SEATON, B.C. — Rogers Communications announced today it has started construction on the first of 12 new cell towers that will help close gaps and improve safety along B.C.’s Highway 16 between Prince Rupert and Prince George, known as the Highway of Tears due to the many Indigenous women and girls who have disappeared or were found murdered on the route.
“At Rogers, we are deeply committed to reconciliation and to using our technology to help connect rural, remote and Indigenous communities,” said Jorge Fernandes, chief technology officer at Rogers Communications, in a press release.
“It is our hope that by…
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OXFORD COUNTY, Ont. – Rogers Communications started construction on a project to bring high-speed Internet to 484 homes, farms and businesses in the communities of Drumbo and Gobles in Oxford County by April 2022, Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT) announced today.
This broadband project, previously announced in October 2020, is valued at $1.5 million and is being funded in part by the Governments of Canada and Ontario, which have committed up to $349,000 each. The contracts were awarded to Rogers by SWIFT.
The “project will service 15 kilometres of roadway with fibre-optic cabling to provide more homes and businesses within…
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Rogers and Fido see largest increases
OTTAWA – The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) accepted 17,003 consumer complaints in the past year – a 9% increase compared to the previous year, according to its annual report released today.
The annual report covers the period from Aug. 1, 2020, to July 31, 2021. In this timeframe, CCTS concluded 17,506 complaints, a 10% increase from last year (this includes complaints received before Aug. 1, 2020, which were concluded during the year covered by today’s report.)
The concluded complaints raised over 42,000 issues. The top issues were billing (16,304), contract dispute (13,147), service…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications announced today Robert Dépatie (above) will be the president and chief operating officer of the company’s new home and business division as of Dec. 6.
Dépatie has “nearly 20 years of executive leadership in telecom and media experience, including four years as a member of the RCI Board of Directors,” a press release says. He was previously president and CEO of Quebecor and Quebecor Media as well as spending 10 years as president and CEO of Vidéotron Itée.
“I am thrilled to welcome Robert to our leadership team,” said Tony Staffieri, interim president and CEO of Rogers,…
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TORONTO – Veteran sports broadcaster Brian Williams (above) announced today he is retiring following a 50-year career in broadcasting.
Bell Media’s TSN will celebrate his career Sunday, Dec. 12 ahead of the 108th Grey Cup broadcast.
Williams, who started at CTV and TSN in June 2006 after working at CBC, has been heavily involved in CFL on TSN broadcasts and “was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame Football Reporters Wing in honour of his contributions to the CFL over the years,” a press release says. He was also recognized at the 100th Grey Cup “with the Commissioner’s Award for more…
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TPIA providers say they’ve had to make tough financial decisions to stem the bleeding
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Canada’s large telecommunications companies are claiming third party internet service providers have never had it better with the interim bulk internet purchase rates the CRTC made permanent in May.
The telecoms were responding to petitions to the federal government to overturn the May decision filed by large independent internet service provider TekSavvy, ISP National Capital FreeNet, and the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC), an organization representing smaller telecoms who lease network space from the larger carriers. In the decision, the regulator said it…
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Launches new tagline “At Your Side”
TORONTO — Rogers Communications announced today its discount brand Fido is marking its 25th anniversary by launching a new brand campaign and tagline, “At Your Side”.
“From the beginning, Fido has been on a mission to put customers and communities first while being the ‘ultimate sidekick’ — with plans, deals and a great network. No matter what a customer takes on, wherever and whenever, Fido will be there every step of the way,” reads a Rogers press release.
“I’d like to extend an enormous thank you to all of our customers who have trusted Fido to…
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Duo left Bell Media’s CP24 Breakfast in August
TORONTO — Two faces familiar to Toronto-area viewers of Bell Media’s CP24 Breakfast were announced today as the new morning show hosts at Rogers Sports and Media’s radio station 98.1 CHFI.
Former CP24 Breakfast co-host Pooja Handa (above, left) and news anchor Gurdeep Ahluwalia (above, right), who both left Bell Media this past August, will host the new show CHFI Mornings with Pooja & Gurdeep weekdays from 5-9 a.m. ET, starting Jan. 4, says a Rogers Sports and Media press release.
“Covering some of Toronto’s most glamourous red carpets to the biggest cultural events,…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC hearing into Rogers Communications’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications wrapped up Friday with a reply from Rogers during which the company argued the deal is good for Canadians and for the broadcasting system despite what interveners have said over the past week.
“As our panel highlighted on Monday, there is no question that this transaction is in the public interest,” said Ted Woodhead, senior vice-president of regulatory at Rogers.
“It embraces the transformational moment we face, positioning Canada’s broadcasting system for a strong and sustainable future. With Shaw and Rogers joining forces, Canadian consumers will enjoy more…
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Bell says there are no safeguards that will fix the problems with the proposal
By Amanda OYE
GATINEAU – Intervenors delved deeper into concerns about the impact of Rogers Communications’s proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications on local news and competition Thursday, during day four of the CRTC hearing on the matter.
At the hearing Unifor, a union that represents 5,000 workers in the broadcasting and film industries, presented the Commission with a perspective on what the approval of the transaction could mean for employment and labour in local journalism.
The “broadcast sector in Canada is facing an employment crisis,” said Katha…
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