THE 2006 POLICY DIRECTIVE to the CRTC (which came under then-PM Stephen Harper and then-Industry Minister Maxime Bernier) said the Commission must regulate based on market forces to the maximum extent feasible and reinforced that facilities-based competition (Canadian-owned, built, networks) was to be the backbone of the Canadian telecom marketplace.
It said a bunch of other things, too, but didn’t mention consumers at all. However, the Conservative government of the day insisted as long as the CRTC followed its directive, that should spur competition and lower retail prices.
Last week’s Liberal government proposed…
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OTTAWA – TNW Wireless Inc. is eligible to operate as a wireless carrier in Canada and may begin offering mobile wireless services after it proves that it has complied with all applicable 9-1-1 service obligations, said the CRTC in a decision late Thursday.
The decision also means that TNW now has access to tariffed services for wholesale mobile roaming on Bell’s and Telus’ networks, something that it had asked the CRTC to help it obtain back in July 2017.
However, the decision also found that the company’s proposed iPCS (Internet personal communications system) service does not comply with the…
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TORONTO – Accolades continue to pour in after the passing of Canadian television producer and philanthropist Sandra Faire, who died on February 27 in Toronto. No age or cause of death was provided.
Faire began her lengthy career at CBC where she produced a number of award-winning shows, including Rita and Friends and Anne Murray's Family Christmas, plus many variety specials celebrating Canadian artists and culture.
"Sandra stands out as a beacon of our industry, a formidable force in the creation of some of Canada's finest productions”, said CBC/Radio-Canada president and CEO Catherine Tait, in a statement. “She will be missed."
Faire was…
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TORONTO – Bell Media Québec has elevated Farshad Kajouii to general manager, sales and business development for Astral, effective immediately.
In this new, expanded role, Kajouii is responsible for out-of-home (OOH) sales in addition to his current portfolio of operations and business development.
Kajouii joined Bell Media last spring with over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, including many years at Bell Canada. The announcement says that he has a proven track record in leading large-scale organizational changes and process improvement strategies.
“A visionary and energetic leader, Farshad will help Astral consolidate our leading position in the OOH industry and…
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GATINEAU – Two days after the ISED Minister Navdeep Bains issued a proposed policy direction requiring the CRTC to put Canadian consumers at the forefront of all future decisions so that telecommunications policy will ensure Canadians have access to quality services at more affordable prices, the CRTC launched a review of mobile wireless services.
This review, which it said last March would come this year (earlier than planned), will primarily focus on three issues:
Competition in the retail market
Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) access
5G deployment
The Commission did state that a review of wholesale roaming won’t happen with…
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MONTREAL – The Canada Media Fund has launched a six episode French-language podcast series that explores trends that are currently reshaping the media and entertainment industries.
Futur et médias will examine digital distribution, podcasting, the blockchain, location-based virtual reality, youth content and data. Its first episode, available here, looks at how the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) broadens its horizons in the over-the-top television era.
Episodes will be released every two weeks, and English and French transcripts are available to listeners.
Futur et médias is produced by the Canada Media Fund and hosted by the organization’s director of industry and market…
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OTTAWA – In something of a surprising move, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Navdeep Bains announced Tuesday during Question Period he planned to issue a Policy direction to the CRTC requiring it to improve the affordability of Internet and cellphone services for Canadians.
If this is truly a shift away from market forces and facilities based competition (hard to tell for sure with the legalese), then this could be the most significant shift in the federal government's thinking on telecom in decades.
Even though the CRTC is independent, the government can, according to the Telecommunications Act “issue directions…
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OTTAWA – On Thursday, February 21st, as just about everybody else in Ottawa was watching the Clerk of the Privy Council defend the Prime Minister in front of the Justice Committee over the SNC Lavalin affair, another meeting just as important was taking place in front of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
That hearing was about connectivity in rural and remote areas following up on a Report from the Auditor General tabled in November. The first meeting had been held on December 12th but was interrupted by a vote after representatives from the Office of the Auditor General,…
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WINDSOR, ON — Brian Masse, MP for Windsor West and NDP Industry Critic, is asking the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Competition Bureau to launch an inquiry into whether Canadians’ privacy or consumer rights were violated by telecom companies whose “misleading and aggressive” sales practices were exposed earlier this week in a CRTC report.
In a letter written on Wednesday and posted to his website on Thursday, Masse requested that the Privacy Commissioner and Competition Bureau launch further investigations into the findings of the CRTC’s report on Misleading or Aggressive Communications Retail Sales Practices, which was…
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TORONTO — The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) and nabs Canada announced Thursday a new partnership to increase awareness of, and support for, programs provided by the nabs charity that assist professionals in the marketing and communications sector who face personal, career and family challenges.
“We are delighted to enter this partnership with nabs because of the scope and calibre of its programs, focusing on the health, well-being and development of all individuals in the media, marketing, production and communications industry in Canada,” John Wiltshire, president and CEO of the CMA, said in a news release announcing the new partnership….
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