By Howard Law
HERITAGE MINISTER PABLO RODRIGUEZ has promised a policy directive to the CRTC with cabinet instructions on implementing Bill C-11.
Point number one in the new directive should be making the certification of Canadian content more relevant to the Canadian experience by including qualitative judgments of national subject matter in the video content. I posted about this recently, as have others. The signal from the minister is that he has an open mind to it.
Point number two is to direct the CRTC to reappraise the existing regulatory supports for the money-losing local news industry.
Point number three is what to do…
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By Len St-Aubin
BILL C-11, THE ONLINE STREAMING ACT, like its predecessor Bill C-10, demonstrates a massive lack of understanding of the internet, online media, and the ways Canadians use both.
The government says it’s about fairness, that C-11 will merely require streaming ‘web giants’ like Netflix, Disney, Amazon, YouTube to “pay their fair share” and contribute to CanCon financing. So do its supporters — producers of subsidized CanCon for traditional radio and television, who stand to benefit. In fact, Bill C-11 tries to force-fit virtually all online media into the straight jacket of radio and TV regulation by ‘modernizing’ the…
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Also disappointed wholesale rates will not be reversed
By Ahmad Hathout
INDEPENDENT INTERNET SERVICE providers said they are “encouraged” by the direction the federal government is taking in its proposal Thursday for a new policy direction to the telecom regulator, despite the government also denying a request to overturn the Internet access costs on which the direction focuses.
“They’re going to have a very clear roadmap for how the government expects them to regulate this industry,” Matt Stein, CEO of Distributel and the Competitive Network Operators of Canada, a trade group for independent ISPs, said in an interview, adding he…
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TORONTO – Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) today announced this year’s Rockie Award Gala recipients.
A ceremony will take place in-person at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel on June 14 at 6:30 p.m. MT with Jully Black (above) as host. Black is a platinum selling artist and performer, “a Juno, Gemini, Toronto Theatre Critics Association and Dora Mavor Moore Award recipient, a celebrated morning television host, a Canada’s Walk of Fame inductee and a television and musical stage actress of resolute faith and conviction,” a press release says.
The Rockie Award Gala recipients include:
Sir Peter Ustinov Comedy Award: Ana Gasteyer(American…
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TORONTO – PwC Canada today announced it has developed a new privacy and security standard for virtual care in collaboration with Telus.
“The standard defines specific privacy and security controls that should be implemented by virtual care service providers who are following leading practices,” a press release explains. “This made-in-Canada standard was created to build trust in privacy and security practices in the virtual health space.”
Following the standard and being assessed against it will help virtual care providers earn their patients’ trust and confidence, the release says, adding that trust and transparency are “crucial for healthcare professionals, patients using virtual…
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TORONTO – The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) announced today Sean Porter (above) has been promoted to vice-president, national industrial relations and counsel.
“In this role, Sean will join the CMPA’s senior leadership team, oversee national industrial relations strategy for the organization, lead national labour negotiations with the industry’s unions and guilds, and drive the CMPA’s priorities related to labour and employment legislation and regulations,” a press release explains.
Porter was previously CMPA’s lead negotiator and senior director, national industrial relations and counsel, a position he has held since being promoted to it in April of last year. His time…
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Bell was not consulted on Globalive/Telus network sharing agreement, CFO said
By Ken Kelley
TORONTO – Executives from each of Canada’s major telecoms, along with their counterparts from some of the country’s smaller players, gathered in Toronto on Wednesday for the first in-person edition of the TD Securities Telecom and Media Conference since the Covid pandemic began.
BCE executive vice-president and chief financial officer Glen LeBlanc kicked off the day’s proceedings, with discussion around the company’s recent financial performance as well as the implications of the sale of Shaw’s wireless assets, Freedom Mobile, in order to settle anti-competitive concerns brought on…
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Huawei, ZTE say decision not based in reality
By Ahmad Hathout
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S announcement last week to ban the use of equipment from Chinese suppliers Huawei and ZTE in the country’s 4G and 5G networks due to national security risks will make it more difficult for smaller providers to compete against larger players and will cause more problems with equipment orders amid a supply chain crisis, according to the head of one telecom.
Samer Bishay, the CEO of Iristel subsidiary Ice Wireless, which operates primarily in the territories and has an equipment deal with Huawei, told Cartt.ca that while the announcement…
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Contingent on Globalive acquiring Freedom Mobile
By Amanda OYE
TORONTO – Globalive announced yesterday it has signed a network and spectrum sharing agreement with Telus, contingent on Globalive acquiring Shaw Communications’ Freedom Mobile.
“It’s a transformational agreement – it’s the first of its kind,” said Globalive’s founder and chair Anthony Lacavera in an interview with Cartt.ca.
The agreement, which would span a minimum of 20 years, “marks the first time that a Canadian carrier has entered into a network and spectrum sharing agreement with a pure-play independent wireless competitor,” according to a Globalive press release.
Globalive is the founder of Wind Mobile, which…
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NEW YORK – Kids and family entertainment company WildBrain today announced it has signed new distribution and licensing deals for Strawberry Shortcake ahead of the premier of season two of Berry in the Big City (pictured above).
“The new Berry in the Big City 2D-animated series (80 x 4’), plus four brand-new premium CG-animated seasonal specials (4 x 44’), are produced by WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio with renowned showrunner Michael Vogel (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic),” a press release explains.
New distribution partners for season one of Berry in the Big City announced today include:
The Roku Channel (U.S.)
Peacock (U.S.)
…
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