OTTAWA – Add the Canadian Association of Internet Providers to the list of organizations unhappy with the government’s decision not to overturn the CRTC’s decision on broadband competition.
CAIP says it is “profoundly disappointed”, and questioned whether the Federal Cabinet understands “that competition, innovation and choice for consumers hinges upon fair and equitable access to telecommunications infrastructure by competitors".
"To grow and flourish in a manner that benefits Canadians, the competitive Internet industry needs continued regulatory oversight of wholesale services", said CAIP chair Tom Copeland, in a statement. "Without this oversight Canada will continue to have only two dominant sources of Internet…
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TORONTO and OTTAWA – Globalive could launch its Wind-branded mobile service as early as next week, chairman Anthony Lacavera said Friday after learning that Industry Canada had overturned the CRTC’s decision barring his company from entering the Canadian wireless market.
Amid cheers from staff, Lacavera thanked the government for its decision which he called “testament that this country needs (wireless) competition.”
Industry Canada declared Globalive a Canadian company that meets the Canadian ownership and control requirements under the Telecommunications Act early on Friday morning, contrary to the CRTC’s decision in the Fall which determined that the company was not sufficiently Canadian-owned…
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OTTAWA – Globalive is free to launch its wireless service after Industry Canada overturned the CRTC’s decision Friday.
In varying the CRTC decision, which determined that the nascent wireless company was not Canadian-owned and controlled, the Government said that it is not “removing, reducing, bending or creating an exception to Canadian ownership and control requirements in the telecommunications and broadcasting industries”, rather it’s decision is “specific to the facts of this case”.
“Globalive is a Canadian company, and meets Canadian ownership and control requirements under the Telecommunications Act,” said Industry Minister Tony Clement, in a statement. “We take this decision…
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GATINEAU – The Shaw Communications legal team and the Commission share a difference of opinion.
Qu’elle surprise, you’re thinking.
However, the one that arose Wednesday as Shaw faced the Commission during 2009-614 (the hearing forced by an Order-In-Council that will inform a report to the Heritage Ministry on establishing a value for signal regime for local broadcasters) was a different conflict than some of the others we’ve followed between Shaw and the Regulator.
In its opener on Wednesday afternoon, Shaw’s SVP regulatory, Jean Brazeau, insisted that the CRTC can not issue a policy ruling on the hearing held last month on setting…
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GATINEAU – One of the things we’re learning at this hearing (if we didn’t know it already) is that consumers have sharp memories for when they felt wronged.
For example, second-year poli-sci student Kari Vierimaa (born and raised in Timmins and Sudbury) who called himself “a future broadcast journalist” lamented the losses of local news nearly a decade ago in Northern Ontario during his presentation Wednesday morning in front of the Commission as it looks into compensation for conventional broadcasters in 2009-614.
“In 2000, Robert Rabinovitch, the then newly-minted president of CBC/Radio Canada slashed and essentially destroyed quality local coverage in…
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QUIETLY POSTED TUESDAY on the CRTC’s web site were the 2009 aggregate financial data of the large Canadian broadcasters and BDUs. And, as we all knew, the BDUs are doing pretty well. The broadcasters, not so much.
CTV EVP Paul Sparkes tried to quickly introduce some of the data during its Q&A session Tuesday during the ongoing hearing into a broadcaster compensation regime because of the dramatically different bottom line numbers for his company compared to the big carriers. However, he was interrupted by Commission chair Konrad von Finckenstein before he could spit out the admittedly huge profit before…
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MONTREAL – Telefilm Canada will finance 17 English-language feature films this year under the Canada Feature Film Fund.
Five regional projects will proceed, as well as six projects under the organization’s low budget independent feature film assistance program.
The national projects include Beat the World, Hockey: The Musical, and The Whistleblower from the Ontario and Nunavut region; The Kate Logan Affair from the Quebec region, plus Wrecked and Fubar II from the Western region.
In related news, Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds announced that nine feature-length documentary projects will receive funding support under the Theatrical documentary program in 2009-2010….
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TORONTO – New wireless entrant Data & Audio Visual Enterprises Wireless (DAVE) has named John R. Barnett and Michael Moskowitz to its Board of Directors.
Barnett, president of Rothmans Benson & Hedges, has extensive experience leading large organizations in competitive and highly regulated industries for over two decades. Prior to moving to RBH in 1998, Barnett was president and CEO of Molson Breweries.
Moskowitz is president and CEO of XM Canada (Canadian Satellite Radio), and brings many years of executive leadership in the Canadian communications and consumer electronics industry. He was formerly president, Americas International of Palm, Inc.
They join Paul Godfrey and…
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I LOVE GOING TO confabs like NextMedia. As Telus’ SVP Michael Hennessy tweeted earlier this week: “Finished 2 days at #nextMEDIA looking to future of digital media. No discussion of #FFC, #CRTC. Met real digital entrepreneurs. Awesome.”
Hennessy told me Monday at that conference that when it comes to the debate over value for signal for over the air broadcasters, he’s done. Telus won’t be appearing at next week’s hearing into the issue, the one ordered by the feds.
Indeed, two days at NextMedia (built off a backdrop of my four days in Denver at Cable Connection Week in October,…
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TORONTO – In a move that seems designed to rally the public to their cause, Globalive’s Wind Mobile is kicking off a national ad campaign to hammer home the need for more competition in Canada’s wireless market.
In a press release Friday, Wind said that the goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about “the current state of Canada’s wireless industry compared to the rest of the world”, and to highlight “why more choice is essential”.
“The heart of the issue is that Canadians pay some of the highest rates for some of the most complained-about wireless service in the…
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