PARIS – The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is calling on its members to ensure that the Internet is kept open.
The global think tank, which counts Canada amongst its 34 members, released The Principles for Internet Policy Making on Wednesday, building on the framework that it released in June. Using what it calls “the multi-stakeholder environment”, the OECD urged governments and stakeholders to work together to achieve international public policy goals and strengthen international cooperation in Internet governance.
“Private sector initiatives and co-regulation by industry and government have in many cases facilitated access to the Internet…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians in many parts of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut may soon have the option to choose from competing telephone service providers for the first time starting next May, the CRTC said Wednesday.
In its ruling approving the far north for telecommunications competition, the Commission also denied incumbent Northwestel's request to raise the rates for residential and business local telephone service, noting that an increase “is not justified at this time and is inconsistent with the current regulatory regime”. The CRTC said that Northwestel has insufficiently invested in its network despite its strong financial performance during…
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OTTAWA – Some companies are telling Industry Canada that it shouldn’t rush to open up TV white spaces spectrum, while another is saying let’s get on with it.
In reply comments to the consultation (that we first reported on here), the majority urges the department to consider all the pros and cons, ensure over-the-air TV isn’t negatively affected and watch how rollouts in other markets go before making a final decision on how it’s going to proceed. They say this will best ensure Canada gets it right.
As was argued by several parties in…
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MONTREAL – In collaboration with Industry Canada's Broadband Canada program, Videotron said Wednesday it’s expanding the company’s wireless internet reach to a number of new rural regions.
Thousands of people in Beauce-Lower St. Lawrence, Victoriaville-Drummondville, Montérégie-Eastern Townships, Laurentians-Mont-Laurier, Lac-Saint-Jean and the North Shore will now have access to Videotron's 4G mobile broadband network.
The wireless internet service supports speeds of 1.5 Mbps with a download limit of 10 GB, the equivalent of a hundred hours of browsing and 20 hours of online gaming, according to the press release.
The service costs $37.95 per month and the equipment – a small outdoor antenna…
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GATINEAU – CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein told the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance and Telus on Monday that the two organizations need not fear Bell Media withholding its TV signals while the independent carriers continue to try to convince the broadcaster to alter its new wholesale carriage agreement.
As Cartt.ca first reported last week, a number of Canada’s independent TV distributors have balked at signing the new contract, which encompasses up to 30 Bell Media channels (including TSN, BNN, Comedy, MuchMusic, Discovery and so on) and have complained to the CRTC that the terms demanded by…
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By Pierre Dion, CEO, TVA Group
WHEN IT APPEARED BEFORE the CRTC for television licence renewal hearing last week, TVA Group pointed to the changes underway in the competitive and technological environment for the broadcasting industry and explained the conditions it needs to continue to thrive in the new broadcasting landscape.
Over the years, thanks to the efforts of its 1,600-plus employees, TVA Group has become the largest French-language broadcaster of entertainment, news and public affairs programming in North America. It is also one of the largest private creators and producers of Québec cultural content. Every year,…
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WOODSTOCK, NB and WASHINGTON, D.C – Xplornet has successfully completed a demonstration of TD-LTE using 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies.
The rural broadband provider said Thursday that the trials are the first in Canada to demonstrate a seamless TD-LTE option over existing WiMAX infrastructure, offering a smooth migration path from WiMAX to TD-LTE technology. The trials used a software-defined radio solution from Alvarion, a Washington-based provider of optimized wireless broadband solutions addressing the connectivity, capacity and coverage challenges of public and private networks.
The trial in 3.5 GHz was conducted using the same 3.5 GHz spectrum band that Xplornet uses…
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OTTAWA – A number of Canada’s independent cable operators have balked at signing a new omnibus carriage agreement for the up-to 30 specialty channels owned by Bell Media and instead are demanding the CRTC step in and decide who’s right.
According to sources with direct knowledge of the agreement and the ongoing battle, both Cogeco Cable and the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance have been through a few rounds of official CRTC staff mediation, which hasn’t yielded much in the way of results. It now looks like the disputes are headed towards binding, final offer arbitration in front of a CRTC…
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OTTAWA – The City of Ottawa has named its newest public park ‘Nimiq’ in recognition of Telesat’s contributions to the community and the global satellite services industry.
Ottawa-based Telesat has used the word Nimiq, an Inuit word for an object or a force that binds things together, since 1999 as the name for part of its fleet of satellites serving North America. Telesat’s Nimiq fleet is used by Bell TV to provide Canadians with direct-to-home television via satellite.
“Telesat is honored to be recognized in this way by the City of Ottawa and pleased to make financial contributions to the four…
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OTTAWA – Just a few days ago, so many were so hopeful that the federal government would finally have something to say Tuesday on one of three issues: the oft-mentioned but never announced digital economy strategy; foreign investment in the communications sector; or the rules for the 700 MHz spectrum auction.
No such luck. Industry Minister Christian Paradis, in his speech closing the International Institute of Communications Canadian conference, agreed all those issues are important, but that he had nothing further to add.
“I know there has been a lot of interest and speculation about what I may have to say…
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