TORONTO — The Canadian Telecom Summit’s regulatory blockbuster panel was announced Wednesday.
The annual showdown between Canada’s largest and smaller telecom competitors will see Ted Woodhead appear for the first time in the Rogers chair, after his recent move from Telus.
The list of announced regulatory panel participants (and others may be added) includes:
Samer Bishay, CEO, Iristel
Andy Kaplan-Myrth, vice-president, regulatory and carrier affairs, TekSavvy Solutions Inc.
Rob Malcolmson, senior vice-president, regulatory affairs and government relations, Bell
Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president, regulatory, Rogers Communications
Returning to guide and referee the conversation will be Cartt.ca’s own editor and publisher Greg O’Brien.
Those…
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TORONTO — The zone-ify app, which delivers short-form streaming video content to TVs is now available to Rogers Ignite TV customers. Rogers is the first Canadian TV service provider to integrate the multi-channel video service on its platform.
Developed by Toronto’s Zone-tv, the app is a free, ad-supported service that features one- to two-minute videos from popular brands such as Bon Appetit, Wired, Vanity Fair and Vogue.
Zone-ify delivers 13 linear-like channels that are personalized based on stories viewers love and uses artificial intelligence and curated content to deliver unique and engaging online videos, says the news release. Twelve…
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SAN FRANCISCO – Samsung revealed its Galaxy S20 5G series of smartphones on Tuesday, saying the 5G devices will be available in Canada on March 6.
Before Samsung Canada issued its news release Tuesday night, Rogers and Bell had already issued their own releases saying they were taking pre-orders starting immediately. Samsung is also taking pre-orders directly from customers on its website here. The new smartphone is also now available for pre-ordering on the Telus website, too.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 5G series are the first 5G-enabled smartphones to come to market in Canada. Samsung’s lineup of…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications’ Fido brand this week launched the Fido Payment Program, which allows customers to spread the cost of a new phone or tablet over 24 equal monthly payments at 0% interest.
Rogers launched similar payment programs for devices last year, but only on its primary brand. This is the next step to phasing out device subsidies for its city brand. While most devices will not require a down-payment, some higher end devices may require one.
The monthly service fee and the cost of the device are shown separately on the bill, and at the end of the payment…
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TORONTO – Two long-term senior Rogers Communications executives have announced they are moving on from the company this year.
Senior vice-president, communications Terrie Tweddle announced this week she will be leaving at the end of the month, and senior vice-president regulatory David Watt will be retiring from the company in May.
Tweddle (left) has been with Rogers for more than a decade, having been hired under former CEO Nadir Mohamed, and Watt (right) has been for Rogers for 25 years, coming to the company when it purchased control of Canada’s first long distance provider Unitel. He has spent more than 35…
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TORONTO — Multicultural broadcaster Ethnic Channels Group (ECG) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with TV Asia that will see the channel launch simultaneously on five of Canada’s largest platforms.
Headquartered in Edison, New Jersey, TV Asia is the first coast-to-coast American 24/7 information and entertainment cable TV channel specially produced and distributed for the South Asian community, says Wednesday’s news release. TV Asia has 38 bureaus in North America and provides a wide range of programming in the Hindi language. Content consists of dramas, music, movies, educational and original live programs.
“We are delighted with our Ethnical Channels Group…
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OTTAWA — The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) released Tuesday a comprehensive study looking at the history of public funding granted to the CBC. According to its research, parliamentary funding for CBC’s operations has decreased by 36% since 1985.
The FRPC decided in mid-2019 to undertake the research project in preparation for the public broadcaster’s licence renewal proceeding this year. The 248-page study, titled An analysis of CBC’s financial history from 1937 to 2019: We tried to follow the money. Frodo had it easier, is based on financial and other data collected from 80 of the…
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TORONTO — As we head into the CRTC’s wireless policy review hearing beginning February 18, where Canada’s Big Three wireless players will be probed, prodded and panned, Rogers Communications issued a press release today reminding Canadians the company deserves praise, too.
In the Tuesday announcement, the company Ted founded says it contributed $14.1 billion directly to the Canadian economy in 2019 alone through investments in Canadian jobs, content, communities and networks.
“As a proud Canadian company, Rogers has a deep history and legacy of investing in Canada,” said Joe Natale, Rogers president and CEO, in the release. “Over the past…
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GATINEAU – On Friday, the CRTC’s Internet Code of conduct officially came into force, which is aimed at giving Canadians additional safeguards when dealing with their internet service providers.
The code sets out that ISPs must provide:
easier-to-understand contracts, documentation and policies surrounding service calls, outages, security deposits and disconnections
clearer information about prices, including for bundles, promotions and time-limited discounts
bill shock protection, through notifications when customers approach and reach their data-usage limits
information on the new rules permitting customers to cancel a contract within 45 days, without paying early cancellation fees, if the contract differs from the…
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TORONTO – Longtime broadcaster Erin Davis (pictured) will be honoured during Canadian Music Week at its annual broadcast industry awards gala at Bluma Appel Theatre in Toronto on Thursday, May 21, 2020.
“We are proud to welcome Erin Davis to the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame,” said Canadian Music Week president Neill Dixon in a press release. “Throughout her career, Erin has commanded a loyal fanbase who have followed her from the airwaves, to screen, stage and online. From tragedy to triumph, she has welcomed us into her life and put her heart on her sleeve, which makes her…
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