CALGARY – Shaw Communications said today that thanks to the national backlash over the concept of usage-based billing, it is asking customers to participate in consultation sessions to share their thoughts on how the big ISP should handle Internet usage allowances and billing.
That’s despite the fact the whole UBB furor has little to do with Shaw as it has just a single third party ISPs riding on its network and hadn’t yet begun charging retail customers for exceeding the gigabit download thresholds the company had set (“High Speed” has a 60 GB file transfer limit, “Extreme” has a 100…
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TORONTO – Telus has joined Rogers in unlocking its customers’ cell phones. In an announcement on Monday, the telco said that it would introduce the policy on February 15.
"Wireless devices are far more sophisticated and powerful than they were even five years ago and our customers are asking us now to give them the freedom and flexibility to use these devices as they wish”, said chief marketing officer, David Fuller, in a statement. “We are listening and responding to their needs, through services like device unlocking. It’s all part of our commitment to continue to drive flexibility, simplicity and…
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OTTAWA – While CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein said Thursday he’d have the Commission take another look at the wholesale usage-based billing decision, he did not back down at all from the concept itself as an acceptable way for ISPs to do business.
The chair was called in Thursday to appear before the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology to explain the Regulator’s rationale behind its decision that caused so much ill-informed uproar. The January 25 decision confirmed that major ISPs could apply the same UBB parameters to wholesalers using its networks, and that it had to be offered…
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HOW DID A CRTC DECISION on usage-based billing that affects so few total Canadians become a national story and potentially an election issue?
It’s your fault, big ISPs.
According to recent research, most customers of the large Canadian ISPs were not even aware their Internet packages were subject to bandwidth caps and extra billing if they went over those limits. They didn’t know they were capped and sure didn’t know how much extra it could cost.
In short, the big ISPs were and are doing a poor job letting their customers know their limits and what they mean. People aren’t…
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GATINEAU – The way the dance works in these CRTC proceedings is the applicant draws a few lines in the sand in its application and presentation, a few in granite, listens to a few days of appearances by intervenors, gauges the reaction of the commissioners to various ideas presented – and then re-draws those sandy lines for their final public follow up appearances.
BCE was no different Friday morning during its appearance on the closing day of the CRTC hearing into its acquisition of CTV.
Right off the bat, its executives told the CRTC it is ready to endorse the Commission’s…
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GATINEAU – If BCE is going to own CTV (and with it, French sports channel RDS) plus the piece of the Montreal Canadiens it currently holds, then there must be special rules put in place governing sports programming exclusives in Quebec, according to Quebecor Media CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau.
Péladeau was speaking in front of the CRTC this morning as the Commission’s hearing into the acquisition of CTV by BCE continued.
While first stating that the valuation BCE put on CTV is too low (the CRTC says it is worth $2.67 billion, BCE says $2.2 bil) and must be re-evaluated by…
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TORONTO – Rogers Media has beefed up the websites of two of its top radio stations, allowing them the ability to publish real-time content that can then be easily shared across listeners’ social networks.
98.1 CHFI in Toronto and SONiC 102.9 in Edmonton have re-launched their websites in a blog-style format designed to get listeners quickly and easily to the content that matters the most to them. Highlights include the ability to ‘listen live’, check the station’s recent play lists, buy songs, and share with friends and followers. The sites also include multimedia galleries, Twitter and Facebook posts, a proprietary…
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TORONTO and WINNIPEG – Rogers and MTS Allstream have confirmed that their joint HSPA + wireless voice and data network in Manitoba will launch on March 31st.
MTS said that it is investing more than $100 million in the new network to provide its urban and rural customers in the province with faster download speeds, access to a new lineup of smart phones and handsets, and extensive international roaming on compatible GSM and HSPA networks.
"All of us at MTS are incredibly excited about bringing this next generation of wireless service to our Manitoba customers, which will give them faster data speeds as…
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GATINEAU – While producers and others argued how and where the $220-million BCE/CTV benefits package should be spent, the two largest carriers without broadcast or specialty TV divisions warned the CRTC that something must be done to rein in the power a combined BCE/CTV will have.
While the Commission has long prohibited content exclusives on the TV side (CTV has to make Comedy Network available to all carriers and can’t sign an exclusive with any one or two), our exploding media world has all experimenting, looking for new business models and lines of revenue on new, unregulated, platforms.
Part of that…
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MONTREAL – At 6 a.m. Wednesday, Montrealers will wake up to a brand new TV station.
Well, technically, it’s still on channel 14, but as of today the station takes on a new name, look, and line-up.
“The new identity of Métro14 Montréal is based on what the station represents and its core target,” said Chris Fuoco, vice-president of sales and marketing of the station’s owner, Channel Zero. “It’s vibrant, it’s fresh, and it speaks many languages and addresses viewers from varying multi-cultural backgrounds.”
“The new programming schedule on Métro14 Montréal is unparalleled in the market,” added Romen Podzyhun, chairman and CEO,…
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