Incumbents say market is evolving and no regulatory action is needed
By Ahmad Hathout
Quebecor’s Freedom Mobile on Thursday launched a national campaign urging Canadians to sign a petition voicing displeasure at what the telecom is calling “expensive daily roaming fees that cost Canadian travellers millions of dollars annually.”
Freedom is targeting the international roaming fees in Canadian plans, which it says are among the highest in the world. “We demand an end to these unfair and inflexible roaming fees, and we call on the incumbent carriers to take it upon themselves to implement fair and affordable roaming options for their customers….
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Thursday launched a consultation into whether it should ban Rogers, Bell and Telus from using the bundled fibre networks of the large telcos in Ontario and Quebec.
The commission is asking whether it’s in the public interest to change its November 2023 decision that temporarily allowed competitors to force negotiations to access both the traffic transport and last-mile fibre facilities of Bell and Telus in those provinces.
The deadline for comment is December 12.
The consultation comes at the recommendation of federal cabinet, which expressed concern that this policy could be detrimental to smaller…
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By Ahmad Hathout
A paper petition calling on the federal government to prop up local radio and television news after a string of layoffs in the industry has been presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday.
The petition, which was carried by Kingston Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen, is asking that government to extend the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit to include radio and television; dedicate 70 per cent of federal government advertising dollars on local radio, TV, print and digital media; and eliminate tax-deductions for advertising purchased on foreign-owned, internet-delivered media sites and services.
“The abrupt departures of radio and television…
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The Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA), a rep for independent telecom service providers, announced Wednesday that Alice Bernier is the organization’s director of partner relations.
Bernier will “lead negotiations, finalize and administer master agreements with Canadian and international media and entertainment companies, and oversee group purchasing activities on behalf of the CCSA’s membership,” a press release said.
“With over 20 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, Bernier brings a wealth of expertise from her leadership role at Rogers and her contributions to the growth of various media companies in recent years,” the release added.
Bernier was a former senior…
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Competitors claim similar treatment by Rogers
By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers has responded to an allegation of undue preference with respect to a distant interconnection point it wants a small telecom to use for wholesale internet, saying it is up to the network builder, per its tariff, to determine where that traffic handoff will happen and that the CRTC has approved and affirmed the meet-me point in question.
Fibernetics filed a Part 1 last month alleging that Rogers is giving itself an undue preference by forcing the Cambridge, Ont.-based telecom to hook up to an interconnection office half a kilometre…
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By Connie Thiessen
A round of restructuring is underway at Rogers Sports & Media, spanning multiple markets.
More than two dozen staff are impacted across the company’s radio and podcasting divisions, including managerial and administrative positions at some stations.
Among the markets impacted is Vancouver where JACK FM National Music Curator Terry Chan has been released after almost 35 years with the company. Additionally holding the title of Assistant Content Director at JACK 96.9 (CJAX-FM) Vancouver, Chan first joined Rogers in 1990 as an announcer, Music Director and Assistant Program Director at KISS 97.
Alex Carr has also been released by SONIC 104.9 (CKKS-FM) Vancouver. One of the…
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By Ahmad Hathout
TekSavvy is the latest telecom to submit a review-and-vary application since cabinet’s recommendation to revisit a part of the CRTC’s decision on the wholesale internet framework, with the independent last week asking for clarity on access to new fibre builds inside the telcos’ footprint as well as when wholesalers will be able to access the cable companies’ last-mile fibre builds on an aggregated basis.
The CRTC made two exemptions in its August decision: that Bell and Telus will be shielded from the aggregated last-mile fibre regime for five years to allow them to recoup their…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers is asking the CRTC to consider banning itself, Bell and Telus from accessing tariffed aggregated wholesale internet for both last-mile fibre and hybrid fibre-coax (HFC) technologies.
The cable giant is also asking the commission to include a five-year moratorium on competitor access to new speeds produced by investments in cable networks and/or implement a speed cap of 1.5 Gbps on an aggregated wholesale basis (bundled middle- and last-mile).
Applying none of these suggestions would leave cable carriers shouldering the burden of the wholesale regime again, which is offside of the direction from cabinet which calls for equitable application…
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Applicants claim regulatory asymmetry between wireless and wireline policies
By Ahmad Hathout
A consortium of competitors is asking the CRTC to consider banning Rogers, Bell and Telus from accessing the wholesale internet regime regardless of technology and geography.
The regulator announced last week it is launching a public consultation, at the behest of the federal cabinet, to review whether the Big 3 should be banned from accessing at least the last-mile fibre regime – which includes the middle- and last-mile facilities of Bell and Telus in Quebec and Ontario. The concern is that smaller players would not be able…
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Rogers last week launched Rogers Xfinity, bringing a suite of Comcast technologies to its customers as part of a 10-year partnership with the American cable giant.
Comcast’s next-generation EntertainmentOS simplifies the viewing experience by bringing live sports, entertainment and news, on-demand and streaming apps into one platform, “so customers spend more time watching and less time searching with the award-winning voice remote and integrated interface,” a Rogers press release from April said.
The Xfinity ecosystem includes other technologies, such as next-generation internet gateway technology that allows for higher speeds, better reliability with “Storm-Ready WiFi” technology meant to allow…
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