OTTAWA — Canada’s largest, vertically integrated BDUs have a little over a year to start providing set-top box data to a national STB-based audience measurement system — a new condition of licence imposed by the CRTC when it announced August 2 the collective renewal of soon-to-expire licences for various terrestrial BDUs.
As it renews their respective licences for a new term starting September 1, 2018, the CRTC is imposing a condition of licence on Bell, Rogers, Shaw and Videotron that will require them to provide the set-top box (STB) data they collect regarding programming services they distribute to a national…
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TORONTO – The Canadian wireless market is about to face disruption akin to what T-Mobile wrought in the U.S., which will come as good news for Canadian consumers looking for much more data at a far lower price. The news likely won’t be so good for the likes of Rogers, Bell and Telus, who will have to respond.
Today, Shaw Communications’ Freedom Mobile will unveil a new ad campaign (TV, radio, outdoor, digital, social…) fronted by Canadian comedy star Will Arnett which takes dead aim at the complaints so many Canadians make daily – that their wireless bills are too…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications has officially launched its long awaited cable TV upgrade this week as it begins to aggressively market Ignite TV in Ontario.
A TV spot featuring Lucy Liu, Gordon Ramsay, Paul Sorvino and real live Rogers technician Peter Dafos began airing Monday and Rogers has built three mobile units which will show off Ignite TV to the masses at various events across the GTA this summer. One was at the PGA Tour’s Canadian Open this past weekend in Oakville. It’s easier to show than to tell when it comes to new tech,…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC needs more information from the country’s telcos on their pending lower-cost data-only plans for mobile wireless services.
In a letter dated July 20 from Philippe Kent, competition and emergency services policy director, the Commission made specific requests for more information from the national wireless carriers as well as other stakeholders who filed interventions by the June 29 deadline.
“Commission staff is of the view that additional information is needed to further develop the record of the proceeding”, reads the letter. “As such, parties are asked to respond to the requests for information appended to this letter. Parties…
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TORONTO – Corus Entertainment this week made a number of shifts in the structure of its marketing and communications units, bringing it all under one umbrella as the company pushes toward what it’s calling Corus 3.0.
However, the restructuring saw a number of people let go as well.
“As we look at how consumers continue to both discover and consume content across multiple platforms and the multitude of ways we now need to reach and engage our audiences, we have spent some time thinking about the optimal structure to best focus our efforts for the future,” said a staff memo sent…
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OTTAWA –The responses filed to ISED’s consultations on the 3500 MHz and 3800 MHz band pit incumbent fixed wireless service providers against mobile operators eager to deploy 5G services. The terrestrial operators, however, face opposition from satellite operators eager to protect the C-band. Caught up in the cross-fire are customers and communities who are reliant on existing services – both terrestrial and satellite.
Comments by a number of parties have been posted in response to Gazette Notice SLPB-004-18 — Consultation on Revisions to the 3500 MHz Band to Accommodate Flexible Use and Preliminary Consultation on Changes to the…
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BURNABY, BC – Negotiations on a new collective agreement between Shaw Cable and the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1944 appear to have hit a snag.
The union, which represents over 500 employees at Shaw Cable in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, says that strike votes were held earlier this week with 357 members (85% of the membership) voting, giving a strike vote mandate over 98%. These employees have been without a contract since March 23, 2018, it added.
"Shaw says they want an organization that is agile and adaptable; we say this should not be at a cost to our…
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Plan savings require pre-authorized payments
CALGARY – With an eye on the upcoming back-to-school period, Shaw’s Freedom Mobile rolled out two cheaper entry-level data plans Thursday.
The first plan offers 1 GB of data and unlimited text to Canada and the U.S. for $25 per month, while the second provides 250 MB of data, 100 minutes of Canada-wide talk, and unlimited text to Canada and the U.S. for $15 per month.
As reported previously, Bell and Telus have offered 500MB for $30/month and Rogers 400MB for $25 in their proposed low-cost data only plans demanded by the CRTC earlier this year.
Shaw’s…
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Consumers, employees, stakeholders encouraged to come forward
OTTAWA – Canadians who have been on the receiving end of misleading or aggressive retail sales practices from the country’s telecommunication companies will now have the opportunity to tell their story to the CRTC. We suppose those who've had good experiences can also tell their stories, too, should the urge strike them.
The Commission said Monday it is kicking off an inquiry on whether high-pressure and unsavoury sales tactics are used by Canada’s large telecommunications service providers. It wants to hear from consumers – including those who are vulnerable due to their age,…
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IT’S NO SECRET that the lack of readily available high-speed internet has long been a headache for people who live in rural Manitoba. “Lack of access to reliable high-speed internet is hurting economic growth in rural and remote areas,” the agricultural weekly The Western Producer reported in 2017 in an exposé called Out of Touch.
“Frustrated farmers, rural businesses and homeowners have said they have inadequate and expensive internet service…and for some producers without reliable data, the age of autonomous machines is stalled.” A 2016 study by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority…
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