Regulator pointed to importance of news
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC approved Thursday the transfer of Corus’s broadcasting licences to a new parent company, NewCo, that will be held by its debtholders, who will forgive $500 million in debt hanging over the media company.
Quebecor, which wanted to buy Corus and did not respond to a request for comment, was the big opposition to the transfer, alleging the media company did not follow-up on its offer to buy and NewCo shareholders will not have the expertise to operate such a business. Corus, which pushed back against…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Canada’s largest telecoms are welcoming news that the federal government will invest in a national internet backbone.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto on Tuesday that the government will spend money from private investment, including in the country’s four largest airports, on “new nation-building infrastructure, including a sovereign broadband backbone” that connects Canadians across the country “with more direct and secure links to Europe and Asia.”
When reached for comment, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) only added Wednesday: “Further details regarding the initiative will be provided in due course.”
One…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Wednesday made projects focused on redundant networks eligible for Broadband Fund money.
The regulator confirmed a preliminary review that such projects, which ensure networks are backed up in cases of outages, should be subsidized. A resiliency project is defined by the commission as a second transport route “that provides a similar or greater level of capacity as the existing route but that is geographically or technologically diverse.” This can also apply to satellite projects.
“The benefits of high-speed Internet and cellphone services can only be fully delivered with reliable access,” the CRTC said in its decision….
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers and Telus want the Federal Court of Appeal to determine whether the CRTC adequately established why it believes the three largest telecoms may be violating a new rule that bans fees discouraging customers from switching providers.
The CRTC launched a show-cause proceeding on June 30 ordering Rogers, Bell and Telus to show why their new device setup and SIM card fees are not in violation of the June 12 rule that eliminates fees on activation, changing and canceling internet and wireless plans. The proceeding came before the Big Three tried…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers’s chief financial officer said Tuesday that offsetting the CRTC’s ban on activation fees has become part of the company’s strategy.
“The headwinds we have going into the second half of this year are coming from the ongoing effects of that first quarter discounting, but then also the CRTC regulation around fees,” Glenn Brandt said at the BMO TMT conference Tuesday. “As all of us adjust to figure out how to offset the loss of that fee income … we’re all doing it with setup fees, shipping fees, delivery fees that have always been there, but they become more…
Continue Reading
Telecom now says bulk agreements can be good for customers
Beanfield Technologies Inc. has withdrawn a complaint filed to the CRTC in September 2023 that alleged Rogers’s bulk internet service agreement practices in multi-dwelling unit (MDU) buildings were giving the cable giant an undue advantage.
In a letter made public on the CRTC’s website on Sept. 10, the telecom regulator said Beanfield submitted a letter to the commission on Aug. 14 withdrawing its Part 1 application in which it had complained Rogers’s practices served to limit competition and were inconsistent with the CRTC’s MDU…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell President and CEO Mirko Bibic said Thursday that Northwestel’s prospective buyer, a consortium of indigenous organizations known collectively as Sixty North Unity, is still discussing a critical component of the deal: funding.
“That is very much an active file,” Bibic said in response to a question about the deal during the Bank of America Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference in New York. “We’re working through with the potential new investors there how to structure it. They’re in discussions with funding partners on their end in order to fund their contribution. Should it proceed, which…
Continue Reading
Rogers announced Wednesday it is adding exclusive Sportsnet+ content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages at no additional cost, including more than 150 NHL games.
This includes Monday Night Hockey, which starting with the 2026-27 NHL season is exclusive to Sportsnet+, as well as more than 100 additional matchups and other exclusive sports content.
Starting Sept. 29, Rogers is adding three new digital channels with the exclusive content to Rogers Xfinity TV packages that have Sportsnet. Customers do not need to take any action and can use their voice remote to find NHL games, Rogers said in a press release.
“Rogers…
Continue Reading
Rogers and OEG Sports and Entertainment (OEGSE) announced Tuesday they have extended their strategic partnership for another 10 years, keeping Rogers Place as the name of the home of the Edmonton Oilers through 2036.
This extension comes as Rogers Place celebrates its 10-year anniversary. Rogers initially acquired the naming rights to the Edmonton arena beginning with the 2016 NHL season, the year the then-new sports and entertainment facility opened.
To mark the anniversary, Rogers is giving away more than 1,500 Oilers tickets to customers throughout the season, starting with 300 tickets for the team’s home…
Continue Reading
Rogers will sublicence rights to NHL games in French to Quebecor in a 12-year deal beginning this season.
Quebecor’s TVA Sports will broadcast up to 350 regular seasons games, including 32 Montreal Canadiens games and the exclusive rights to playoff games in French. It’s an extension of rights it held in the past.
“Premium sports content such as NHL hockey and Montréal Canadiens games is a unique vehicle for bringing together mass live audiences,” Quebecor President and CEO Pierre Karl Peladeau said in a press release. “It is a strategic asset that continues to grow in value in a rapidly changing…
Continue Reading
