MONCTON, NB – Rogers Communications Inc. on Thursday announced it was spending $109 million in New Brunswick to expand its Rogers Moncton Customer Care Centre, extend its wireless network and upgrade its cable network.
The New Brunswick government is providing Rogers with a forgivable loan of up to $1.34 million as the telcommunications and cable TV company’s outlay will create 244 new jobs in the province, primarily at the customer care centre.
“As we move toward self-sufficiency, it is essential to improve the telecommunication infrastructure of our province and to partner with companies that want to expand and invest…
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OTTAWA – Quebecor and MTS Allstream are not alone among telecom and cable firms in their desire for a wireless spectrum auction that would shackle the "big three" mobile phone companies in Canada.
Among those aligned with the Quebec and Manitoba companies that have been leading the charge to have spectrum in the auction set aside for new entrants – and who have also proposed other rules like mandated roaming and tower sharing – include: Cogeco Cable, the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance, Shaw Communications, EastLink, the Assembly of First Nations and Toronto Hydro Telecom, among others.
The list…
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MONTREAL – Bell Canada Enterprises’ Strategic Oversight Committee confirmed today what’s been rumored since last week, that another group is looking at taking the country’s largest telecom company private.
Members of this new group, headed by American private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management (the same company buying Chrysler) "have signed non-disclosure and standstill agreements with BCE on a non-exclusive basis," says today’s BCE press release.
Besides Cerberus, the also Canadian investors. Printed reports over the past few days suggest a number of partners, such as Shaw Communications and CanWest Global.
According to Canadian telecom regulations, majority ownership of the…
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COUNT CANADA’S SATELLITE and cable companies (outside Quebec, anyway) as generally pleased with the Commission’s new policy on over-the-air TV broadcasters.
"We think it’s a very balanced decision and we’re happy with it," said Rogers Communications vice-chair Phil Lind.
"I think it’s overall a balanced decision," added Shaw Communications vice-president, regulatory, Ken Stein.
"They were clearly listening to everybody because they’ve come up with a balanced decision that reflects all parties representations I think," explained Bell ExpressVu president Gary Smith.
Only Telco TV’s Ann Mainville-Neeson stayed off the balance beam, saying: "Kudos to the Commission for a very…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC should immediately regulate monthly contributions to the Canadian Television Fund (CTF) and establish an arms length dispute resolution mechanism to deal with any concerns raised about the fund, recommended the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications in its report released Thursday.
The second recommendation of the report, The Challenges Ahead for the Canadian Television Fund, is that the government re-examine the CTF’s spending envelopes, especially with respect to the CBC/Radio-Canada.
One of the complaints of Shaw and Quebecor when they withdrew their monthly contributions earlier this year was that 37% of the CTF went…
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CALGARY – Shaw Communications Inc. announced Thursday it plans to implement a two-for-one stock split of its issued and outstanding Class A participating shares and Class B non-voting participating shares.
The split has already been approved by company’s board of directors, but it must still be approved by shareholders at a special meeting in Calgary on July 10, 2007. It is also subject to regulatory approval.
The expected date of the stock split is July 30, if all approvals are received.
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LONDON – Ed Jarmain, the man widely considered to be the first to bring cable television to Canada died yesterday. He was 99.
Born and raised in London, Ont., Jarmain originally ran his father’s dry cleaning business in the city in the 1930s through the ’60s. In the 1950s, however, as one of the first families in London with a TV set, he suffered through spotty reception from U.S. signals (there were no local broadcasters at the time). As an engineer, he thought there must be a better way to get these signals.
After reading about cable and then…
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TORONTO – Digital TV channels WFN: World Fishing Network and GOLTV: Soccer 24/7 have been added to Shaw Digital Cable, channel owner Insight Sports Ltd. announced Tuesday.
“Shaw strives to provide channels our customers will appreciate and with the growing number of sports enthusiasts who subscribe to our digital television service, they will now have access to new and unique content,” said Shaw Communications President Peter Bissonnette.
The all-fishing channel WFN, on channel 152, and the all-soccer network GOLTV, on channel 151, will be on free preview until May 31. The two channels will then be added to Shaw’s…
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OTTAWA – While Shaw Cable might say that American cable channel USA Network doesn’t compete with existing Canadian services, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters begs to differ.
In February, Shaw submitted an application asking that the popular general interest channel – which is seen in 90 million American homes and is anchored by shows like Monk, The 4400, pro wrestling, a couple of Law & Orders, reruns like Walker Texas Ranger, Coach and JAG and feature films – be added to the eligible satellite list for digital distribution.
The rights to all those shows – and several others, not…
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TORONTO – Canadian animation fans will soon have two additional outlets from which to get their favourite Teletoon content.
The channel is taking some of its most popular Canadian cartoons to viewers "where and when they want them," says the press release, with the launch of two new digital services, video on demand on April 27 and mobile TV on May 15.
Building upon the recent re-branding of the network, the expansion positions Teletoon as a driver in the move towards fully integrated digital content. "Teletoon now offers a more flexible and far reaching suite of services from traditional…
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