By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers says it is being hamstrung by having to set aside money for the $750-million Broadband Fund that it says is not efficiently distributing money to projects.
The cable giant said in a Part 1 application made public Monday that it has to tie-up millions of dollars in “uncalled” contributions – amounts that the telecom must be ready deliver to the National Contribution Fund (NCF) when requested – which is creating large liabilities on its balance sheet.
It is asking the CRTC to change the NCF’s collection practices to prioritize the amounts that are waiting to be collected over…
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Rogers announced Monday it is now offering next-generation WiFi 7 to Rogers Xfinity customers in select areas of Calgary.
The cable giant said Rogers Xfinity will roll out WiFi 7 to the rest of Canada this year.
“The launch of the Rogers Xfinity router in Alberta is the company’s most powerful,” said a Rogers press release. “It is capable of delivering multi-gig symmetrical speeds over WiFi with the ability to connect 200+ devices at one time. The router is available exclusively with Rogers Xfinity’s Pro 4G plan, delivering up to 4 Gbps download…
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In a number of decisions published Monday on its website, the CRTC has approved the sale of several radio stations located in Ontario.
My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has received CRTC approval for its purchase of three stations from Rogers Media, including Easy 101.3 (CKOT-FM) and its sister station Country 107.3 (CJDL-FM) in Tillsonburg, and Jack 92.3 (CJET-FM) in Smith Falls. Based on a transaction value of $1,095,000 (as revised by the CRTC) for the purchase of the three stations, MBC is required to pay a total of $65,700 in tangible benefits in equal instalments over seven…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Telus is asking the CRTC to ensure that all Canadian distributors get a fair shot at negotiating carriage of content held by Rogers and Bell.
“It ensures that Canadians nationwide will have competitively priced access to readily discoverable Canadian content that should be accessible to Canadians across the country at fair prices because it precludes vertically integrated companies like Rogers and Bell from keeping important content to themselves,” Daniel Stern, Telus’s associate general counsel, said Thursday.
The overarching Telus position is that service providers must be able to bundle television and internet to compete against these VIs. The…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The head of Corus said Thursday that the CRTC’s recent decision to make the company’s 15 Global stations eligible for funding from the Independent Local News Fund (ILNF) will make a significant impact on its financials, as it deals with advertising uncertainty heading into the fourth quarter.
It’s too soon to tell whether the roughly three-week-old decision will come in time to assist the media company going into the traditionally softer fourth quarter. But if it does, it would come at an important time for the company, as it battles a difficult advertising and high-content-cost…
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By Ahmad Hathout
An Eastlink executive said Wednesday that the company has experienced challenges getting large streaming platforms to do deals with a smaller distributor like itself, as more Canadians seek bundles with both linear and online options.
“It is extremely key,” Andy Garrett, vice president of product management, said about being able to do package deals with big streamers like Netflix and Apple TV. “I know a lot of the larger streamers are looking for or wanting to do business with a large provider. So they would typically say that we’re too small and we’re not worth their time.
“Not being…
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By Ahmad Hathout
As Corus and Rogers battle in court over carriage of programs, both urged the CRTC Friday to take a closer look at how the regulator reviews the issues that give rise to such disputes.
The CRTC is currently reviewing the dynamics between the distributor and the programmer as the regulator moves to incorporate online streamers into the regulatory fold.
One issue the commission is examining – and one that has embroiled Rogers and Corus for nearly two years – is the use of the standstill rule, which stipulates that disputing parties must maintain carriage of programs on the same…
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Rogers announced Monday it has installed a new 5G+ in-building network system and antenna infrastructure to support 50,000 fans at the new seasonal outdoor concert venue Rogers Stadium located at YZD (the former Downsview Airport lands) in Toronto.
Representing a $5.2-million investment, the Rogers Stadium 5G+ network project required 3,800 hours of planning and 2,300 hours of equipment installation by the Rogers team, including more than 50 antennas around the lower bowl and at the top of the stadium over 20 metres from the ground, according to a Rogers press release.
Designed to…
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Appeals on the horizon
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC ruled Friday that it will continue allowing the three largest internet service providers to use the wholesale access regime, pointing to the “several thousand” Canadian households now on service plans offered by the “dozens of providers” using the final framework from August 2024.
The decision flies in the face of concern from a broad swath of ISPs big and small, who have argued this would be a disastrous decision for investment in networks and for the viability of regional players as the deeper-pocketed, bigger brands will now be able to ride on their…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor said Thursday that the CRTC should consider eliminating rules that have no equivalent in the online world, including what it calls micromanaging of commercial relationships under the decade-old Wholesale Code.
Similar to sentiment from Bell on Wednesday, Quebecor executives told the CRTC studying the market dynamics between broadcasters and programmers that the Canadian system is no longer a “walled garden” environment closed off from the myriad of online options, and that more needs to be done to level the playing field.
Quebecor’s recommendations in general include the removal of the Wholesale Code; in particular, it…
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