GATINEAU – The CRTC Thursday asked the industry how it should – or if it should – regulate TV on the mobile phone handset.
As reported last month by www.cartt.ca, this issue has been emerging from behind the scenes throughout 2005 as both Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Look Communications announced plans to offer television channels to its mobile customers.
When those announcements happened earlier this year, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters sent a letter to the Commission asking it to make a determination as to how TV to the handset should be regulated under the Broadcast Act.
“In…
Continue Reading
WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN to TV News?
Two stories this week prompted that question: the death of the excellent Canadian-born ABC anchor Peter Jennings; and www.cartt.ca’s own feature on the first baby steps of Independent World Television News.
Obviously, very little will happen to TV news in the short term. The world (not to mention the newsrooms of broadcasters) is still so full of baby boomers and others a little older and a little younger who can’t remember – or envision – a TV world without the six o’clock and eleven o’clock news that nothing is going to…
Continue Reading
BRAMPTON – SCTE’s Ontario chapter continues its string of well-attended events with this past Tuesday’s wireless seminars, followed by a golf tournament attracted nearly 200 cable technologists to Lionhead Golf and Country Club in Brampton, Ont. Paul Rayment of Strategic Wireless (right) presented a deep technical introduction to wireless standards from Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, Ultra WideBand (UWB) as well as others. The session identified spectrum allocations available as well as the properties and the pros and cons of each band including issues like EIRP (effective isotropic radiated power). Rayment has…
Continue Reading
WITH LIMITED NETWORK RESOURCES and many competing demands by subscribers, applications, and content providers, satisfying the demands of one stakeholder means taking resources away from another.
This problem, along with the greedy nature of applications and the over-subscription model of the Internet challenges network operators and the regulatory environment as they strive to maintain Internet freedoms that subscribers expect from the industry.
What follows is a technical White Paper from Sandvine Inc. Broadband service providers are thus in a position to ensure network neutrality with the fair allocation of network resources between potentially competing uses of the network.
To…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – TV and film producer Peace Arch Entertainment Group today announced the hiring of Michael Taylor as president of Peace Arch Television, Ltd.
Taylor, a 22-year television industry veteran, will spearhead the company’s expansion into representation of third-party television productions to the television and home video distribution markets, says the company.
His appointment to this new position follows Peach Arch’s recent announcement of a new equity investment led by entertainment industry veterans Jeff Sagansky, Kerry McCluggage and Drew Craig, former CEO of Craig Media, Taylor’s most recent employer.
In conjunction with the group’s investment in Peace Arch, Craig…
Continue Reading
THE NORTH AMERICAN CABLE industry is getting a little full of itself gloating over the ongoing delays in telephone company launches of its so-called IPTV.
This Internet protocol television, most actively and publicly spurred on by Microsoft, is the way that North American telcos must pursue delivering wired digital television. Short of overbuilding with a new cable system, telcos must go the IPTV route since IP-delivered television is the only way to funnel digital TV through the traditional telcos’ twisted pair copper telephone wire.
It’s not about delivering television to PCs or TVs over the Internet. It’s about using…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Satellite radio will boost French culture says a new study commissioned by Canadian Satellite Radio.
From July 14 to July 19, 2005, CSR (the partnership between Canadian John Bitove and XM Satellite Radio) had the Omnitel Omnibus group survey Quebec residents to gauge their interest in satellite radio.
Predictably, the study found that Quebeckers were solidly behind satellite radio. "A mere 5 per cent of Quebecers think satellite radio could have a negative affect; however, 55 per cent of Quebec residents stated that satellite radio will positively affect Canada’s French culture. CSR is eager to launch our…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – Some of the greatest achievements over the long and illustrious history of the Canadian telecommunications industry will be honoured and celebrated on October 17th, 2005 at the inaugural ceremonies of Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame.
Organizers of the gala event announced this week that Canada’s telecommunications industry will pay homage to eight of its pioneers and leaders at the inaugural laureate induction ceremonies and gala dinner to be staged on Monday, October 17, 2005 in Room 107 of Constitution Hall at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North Building.
Laureates will be inducted in four categories: Inventors and…
Continue Reading
MONTREAL – Videotron and Toyota will be the co-presenters of the revamped, New Montreal Filmfest, it was announced today.
All Videotron services – cable television, video on demand, Internet, cable telephone and Canal VOX – will help showcase the Filmfest (September 19 to 25) by promoting its program and spotlighting its people.
"Our partnership with the New Montreal Filmfest is in keeping with our mission of giving customers the best possible user experience, since it will help bring premieres and exclusive content to the public." said Robert Depatie, president and CEO of Videotron at the press conference announcing the…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA – All the regional telcos used to work together to lobby the government like this under the old Stentor Alliance – an working group that was disbanded years ago when they all decided to compete with one another.
Today, the remaining former Stentor members (with one notable exception) held a joint press conference to make official their appeal to Federal Cabinet over the CRTC’s voice over Internet protocol decision.
The decision, as reported on numerous occasions by www.cartt.ca, says that incumbent telcos have to abide by existing telecom regulations in the way of win-back rules, tariff applications, and…
Continue Reading
