COWICHAN VALLEY, B.C. — Rogers Communications is working with Apple to provide iPads with free Rogers wireless data plans to students in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley School District to support their educational needs during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Along with three months of free LTE wireless data from Rogers, the iPads come pre-equipped with a suite of high-quality educational apps, the news release says. The initiative is designed to ensure equity in access to educational opportunities for students while in-class learning is suspended, while also allowing teachers to plan a more fulsome online educational experience, says the company. In addition, Apple…
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OTTAWA — Rogers announced Monday its personalized mobile retail experience, Rogers Pro On-the-Go, is now available in the nation’s capital.
The service has begun rolling out to Ottawa neighbourhoods and will expand throughout the nation’s capital in the coming weeks, says the news release (please see the Ottawa coverage map).
While Covid-19-related restrictions are starting to ease for businesses in Ontario and Canada’s telecom companies are slowly reopening some stores, the Rogers Pro On-the-Go service will continue to offer contactless phone delivery and remote set-up support, which the company introduced in March.
Customers choose the time and date most convenient for…
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By Ahmad Hathout
EDMONTON – A Calgary bylaw that sought to regulate the relationship between private entities and the city for access to municipal rights-of-way is not binding on telecom companies, the Alberta Court of Appeal said Thursday.
The highest court in the province upheld, 2-1, a lower court’s determination that the terms of the bylaw be amended to remove “telecommunications services” from the definition of “utility provider” because telecommunications is the jurisdiction of the federal government. The bylaw forced entities to get – in some cases multiple – permits to construct within rights-of-way.
The bylaw effectively gave the city the power…
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Incumbents wanted to postpone until it can be done in person
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal will hear the wholesale rate appeal via online videoconference in June, the court said Monday, after the appellants sought last week to have the hearing held in person – even if that meant delaying the proceeding.
Eastlink, Rogers, Cogeco, Shaw, and Videotron as well as Bell sent letters to the court last week requesting the delay because they argued the complexity of the case could not be hashed-out over videoconference. The arguments were challenged by TekSavvy and the Canadian Network Operators…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – On May 12th, Rogers and Videotron filed an application together asking the CRTC to force Bell to let wireless providers, like them, to attach small wireless cells to Bell telephone poles at the Support Structure Service Tariffs set by the CRTC some 15 years ago.
Small cells are a key component of the wireless network helping accommodate the increasing demand for high-speed wireless data. It will in time become a key component of the 5G networks. The SSST was first established so that other telecoms could serve customers without building another set of poles.
To that point:…
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TORONTO — Bell Media’s Animal Planet is offering a nationwide freeview, starting Tuesday, June 2, just in time for the premiere of its summer lineup of new and returning series.
Available until Thursday, July 9, the channel’s free preview will coincide with the season premieres of The Aquarium (June 15), Pit Bulls and Parolees (above, June 26) and North Woods Law (June 30).
In addition, all-new episodes of Lone Star Law (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET), Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild (Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET) and Amanda to the Rescue (Fridays at 9 p.m. ET) are scheduled during the freeview…
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VANCOUVER — Rogers is partnering with women’s shelters across British Columbia to provide phones with free voice and data plans to help vulnerable women during the Covid-19 health crisis, the company announced today.
Domestic abuse rates have reportedly increased during the pandemic, with at-risk communities including women and children facing the reality of being at home with an abusive family member, says the news release.
“With a deep commitment to serve the communities where we live and work, Rogers is committed to finding ways to help provide an essential digital lifeline and critical supports for British Columbians who need it…
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TORONTO – Canadians helped Rogers Sports & Media celebrate International Nurses Day by raising awareness and funds, to the tune of $1 million, for Canada’s healthcare workers as they continue to keep us safe in the fight against Covid-19.
Limited-edition Hearts and Smiles t-shirts and masks have been purchased by Canadians in record numbers (and they’re still for sale), with proceeds going to The Frontline Fund. The four-day promotional blitz last week leveraged the company’s sports and media outlets, its hosts (the photo above is of Sportsnet’s Martine Gaillard, borrowed from her Instagram) and its partners, athletes, and celebrity friends.
“I…
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By Ken Kelley
OTTAWA – An exchange between a Telus executive and a Calgary MP got a little heated late Thursday during a virtual meeting of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
The bulk of the tension stemmed from a line of questioning directed at Telus EVP and chief customer officer Tony Geheran by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel-Garner (Calgary Nose Hill).
After asking the executive for the company’s cost per gigabyte when it comes to serving its customers (something Geheran said he didn’t have at hand and offered to send after the meeting) and noting that the figure doesn’t seem…
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GATINEAU – After being told in a letter from CRTC staff that the Commission would not be pursuing an investigation into contact-tracing applications, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre today demanded certain procedural rights its original application requires.
First, PIAC notes the CRTC has not yet posted the May 4 application publicly on its website, which is required by section 23 of its Rules of Practice and Procedure and wants to see it on crtc.gc.ca immediately.
Plus, the advocacy group said it wants the full Commission, not just staff, to issue a ruling on its application, which was opposed…
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