By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has turned down a 2023 application that asked it to align the rates competitors pay Bell for disaggregated and aggregated fibre access.
Quebecor’s application, which hoped for an update to rates established in 2017, was opposed by Bell and Rogers for a reason that the CRTC would adopt Tuesday: the regulator is already reviewing how to update the disaggregated regime, which forces competitors to get their own transport/traffic facilities to obtain access to the fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) portion of the legacy telcos’ network.
“The proceeding initiated by Telecom Notice of Consultation Continue Reading
President says organization will submit a comprehensive application “promptly”
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has denied Vues & Voix a three-cent increase in the rate broadcasters must pay to carry its 24-hour French-language radio station Canal M, saying there is insufficient evidence to justify it.
The discretionary service, which provides news and current affairs programming for the accessibility community and for people with disabilities, requested a three-cent rate increase – from four cents to seven cents per subscriber, per month – due to financial pressure. The not-for-profit said it has had to implement significant budget cuts, which resulted in…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Quebecor said Thursday that the company will consider adopting satellite-to-mobile technology, but is in no rush to do so.
“This is an important and interesting matter,” Pierre Karl Peladeau said on a first-quarter earnings conference call. “Obviously, as you can imagine, we’re considering it, we’re looking at it, we’re analyzing it, we’re looking at what’s happening in the marketplace.
“We’re not considering it in urgen,” he added, noting it’s a small market. “But that doesn’t mean that we should not look at it. In fact, we’re considering this is complementary or down the road, probably also…
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The Canadian government on Wednesday announced more than $73 million in federal funding from the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) for two projects – one led by Rogers and another by Xplore – to bring high-speed internet access to more than 27,600 households in over 500 rural and remote communities across New Brunswick.
Rogers is to receive $40.7 million in UBF money to deliver fibre-based internet access to 15,254 households in 288 communities, while Xplore has been promised $32.4 million in UBF funding to bring fibre internet connectivity to 12,393 homes in 239 communities.
“We know how important reliable…
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Rogers Sports and Media last week announced the greenlight of Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge, a new Canadian iteration of the long-running Deadliest Catch series owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Currently filming in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and the North Atlantic, this eight-episode, one-hour series is slated to premiere in winter 2027 on Discovery in Canada.
Produced by Canadian production company Attraction and Fremantle’s Original Productions in association with Discovery US, Deadliest Catch: Northern Edge introduces viewers to a new fleet of captains, offering fresh perspectives and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The Federal Court of Appeal said Monday that the CRTC did not err by forcing Rogers to negotiate a deal through staff-assisted mediation or go to final offer arbitration (FOA) to carry OneSoccer.
In a decision from the bench after a hearing Monday, the court said the CRTC was not wrong in deciding that Rogers’s proposed remedy – to negotiate a deal privately – was unlikely to be acceptable to OneSoccer parent Timeless Inc., and that staff-assisted dispute resolution, requested by Timeless, was required.
The cable giant said in its original appeal application that it proposed…
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The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an application for leave to appeal from Canada’s largest broadcasters regarding a Federal Court of Appeal ruling that supplanted a Copyright Board decision regarding rate setting for the retransmission of distant television signals.
The high court does not provide reasons for rejecting leave to appeal applications.
The group of broadcasters who brought the leave to appeal application to Canada’s highest court include Bell, Rogers, Telus, Videotron, Cogeco and the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA).
They sought clarification about whether a relatively new judicial…
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Rogers last week announced it has expanded 5G wireless service along a remote stretch of British Columbia’s Highway 97 from Pine Pass to Chetwynd — a project it originally announced in May 2021.
The project is delivering almost 70 kilometres of new wireless coverage along the highway corridor, which previously had connectivity gaps that made it difficult for drivers to call for help during a breakdown or stay informed during emergencies such as wildfires or severe winter weather, Rogers said in a press release.
“This new 5G service will help keep travellers safe and…
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Telco ditches reporting on TV and landline numbers
By Ahmad Hathout
Doug French, Telus’s long-time chief financial officer, is retiring from the company on June 30 and will be replaced by the CFO of Telus Digital and Telus Health, Gopi Chande.
Affectionately known as “Uncle Doug” internally, French will stay on as an advisor until the end of July and will remain seated as chair of the board of Terrion, Telus’s tower company.
His retirement marks a 30-year career at the telco giant. Holding the CFO and executive vice president position for a decade, French was also a senior vice president and corporate…
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“Our Canadian telecom CapEx will continue to decline”: Bibic
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell President and CEO Mirko Bibic said Thursday that the telco is focusing its investing strategy on what it calls “higher-return growth opportunities” during a period of lower overall spending.
The spending focus is less on “legacy segments” and more on its build-out of AI data centres across Canada (AI Fabric) and Ziply Fiber, its newly acquired internet brand in the United States, which added 6,775 net new fibre customers in the quarter. Bell said the Ziply goal of reaching three million fibre passings by the end of 2028 is…
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