Meeting notes show pole replacement and refurbishment listed as significant barrier, but it’s about speed
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Rogers and Cogeco were among several internet service providers that met with stakeholders in the Ontario government in November 2020 to address wireline pole attachment issues in the province – but the rates to attach equipment were not identified as a significant barrier, according to notes from the meeting obtained by Cartt.ca.
At around $43 per attachment, per pole, Ontario has the country’s highest cost to attach telecommunications equipment on the wood poles, which run along highways and are a primary alternative…
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TORONTO — Rogers Sports and Media announced today sports media personality Cabral Richards (better known as Cabbie) is returning to Canada to join Sportsnet as executive producer of sports betting content.
“There are few media personalities anywhere who have achieved instant first-name recognition and who resonate strongly with a diverse set of audiences,” said Andrew Sutherland, vice-president of original content at Sportsnet, in a press release.
“Cabbie’s style, enthusiasm, and originality are unrivaled, and his addition to Sportsnet is another exciting step in our expansion into sports betting and continued content innovation.”
Most recently, Cabbie was co-host of B/R Betting Show for…
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TORONTO — Torstar Corporation announced today Chris Johnston, a long-time reporter at Rogers Sports and Media’s Sportsnet, is joining NordStar’s new gaming venture as its senior NHL insider.
NordStar Capital is the parent company of Torstar, having acquired the media business last year.
Johnston (above) has been hired to take a leadership role covering the Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Hockey League in general for the as-yet-unnamed gaming company’s sports betting business. Johnston’s work will also be syndicated to other publications, including the Toronto Star.
“Considered one of North America’s top hockey insiders covering the inner workings of the NHL, Johnston has spent…
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CHATHAM, Ont. — In its latest salvo aimed at the CRTC and its May decision not to lower wholesale Internet rates, independent ISP TekSavvy today issued a press release and an election backgrounder in an effort to rally Canadian voters to visit paylesstoconnect.ca — where they can “demand concrete federal action that will lower monthly internet bills,” the release says.
“In this election, affordability remains top-of-mind for most voters. Recent polling by Abacus Data shows that 64% of Canadians believe the cost of things you use day-to-day have gotten worse over the past 2 years,” the press release reads.
“In another poll conducted by…
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MONTREAL — Rogers Communications announced today it has signed a five-year agreement to be the exclusive telecommunications sponsor for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
Starting in 2022, Rogers will be the official presenter of the Festival’s Blues stage and will also present a series of indoor concerts. In addition, Rogers “will offer festival goers an improved experience, namely thanks to the launch of 5G onsite,” reads a press release.
For this year’s Festival, which starts on Sept. 15, Rogers will provide musical entertainment in the Quartier des Spectacles, exclusive content as part of the Festival’s digital segment, as…
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Quebecor CEO said it’s “another attempt” to “eliminate real competition”
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Bell wants the Federal Court to review whether Innovation Canada made a mistake in awarding Quebecor’s Videotron crucial 5G spectrum licenses outside of its normal operating territories, a move that Pierre Karl Peladeau said is another attempt to “eliminate real competition.”
The Quebecor CEO, who has tweeted his thoughts on the matter, said in a statement Monday: “This is just another attempt from Bell and Telus to eliminate real competition, but Canadians deserve better than today’s overpriced wireless marketplace.” Bell and Telus have a network sharing agreement…
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By Denis Carmel
CARTT.CA HAS LEARNED large Canadian broadcasting and telecommunication enterprises collected significant amounts from the federal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) and Canada Recovery Hiring Program (CRHP) in 2020 and will likely receive more for 2021.
The following companies have, according to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), received subsidies:
BCE: $122.9 million
Québecor: $3.1 million
Rogers: $90.5 million
Telus: $38.6 million
Stingray: $25.2 million
Corus: $34.9 million
Pelmorex: $6.3 million*
According to the administer these programs, “a Canadian employer who has seen a drop in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, may be eligible for a subsidy to cover part of its…
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TORONTO – Rogers Sports and Media’s Frequency Podcast Network announced today a slate of new original podcasts and returning podcasts for fall.
“With more and more Canadians tuning into podcasts, we’re incredibly excited to expand our fan-favourite roster of shows to reach more diverse audiences,” said Jordan Heath-Rawlings, director of Frequency Podcast Network and host of The Big Story, in a press release.
“Plus, this season’s collection offers a variety of unique stories and conversations that are all proudly made by Canadian creators.”
New shows include The Reheat, which launched July 26. The show “takes the biggest pop culture stories of yester-year…
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Office life unlikely to return to what it was in 2019
By Amanda Oye
AS COMPANIES AROUND the country make plans to bring employees back into offices, and grapple with how to do so safely, Cartt.ca asked a variety of Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting companies about their own plans.
Few companies Cartt.ca reached out to have, at this point, decided to require staff to be fully vaccinated. Fourteen companies responded to our request for information on back to office plans, only three of which indicated they were requiring some or all employees to be vaccinated.
OUTtv is one of those companies. While…
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SYDNEY, NS – Rogers Communications will acquire Seaside Communications, a local telecommunications company based in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the companies announced today.
Seaside has two divisions, a wireline operation and fixed wireless rural Internet. “They both have about 10,000 customers and both are included in the deal,” said Parker Donham, director of communications at Seaside, in an interview with Cartt.ca.
“I think this is a pretty good deal for our customers because they’ll have all of the strengths that Seaside brought to a community-based telecommunications company, but they will have resources that we didn’t have before particularly in terms of spectrum…
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