TORONTO — Rogers Communications flanker brand Fido announced today it is expanding its Fido Payment Program to include accessories, allowing its mobile customers to get headphones and phone cases for $0 down and 0% interest and pay them off over a 24-month term.
The new financing options now include AirPods, Beats, cases, screen protectors, chargers and more. Customers can choose to finance a single item or multiple items starting today by visiting a Fido retail store.
Fido launched its Fido Payment Program in February 2020 and was the first flanker brand wireless carrier to offer this financing option.
With the expanded…
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By Ken Kelley
AS CANADIANS WEARILY commemorate the first anniversary of the Covid-19 crisis, we’ve witnessed companies, schools and other services migrate to the digital world in unprecedented fashion. While the internet wouldn’t be considered a luxury by most Canadians, it is exactly that to a segment of the population facing the rising cost of home internet service while their household budgets are growing increasingly tighter.
On Tuesday, consumer group OpenMedia virtually hosted the Day of Action for Affordable Internet, bringing together more than two-dozen civil society and social justice groups, policy experts, activists and independent ISPs to highlight not…
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And what still stands in their way
By Greg O’Brien
THE PURCHASE OF SHAW by Rogers has been a steady recurrent rumour which would crop up from time to time over the past 23-plus years this reporter has been tracking the industry, meaning Monday’s $26 billion purchase deal by Rogers was a long, long time coming.
In fact, when I first spoke with former Shaw president Peter Bissonnette in late 1997 (so long ago I don’t think he had yet been appointed president), I asked him then about the rumour I heard Rogers would buy Shaw. Too soon. Much too soon,…
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Minister makes draft policy directive public
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – In a somewhat surprising move, the Heritage Ministry on Thursday decided to share the draft policy directive to the CRTC which is to be delivered to the Regulator once the bill aimed at updating the Broadcasting Act is passed.
The draft direction (as in, not final) was supposed to provide more clarity into what the government expects from the CRTC after the passage of C-10, a bill to modernize the Broadcasting Act. But, to be honest, there isn’t much direction in the directive which hasn’t already been examined during our reportage…
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CALGARY and TORONTO — Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications announced today they have reached an agreement for Rogers to acquire all of Shaw’s issued and outstanding Class A and Class B shares in a transaction valued at approximately $26 billion.
The deal agreement will see Rogers pay $40.50 per share in cash, amounting to approximately $20 billion. The transaction total includes approximately $6 billion of Shaw debt.
The Shaw Family Living Trust has already agreed to vote in favour of the transaction, which still requires the approval of two thirds of votes cast by Class A and Class B shareholders at…
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SURREY, B.C. – Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) and Rogers for Business announced this week they will provide wireless connectivity, services, and dedicated support to over 340 Métis businesses and communities in B.C.
The new partnership will provide Métis-owned businesses registered with MNBC’s business directory with “exclusive access to business solutions and services as well as a dedicated team that will offer support and advice on how Rogers for Business services can advance their operations. MNBC believes this collaboration will help increase economic opportunities for local Métis residents and businesses,” reads the press release.
“This partnership means Métis businesses, no matter…
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TORONTO – Wireless brand Fido announced today the launch of its new campaign, Off-Mute, aimed at supporting and amplifying the voices of Canadian BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ musicians – while driving conversations in support of the communities.
“Off-Mute offers an intimate look at several musicians who are carving their own paths and shaping Canadian culture with raw performances and stories in their own words,” says the company press release.
The campaign is centred around a web series featuring intimate artist-to-artist interviews and packed with powerful performances from boundary-pushing Canadian musicians, including 2021 Grammy nominee Lido Pimienta, Witch Prophet, Elisapie, Shay Lia, and…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Quebecor has asked the CRTC and the Competition Bureau to conduct an inquiry into whether the three largest wireless providers, Bell, Telus and Rogers, are violating the Wireless Code by how they price devices as well as the charges incurred when consumers want to terminate their contract.
Through its own investigation, Vidéotron says in a letter to the CRTC it has collected the prices of various wireless devices on the websites of the Big Three and the conditions attached to them. The conclusion is clear, says the Quebec company. Compared to the prices offered by manufacturers,…
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MISSISSAUGA – Bob McCown is making his way back to Toronto radio with a new show on independent talk radio station Sauga 960 AM.
McCown was perhaps the most famous name in Toronto radio for over 30 years before being let go by Rogers Sports and Media in early 2019 from his Prime Time Sports slot he held for over 30 years on The Fan 590.
We saw the announcement in a clip posted to Twitter by broadcaster Mike Richards, who interviewed McCown – and who also has a show on the station.
McCown will launch his show (where he…
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By Greg O’Brien
THE PRIOR ITERATIONS OF our Broadcasting Act are carefully written, specific, documents.
The first, passed in 1968, was an Act meant to, among other things, “safeguard, enrich and strengthen the nation of Canada from sea to sea,” as quoted in the History of Canadian Broadcasting. That version of the Act also established the CRTC, empowering it with the responsibility to make sure the system stays under Canadian ownership and control.
American companies who had ownership positions in our broadcasters and then-nascent cable companies were forced to divest (down to a maximum of 20% ownership, but many left completely)….
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