TORONTO – In light of Industry Minister Clement’s comments on foreign investment on Monday, it wasn’t long before the topic du jour came up again at Tuesday’s ‘Regulatory Blockbuster’ panel, an annual highlight of the Canadian Telecom Summit.
And while all six of the panelists supported the idea in theory, sparks flew, albeit in a good natured way (well, most of the time), on how best to loosen Canada’s foreign ownership restrictions.
Mirko Bibic, Bell’s senior vice-president of regulatory and government affairs, said his company favours the approach put forth by CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein to boost foreign ownership…
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TORONTO – Can connectivity and content achieve a happy marriage or should they just stay friends?
Dvai Ghose, the outspoken managing director and head of Canadian research for Canaccord Genuity, came down firmly on the side of ‘friends’.
“There is no evidence to suggest that owning content assets helps connectivity providers,” he said at the Canadian Telecom Summit during a panel discussion Monday afternoon called ‘Business Models 3.0: Financial Implications for Content and Carriage’.
While acknowledging that content ownership could make sense for “defensive reasons” or as a “regulatory hedge,” he was also quick to point to the “convergence nightmares” of the…
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TORONTO – Oh, but there’s so much more still to talk about…
Foreign investment, auction rules, a level playing field, government partnerships, rural broadband. Those items and more top the to-do list for Rob Bruce, president of the communications group at Rogers Communications.
During his speech yesterday at the Canadian Telecom Summit, Bruce acknowledged his company’s founder was more fond of finding solutions to problems, developing new technology and building networks than he was talking about setting the rules and regs needed before such things can happen.
However, in an interview with Cartt.ca after his speech, Bruce outlined some of the solutions…
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TORONTO and OTTAWA – Reaction to this week’s new draft copyright legislation was swift and predictably varied.
A coalition of Canada’s telecommunications, retail, Internet and technology companies and organizations, known as the Business Coalition for Balanced Copyright, largely supported the bill. But some parts of the legislation unfairly restrict consumer freedom and need to be revised before being passed by Parliament, such as the inability to circumvent digital locks for private use, the organization said in a statement.
The group includes the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, Bell Canada, Cogeco Cable, Rogers, Telus, Google, the CCSA and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, among others.
The…
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GATINEAU – CRTC commissioners were given a lesson in basic cable architecture on Wednesday as Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco, Videotron and EastLink faced the panel considering CRTC 2009-261, the wholesale high-speed access services proceeding.
The overall message appeared to be a detailed reminder to the Regulator from cable that “we’re different. Cable is a shared network that can’t be unbundled.”
Some have asked, for example, that a single 6 MHz channel (the space in which one analog TV channel is transmitted but which can be crammed full of digital and IP data and is by MSOs) be set aside for wholesale access by…
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TORONTO – According to a new story in the Financial Post, certain Canwest Global Communications shareholders, including the Asper family, are seeking to block the purchase of the company’s television divisions by Shaw Communications.
The shareholders say the sale process was flawed, leaves them with nothing after the transaction is completed and needs to be re-done.
The story (click here to read it) says the likes of Quebecor Media and Rogers Communications are tacitly backing the bid to halt the sale.
However, a very senior Rogers executive told Cartt.ca recently on condition of anonymity that the sale of Canwest to Shaw…
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TORONTO – Citytv has added five new scripted drama series to its stable of comedy and reality programming for its 2010-11 prime time TV schedule.
The network picked up The Event, Chase, Undercovers and The Whole Truth, along with newly acquired Fringe (season 3) this Fall. Rules of Engagement joins returning comedy series How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Cougar Town, Community and 30 Rock. Reality series Hell’s Kitchen, The Biggest Loser and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition are also returning for another season.
“Today we unveiled another positive advance in our commitment to develop a primetime schedule that will reach…
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TORONTO – Teletoon Retro is inviting Rogers customers to pull up a beanbag chair and pass around the Scooby Snacks for its free preview this month.
Available on Rogers’ channel 284, the freeview runs through June 30 at 7 a.m. ET and will include vintage cartoons such as The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, Inspector Gadget, Batman: The Animated Series, Fantastic Four, ThunderCats and G.I. Joe.
“Since its launch in 2007, Teletoon Retro has quickly become a channel that parents love to watch and experience with their kids,” said president Len Cochrane, in the announcement. “We’re thrilled to offer…
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TORONTO – Rogers seems to be taking full advantage of its new programming alliance with CBC.
Less than a week after announcing the partnership, Rogers said that it will offer CBC’s coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup live and in replay across all of its various platforms. Its World Cup offerings include:
– Free, live-streaming and catch up of the tournament broadcast by CBC in English with a variety of matches available in French, Spanish and Italian, plus scores, schedules, game highlights, team and player previews on its broadband portal Rogers On Demand Online;
– Catch up and replay tournament action…
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TORONTO – Nokia’s Ovi Store is open for business in Canada.
Touting itself as the easiest way to find content for Nokia’s devices, the Ovi Store allows Canadians to download and personalize their Nokia mobile device with a range of free and paid apps, games, themes and ringtones with content that supports more than 30 languages.
Thanks to integrated billing with Bell, Rogers and Telus, the cost of purchased apps will appear on a customers’ wireless provider bill.
“We are proud to be one of the first manufacturers and Nokia offices in the world to offer integrated billing with all major carriers,”…
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