Search Results for: shaw

Cable / Telecom News

Bell applies to carry satellite radio on cable BDUs

GATINEAU – Bell Canada has applied to the CRTC to be allowed to carry one or both of Canada’s satellite radio subscription services on its cable BDUs serving parts of Ontario and Quebec. Bell has two regional Class 1 digital licences, serving Toronto, Hamilton/Niagara, Oshawa, Kitchener, London, Windsor, Ottawa, and the surrounding areas, and one serving Montreal, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Quebec City, and the surrounding areas. The Ontario BDU will roll out starting in Toronto later this year, while the Quebec service is already operating in parts of Montreal, the company said in its application. Bell wants to be able… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

New lobbying rules may hit CAB

OTTAWA – The new Federal Accountability Act may cost Elizabeth Roscoe her job, say to reports out of Ottawa. According to The Hill Times newspaper, a series of new amendments introduced last week makes it virtually impossible for anyone who has worked in government in any way to take any kind of lobbying position for five full years. Elizabeth Roscoe, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ senior vice-president of policy and public affairs has become something of an Ottawa flashpoint on the issue. She worked for a few weeks on the transition team when Prime Minister Steven Harper was taking… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw-Vonage war of words goes to court

CALGARY – Shaw Communications has taken its battle with Internet phone company Vonage to court. Today, Shaw filed the latest in a series of court documents with respect to a claim against Vonage Canada in the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, Calgary, "to set the record straight on its digital phone service and its quality of service enhancement," says the company’s press release. Shaw offers a voluntary fee of $10 a month to Shaw High Speed Internet customers who get their phone service from third party providers such as Vonage. Shaw says the fee is to guarantee quality of… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw fires Saskatchewan GM

SASKATOON – Shaw Communications has let go Bob Anderson, its regional manager for the Prairie province, reports CJWW radio. Anderson has been with Shaw for 16 years. An e-mail sent to Shaw Communications president Peter Bissonnette by Cartt.ca on Wednesday afternoon was not immediately returned. Shaw’s Saskatchewan TV market has been hard hit of late by provincial telco SaskTel, which at the end of 2005, had over 42,000 customers for its MaxTV service. Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw going to Whistler

CALGARY – On the face of it, Shaw Communications purchase of Pemberton Cable, announced late Wednesday, is small potatoes. But, if you consider that Pemberton Cable’s owners have a license to build a cable system into mega-popular resort town, Whistler – home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games – then the deal becomes something else altogether. Pemberton Cable currently operates the cable and Internet systems located in Pemberton, B.C., 30 kms north of Whistler. "We are truly delighted with the acquisition of Pemberton Cable" said Peter Bissonnette, president of Shaw Communications in a release. "This gem of a cable… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

COMMENTARY: Is what’s good for Bell Canada good for the country?

IF RHETORIC AND HYPERBOLE were gasoline, a single spark would have razed the entire Toronto Congress Centre this week. The speeches from Bell Canada Enterprises CEO Michael Sabia and Telus CEO Darren Entwistle at this week’s excellent Canadian Telecom Summit – as well as comments from a few others who work under them – suggest that not only are the communications of all Canadians utterly crippled by wacky regulation, but that our CRTC stands in the way of all Canuck creativity, innovation and productivity. It’s an absurd notion, really. But it’s one much of the nation’s consumer media has… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw buys another small system

CALGARY – Saltspring Cablevision will be acquired by Shaw Communications, the companies announced this morning. This follows yesterday’s announcement of Shaw’s purchase of Pemberton Cable.  Saltspring Cablevision serves about 1,500 cable and Internet customers on Saltspring Island in B.C., the largest of the Gulf Islands located in the Strait of Georgia between mainland Vancouver and Victoria, B.C. "Saltspring will also complement our existing cable properties in nearby Victoria and others located on Vancouver Island so that we take advantage of operational synergies with these systems," said Peter Bissonnette, Shaw’s president. www.shaw.ca Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Government wants market forces to rule telecom

TORONTO – The Canadian Telecom Summit’s "regulatory blockbuster" session is a must-view event every year. This year was no different as regulatory chiefs from Bell Canada (Mirko Bibic), Rogers Communications (Ken Englehart), Telus (Janet Yale), Shaw Communications (Jean Brazeau), and MTS Allstream (Chris Peirce) traded barbs for over an hour about the competitive state of the industry, and just whom is benefiting most from the current state of regulation. It was funny and terse and interesting. ("Ken Englehart’s has such a learned and scholarly style, you automoatically think what he’s saying must be true, even though it isn’t," said… Continue Reading

Cable / Telecom News

Shaw extends digital phone access to Strathmore, AB

CALGARY – Residents of Strathmore, AB, can now dial digital with Shaw. For $55 per month, the primary home line service includes unlimited local and long distance calling within Canada, 1,000 international calling minutes per month, voicemail and call waiting, installation, customer service support, enhanced 911 access, and operator and 411 service. Shaw is promoting the VoIP service to Strathmore residents with an introductory offer of $29.95 per month for the first three months. “Our business is built on providing an exceptional customer experience, and our results and customer feedback to date have shown that Digital Phone delivers on… Continue Reading

Radio / Television News

The TUESDAY INTERVIEW: MTV Canada’s Brad Schwartz

TORONTO-BORN BRAD SCHWARTZ’s task looks to be a programmers dream. To establish a new, analog channel with 4.5 million pre-existing paying customers using one of the world’s best-known media brands among the highly coveted young set: MTV. The man knows his television. His first job in the industry was as assistant to Saturday Night Live founder and executive producer Lorne Michaels. From there, Schwartz hung around the music and media industries, working his way onto MTV and up the ladder there to director of global marketing in New York, before returning to Toronto as senior vice-president and general manager… Continue Reading