By Peter Menzies, former newspaper executive, past vice chair of the CRTC, and a Macdonald-Laurier Institute Senior Fellow
On June 1, the Vancouver Whitecaps will play one of the most important games a Canadian club sports team has ever played.
In most countries – in fact in almost any country – broadcasters would be clamouring over each other for the ability to show it. The national public broadcaster might be claiming it as a program of national interest and politicians would be weighing in to play a little hero ball of their own and grab the spotlight.
The Whitecaps’ Concacaf Champions League…
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Public interest groups say the consultation is overdue
By Ahmad Hathout
Citing a broader portfolio of regulatory obligations, the CRTC on Monday launched its consultation on how to support and sustain public interest participation in its proceedings.
The commission wants to know, by September 10, whether it should create one funding system for both telecom and broadcasting matters to support that end; whether that single fund should be managed by an independent third party, such as the existing Broadcasting Participation Fund (BPF); whether more parties should be eligible for funding; and who should be obligated to fund it.
The CRTC currently has two…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Bell announced Thursday that it has struck a deal with one of Canada’s largest pension funds to invest over US $1.5 billion to help Ziply Fiber, a soon-to-be Bell subsidiary in the United States, build its fibre infrastructure in new markets.
The long-term strategic partnership will see the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) own 49 per cent of Network FiberCo, which will focus on new last-mile fibre investments in “growth markets” outside Ziply’s existing footprint of two million locations. Bell will own the rest of the equity in the partnership and all of Ziply’s operations, subscribers and…
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But most said they find contracts clear and easy to understand
By Ahmad Hathout
Only 18 per cent of Canadians are aware of the CRTC’s consumer protection codes, which are intended to make contracts easier to understand for internet, wireless and TV services, according to a survey commissioned by the regulator and released recently.
The result, which comes from a 1,500-person nationwide representative survey by Phoenix SPI and conducted between October 24 and November 20, 2024, is largely unchanged since the baseline survey from 2022. The results are accurate to within plus/minus 2.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Respondents were informed…
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Rogers announced Wednesday its Xfinity TV customers can now access 27 new free channels as part of their entertainment experience.
The expanded lineup includes seven free channels exclusively available to Rogers Xfinity TV customers, such as: Flay All Day, featuring the best of award-winning chef Bobby Flay; Home & Design TV, offering favourite home and garden originals; True Crime, immersing viewers in true crime drama and thrills; and MotorTrend, featuring award-winning content for every car fan.
“We’re focused on delivering all the content customers are looking for on the best entertainment experience,” said Bret Leech, president of Rogers’s…
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Telus says report “represents a snapshot in time”
For the first time, Vancouver-based telecom Telus has accounted for the highest number of complaints to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS), with 19.7 per cent of all complaints accepted by the CCTS during the six-month period from Aug. 1, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025.
That’s according to the CCTS’s Mid-Year Report 2024-25, published early Wednesday morning, which examines complaints received from Canadian phone, TV and internet customers.
Rogers accounted for 18.7 per cent of all complaints accepted by the CCTS during the reporting period, followed by Bell…
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Decision will create challenges for efficient 5G rollout: Telus
By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is correct in its interpretation of “transmission line” under the Telecommunications Act to mean just wireline infrastructure for the purposes of regulating attachments to public property, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday.
The 7-2 ruling upholds a lower court’s decision and means the regulator does not have jurisdiction over wireless attachments on that property, forcing the telecoms to go directly to the municipalities that govern those structures to get access that they say they need to expand the next-generation 5G network.
The high court used at least two…
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LGBTQ+ streaming service OUTtv announced Friday that it is now available on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels in the United States.
That means viewers can now get the service as part of their subscription to the video giant’s television service (YouTube TV) or can get it individually by subscribing directly to its own separate channel.
“As streaming continues to redefine how audiences connect with content, OUTtv’s presence on YouTube means more people can discover the passion, humor, and heart behind our queer-led storytelling in one convenient place,” OUTtv CEO Brad Danks said in a press release. “The…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OUTtv is arguing that Rogers cannot have a choice in how it distributes its service if that choice means putting the channel in a television package with less penetration.
The LGBTQ+ service, which must be offered by broadcasters, said in a response filing provided to Cartt that Rogers’s interpretation of section 9 of the Wholesale Code – which appears to offer the cable giant the option of putting the discretionary service in either the “best available pre-assembled or theme package” – cannot be read without the full scope of the CRTC’s objectives when it comes to independent services,…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers executives said Wednesday that the cable giant has been getting “substantial interest” from institutional investors about a stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).
“We’re in discussions with folks who are interested in the assets we own and are soon to acquire,” Rogers CFO Glenn Brandt said during the company’s first quarter earnings conference call with analysts. “It’s premature for me to start speculating on when that might result in a transaction. I would say we are engaged in those conversations in earnest. We are more aware than the market is reflecting right now of the…
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