Real battles will come in front of the CRTC
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – It was likely not done by design, but the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage could not have lined a more diverse set of individuals and groups as it did on its Friday, February 26 meeting to talk about Bill C-10, the bill to amend the Broadcasting Act.
Author and former CBC English services chief Richard Stursberg, Corus Entertainment, SOCAN, Rogers Communications, Netflix and two community television association groups.
Most, even including Netflix, support Bill C-10 and wish for speedy adoption (the real battles will come in front of the…
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Announces smart city initiative with Communitech
TORONTO – Rogers Communications today announced it’s expanding its 5G service to 10 new communities in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, meaning it now reaches more than 170 communities nationwide.
The new communities are: Brantford, Ont.; Carignan, Que.; Chambly, Que.; Dawson Creek, B.C.; Gravenhurst, Ont.; Ingersoll, Ont.; Niagara Falls, Ont.; Pelham, Ont.; Tecumseh, Ont.; and Welland, Ont.
Rogers also announced its participation in Communitech’s Future of Cities collaborative to help develop 5G smart city solutions of the future. The newest wireless standard “will play a critical role in enabling advanced applications such as traffic management for…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU — The Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) are asking the CRTC for expedited and temporary relief from Rogers Communications’ recent move to phase out new activations of DOCSIS 3.0 modems used by third-party Internet access (TPIA) service providers leasing Rogers’ networks. Rogers wants its TPIA customers to transition to DOCSIS 3.1 modems.
In a Part 1 application filed February 16 and posted to the Commission’s website on February 22, CNOC asks the Commission to determine that competitors using Rogers’ TPIA service be allowed to continue to activate DOCSIS 3.0 modems, when ordering download speed tiers…
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TORONTO — Rogers Sports and Media announced today the launch of its “All In” inclusion and diversity program which will provide free advertising and creative services to five Canadian charities as well as help amplify the stories of a number of Black-focused charities and businesses.
The five organizations receiving free advertising and creative services through Rogers Sports and Media’s All In program are Big Brothers Big Sisters, Blacbiblio.com, Canadian Women and Sport, Friends of Ruby and Spirit North.
“Though these five organizations differ in their specific missions and the communities they serve, they each share a…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications this week announced it has awarded Ted Rogers Community Grants to 42 youth organizations.
“Through programs in innovation, entrepreneurship, mentorship and community leadership, these organizations are providing critical supports to youth across the country by fostering pride, building confidence and helping young people achieve their highest potential,” reads the release. The organizations work with youth in grades 7 to 12.
Since 2017, Rogers has awarded such grants to 300 youth organizations across the country, and $6.5 million in Ted Rogers Scholarships to 1,400 Canadian youth attending post-secondary education. Many scholarship recipients were nominated by community grant partners…
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CHATHAM, Ont. — Independent ISP TekSavvy has asked the Competition Bureau for a status update on a complaint it filed almost a year ago alleging Bell and Rogers have engaged in anti-competitive practices by abusing their dominant positions in wholesale and retail markets for broadband Internet services in Ontario and Quebec.
TekSavvy’s 57-page formal complaint was filed February 20, 2020, and the company issued a press release at the time, and made a public version of the complaint available here.
In a letter sent last Friday, TekSavvy is asking what the status is of the Competition Bureau’s investigation…
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TORONTO — Rogers for Business today introduced two new solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Advantage Mobility and Advantage Security, which are designed to provide reliable connectivity and network security to SMEs as they look to digitize their business as a result of the pandemic, says Rogers.
“With these Advantage solutions, Rogers for Business is leveraging our diverse set of assets to be there for Canadian SMEs through their digital transformation,” said Dean Prevost, president, connected home and Rogers for Business, in the press release. “Providing intuitive solutions that are easy to deploy will promote technology adoption among small…
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VANCOUVER — Rogers Communications announced today its Rogers for Business division has expanded its cellular network to connect more rural communities in British Columbia.
The network expansion is leveraging financial support from the provincially funded Connecting British Columbia program, administered by Northern Development Initiative Trust, to provide broadband services to underserved Indigenous, remote and rural communities in B.C., says Rogers in a press release.
Last April, Northern Development Initiative Trust launched the provincially funded Covid-19 Response Intake program which provides grants of up to $50,000 to quickly boost community connectivity. Leveraging the funding, 29 existing cellular towers have been…
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TORONTO – On the good news side, Rogers Communications’ fourth quarter results showed an addition of 114,000 new postpaid wireless subscribers while churn improved.
As for the bad, the Covid crisis continues to impact the company’s operations as full year revenue (for the period ended December 31, 2020) dropped 8% to $13.92 billion and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization declined 5%, compared to the same period of 2019 to $5.86 billion.
On the cable side, service revenue rose by 3% to just over $1 billion in the quarter as the company added 19,000 internet subscribers and 71,000 Ignite…
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TORONTO — Branded Cities, a leading out-of-home (OOH) media company, today announced it has signed a new long-term agreement with Rogers Sports and Media to re-develop the Rogers Tower (above) which houses its Citytv studio in downtown Toronto.
The tower overlooks Yonge-Dundas Square, located in the heart of Toronto at the busy intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets. Rogers first acquired the tower at 33 Dundas St. E. in 2007 as the new home of the company’s Citytv and OMNI Television stations.
A complete overhaul of the Rogers Tower will begin in the third quarter of 2021, where Branded Cities will…
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