MARKHAM – Internet service provider NetCrawler said Monday that it has expanded its network coverage in Ontario, which now covers more than 87 per cent of residents in the province.
The cable company added that it expects to triple its customer base within the next 12 months before making further expansion across the rest of the province and then Western Canada.
“This expansion represents an important milestone for our company,” Rajinthan Rajalingam, president and CEO of Netcrawler, said in a press release. “With the recent buying spree by major players in the telecom industry, the last few months have been a…
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OAKVILLE, On. – The Weather Network announced Wednesday that is it expanding into the realm of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) with the launch of its first such channel available to Samsung TV Plus viewers.
It is the first weather-related programming service on the FAST model in Canada. The programming will include in-depth features, educational programming, and shorts, as well as Canadian-produced series like Storm Hunters, Power to the People, and Captured, a press release said.
The FAST channel will also include an exclusive morning show about the biggest weather stories from Canada and globally.
“The way audiences engage with content on…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Internet service provider TekSavvy is warning the CRTC that if it does not address unregulated wholesale access rates in the industry, “there may not be any independent wholesale competitors remaining.”
In January, the ISP filed a Part 1 application asking the CRTC to investigate the legality of the matter in light of Rogers’s proposed deal to provide Videotron access to its network at below CRTC regulated rates as a condition of its acquisition of Shaw. It also accused Bell of self-preferencing by providing its recently purchased affiliate Ebox with preferential rates for access…
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OTTAWA – Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced Monday that 23 not-for-profit organizations across the country will get funding to help address digital literacy.
The funding is part of the second phase of the federal government’s Digital Literacy Exchange Program, which is committing $17.6 million over three years to help 100,000 Canadians “gain the skills they need to participate in the digital economy,” including using computers, mobile devices and the internet.
The organizations receiving funding are ABC Life Literacy Canada, Altered Minds Inc., Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington, Burnaby Neighbourhood House, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Community Sector Council Newfoundland…
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By Connie Thiessen
OTTAWA — Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has appointed filmmaker and National Film Board (NFB) veteran Julie Roy as executive director of Telefilm Canada for a five-year term, effective April 3.
Roy has nearly 30 years of experience in the Canadian film industry, including holding several senior leadership positions during a 20-year run with the NFB, most recently serving as Director General and Head of Programming.
In her most recent role, Roy oversaw production studios across the country, as well as NFB’s distribution, marketing and merchandising units. Canadian Heritage credits Roy, in a release, with helping establish the NFB’s vision and programming goals…
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Commission will release decision on last mile fibre access before wholesale rate hearing
Note: This story has been updated with comments from the CRTC chair, CNOC, and TekSavvy
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Just three weeks after receiving a new policy direction from Innovation Canada that emphasized broadband rates, the CRTC on Wednesday launched its proceeding to revisit the wholesale internet access framework to correct what it says are increasing prices for Canadians.
The commission is seeking updates from the public on aspects of the wholesale regime, including the state of competition, the importance and the future of the aggregated and disaggregated regime,…
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Bill follows in footsteps of U.S. broadband ‘nutrition’ label
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — A private member’s bill that would require internet service providers to include the “typical” download and upload speeds that customers should expect when buying service received support from small internet service providers, according the author of the bill on Monday afternoon.
Dan Mazier, Conservative Member of Parliament for Manitoba’s Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa riding, appeared before a House industry committee to discuss bill C-288, which would amend the Telecommunications Act to effectively eliminate vague language such as “up to” and “maximum” used by ISPs to market their internet packages. The…
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TORONTO – The Canada Media Fund announced Monday the appointment of Marcia Douglas as vice president of growth and inclusion and Janine Steele as director of interactive digital media.
Douglas, who will take on the new role on April 3, will lead the fund’s growth and inclusion strategy, according to a press release.
Douglas was previously the fund’s director of English content, international and export and was also the vice president of industry and business affairs at the Canadian Media Producers Association. She has more than 20 years of experience in the development and production of Canadian screen-based content for traditional…
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By Connie Thiessen
Corus Entertainment has confirmed that layoffs are underway as part of “an enterprise-wide cost review.”
“As part of managing the post-pandemic climate and unexpected economic uncertainty, we are conducting an enterprise-wide cost review, looking at all expenses and operations,” a Corus spokesperson told Broadcast Dialogue on Thursday.
“Where possible, we seek to have minimal impact to our people through this review. However, some of these decisions will affect our people, which is never easy. There have been a small number of exits in various business areas and corporate functions,” the Corus statement continued. “To confirm, there have been no station…
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By Samer Bishay, pictured above, founder, president and CEO of telecom Iristel.
On one hand, my telecom company and I have top secret security clearance from the federal government, and yet another part of the Ottawa bureaucracy is convinced we’re crooks.
It doesn’t add up.
There has been much talk lately about Canada feeling broken and our story does little to dispel such talk.
Unequivocally, we are not crooks.
And just as unequivocally, Ottawa is broken when one department – Canada Revenue Agency – accuses us of stealing from the taxman while law enforcement agencies see the value of us helping protect the treasury…
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