Nowak (Commentary: Why it’s so hard to grow an ISP in Canada), while I agree with Peter the current landscape is becoming less favourable for providers who resell incumbent access networks, the article almost reads as though the Canadian telecom industry is one giant pitched battle between incumbent facilities-based networks and plucky upstarts reselling their access networks.
It’s not, and I take offence to painting all facilities-based competition with the same brush as the incumbents.
I have spent my 30-plus year career in this business slowly clawing our…
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MONTREAL – In the context of the tabling of Bill C-10, the amendments seeking to modernize the Broadcasting Act, Quebecor’s TVA Group commissioned a poll to survey Quebecers’ perceptions and opinions about the role and complementarity of public and private television networks in Quebec.
1,019 English- or French-speaking respondents across Québec were surveyed between November 6 and November 12. The survey found:
78% of Quebecers believe it is in the public interest for public and private networks to complement rather than compete in the content that they offer.
81% of Quebecers believe the government should ensure that public broadcasters…
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SpaceX’s Starlink beta test in Northern Ontario being hailed a success so far
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA and KENORA – After testing SpaceX’s satellite beta service in northwestern Ontario, David Brown (above), the CEO of Kenora, Ontario-based information technology company FSET, is convinced low earth orbit satellite broadband is the “only path forward” for Indigenous communities.
“We unboxed the , and we were videoconferencing” — all within 20 minutes, he told the House of Commons industry committee on Tuesday. The INDU committee is meeting with various stakeholders to once again examine affordable and accessible…
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