By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – Some of the country’s largest carriers have lost an appeal challenging the process by which the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) set higher pole attachment rates they say could hamper the delivery of broadband services.
Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco, Quebecor and Bragg (Eastlink), among others, didn’t like the consultation process that saw the rate to attach their cables on structures jump from an annual rate of $22.35 per attachment set in 2005 to $43.63 across the province. They argued in the province’s divisional court in late September that the OEB had not provided them with the appropriate…
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Briefing call shows urgency, sticking points, for large players on broadcast changes
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – As major Canadian broadcasters fired off rote responses to media requests saying they are still reviewing proposed changes to the Broadcasting Act announced Tuesday, Cartt.ca has obtained early reactions to potential landmark amendments that could see the CRTC enforce foreign online contributions to the benefit of Canadian content.
On Tuesday, Heritage held separate technical briefings with reporters and industry about the proposed amendments under Bill C-10, with Cartt.ca obtaining audio of the latter. The comments and questions in that call suggest an industry in relief,…
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By Lynn Greiner
TORONTO – Especially in today’s world, everyone needs fast, reliable Internet, which increasingly includes fast, reliable Wi-Fi
At this week’s tenth annual ISP Summit, a panel composed of a customer, an ISP, and a creator of home Wi-Fi equipment looked at the issues and how they’re being addressed from their points of view. And, said panel moderator Jeff McInnis, president of Gentek Marketing, with improved standards such as DOCSIS 3.1 around the corner, for many customers that will mean symmetrical multi-gig fibre access and emerging technologies like Wi-Fi 6.
Panelists Erik Ackner, president, Mercku Europe; Emily Ferreira,…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC today denied a review and vary application from Rogers Communications concerning the Commission’s decision in April to extend the deadline for Bell to deploy one-way toll trunks between the two companies’ networks — a deadline extension which Rogers wasn’t happy about.
Considering the Commission’s decision today comes two and a half months after the deadline by which Bell was supposed to have deployed the one-way toll trunks (to connect to Rogers switches in the Bell operating territories where Rogers also provides service), perhaps the whole matter of the R&V denial has become a moot point.
The…
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Company adds 60,000 wireless subs in Q4
CALGARY – While so many industries and companies have suffered through the Covid-19 crisis, Canadian telecoms like Shaw Communications have proven resilient because people need connectivity. This pandemic has shown that like never before.
The company’s fiscal 2020 results released Friday were in line with pre-Covid guidance, including adjusted EBITDA growth of 3.7% and free cash flow of $747 million, and included an addition of 60,000 new wireless subscribers in the fourth quarter (which includes Freedom Mobile and newly launched Shaw Mobile), ended August 31st. Wireless service revenue grew 17.4% to approximately $815 million…
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Broadcasting industry needs relief from Covid, Netflix impacts
By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Back in July, the newly invigorated Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) requested measures to provide regulatory relief to private Canadian broadcasters on an urgent basis in the face of the hardships presented by the Covid-19 crisis.
The Commission responded on September 17, by issuing a call for comments on the application – along with some of its own preliminary views on the CAB’s application – while also asking for comments on seven specific questions.
Of course, the CAB application represents the views of its members suffering serious ad…
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But Commission won’t entertain issues related to merits of Covid contact-tracing apps
GATINEAU — After dismissing the Public Interest Advocacy Centre’s (PIAC) request in May for the CRTC to clarify the rules and responsibilities Canadian wireless carriers have regarding Covid-19 contact-tracing apps, the Commission has now decided to give further consideration to the issues raised in PIAC’s subsequent Part 1 application filed on September 9.
PIAC’s second application is not a re-submission of its first application, explains PIAC’s cover letter, which says it “seeks Commission guidance on privacy rules for potential government requests to TSPs to provide…
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TORONTO — CBC announced today award-winning journalist and anchor Ginella Massa (above) is joining CBC News as a new national primetime host.
Massa comes to CBC from Citytv’s CityNews in Toronto, where she hosts three nightly newscasts and is well-known for her field reporting. She will join CBC in mid-November to begin developing a new 8 p.m. weeknight program, which is planned for launch on CBC News Network in early 2021, says the CBC press release announcing her move to the public broadcaster.
In addition to hosting the new primetime program, Massa will be part of CBC news specials and…
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MONTREAL – While recent news swirling around the company has been about other things, Cogeco Inc. posted good fourth quarter and year-end 2020 results as broadband demand remained high in Canada and the U.S.
For the quarter ended August 31, 2020, revenue increased by 2.2% over Q4 2019 to reach $624.2 million while adjusted EBITDA reached $300 million, an increase of 6.7%. Cogeco Inc. contains Cogeco Communications (Cogeco Connexion in Canada and Atlantic Broadband in the States) as well as the company’s Quebec radio stations.
Full year revenue came in at $2.48 billion, a 1.4% increase over 2019 and…
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TORONTO — Rogers today announced its customers can now access Amazon Music directly through their Ignite TV box, allowing them to listen to their favourite music as well as thousands of playlists and stations.
Rogers Ignite TV customers also have access to the Amazon Prime Video app to watch their favourite TV shows and movies.
With Amazon Music, Prime members have access to two million hand-curated songs and thousands of stations and top playlists at no additional cost to their Prime membership. Subscribers to Amazon Music Unlimited, the service’s premium subscription tier, have access to millions more songs and thousands of…
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