TORONTO – Independent ISP and TV service provider VMedia Thursday announced the launch of RiverTV, Canada’s first live TV and on-demand streaming channel platform.
Such services are known as virtual multichannel video programming distributors in the United States (such as Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, AT&T TV Now and others) but in Canada, the company is sticking with our own vernacular, so RiverTV is a vBDU, or virtual broadcast distribution undertaking.
Like conventional BDUs, and VMedia TV is one of those, RiverTV packages top specialty channels Canadian programming groups including Corus, Blue Ant Media, Channel Zero and Wildbrain, as well as…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – On May 15, the CRTC sent a request for information to parties involved in its wireless policy review asking: Does the ongoing situation with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic change the views you have previously put forward on any of the issues being examined in this proceeding? Explain why or why not with supporting rationale and evidence, as necessary.”
We expected few minds to have changed and the responses filed on May 29, were almost unanimous. We’re paraphrasing here, but the answers are: “The current crisis reinforces what we’ve been saying.” The anti mobile virtual network…
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TORONTO — The Ontario government today reconfirmed its commitment to invest $150 million to improve broadband and cellular service in rural, remote and underserved areas of the province.
The funding was previously announced in July 2019 as part of the province’s $315-million initiative called Up to Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan.
“As we carefully restart the economic engine of Canada, every region and every community will play a role in bringing jobs and prosperity back to our province,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in today’s news release. “By investing in reliable broadband and cellular service, we are…
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VANCOUVER — After an appearance on CBC News Network’s Power & Politics program on Tuesday, in which he stupidly equated being mocked in school for wearing glasses to the experiences of Black people and other marginalized communities facing racism, former Conservative MP and Canadian Alliance party leader Stockwell Day has been forced to resign from the Telus board of directors.
During his appearance on Power & Politics, Day also disputed a suggestion that systemic racism can be found in Canada.
In a news release issued by Telus Wednesday afternoon, the company made the following statement:
“Telus Corporation announced today that it…
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MONTREAL — The Telus Friendly Future Foundation has donated $170,000 to the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) to help support researchers developing a 3D printing alternative to nasopharyngeal swabs used for Covid-19 screening tests.
To address anticipated shortages of traditional swabs, researchers at CHUM are focusing on a 3D printing strategy where engineers, researchers and clinicians will work collaboratively to design, prototype and manufacture materials that will be tested by clinicians to ensure continuity of Covid-19 screening despite potential supply chain shortages, says the news release.
“In the face of this urgent need for action, the Fondation du…
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MONTREAL and VANCOUVER — Canada’s 5G networks are starting to shape up, with Bell Canada announcing Tuesday it will use radio access network (RAN) equipment from Ericsson for its national 5G wireless network, including for its high-speed Wireless Home Internet service for rural customers.
Bell’s national network sharing partner, Telus, announced separately today it will use equipment from Ericsson and Nokia to support the buildout of its 5G network. Bell has already announced Nokia as a key 5G supplier. Telus has said previously it was planning to push ahead with Huawei tech for its 5G infrastructure outside of…
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GATINEAU — As part of the CRTC’s ongoing wireless policy review, the Commission has directed Bell Mobility to disclose information previously designated as confidential regarding cost estimates related to the implementation of seamless roaming.
The order comes in a procedural letter dated May 29, in which the CRTC says Bell Mobility must “disclose its estimate of the per-border initial setup and ongoing maintenance costs associated with seamless roaming.” Bell is to provide the information to the Commission by June 5.
The request for disclosure came from Cogeco Communications in an April 30th letter submitted to the CRTC.
The Commission notes in…
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OTTAWA — The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) filed Monday a petition to the Governor in Council (i.e., cabinet) to reverse the CRTC’s decision in March denying PIAC-NPF’s request to require Telus’s flanker brand Koodo Mobile to provide paper bills to customers upon request.
Starting in April 2018, Koodo Mobile began changing most of its existing customers’ monthly bills from paper to electronic format.
“Canadian consumers deserve a paper bill if they want or need one,” said John Lawford, executive director and general counsel of PIAC, in the news release. “The CRTC and…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – While a National Post consumer reporter shared his story of having his phone number ported against his will last week, the next day, coincidentally, the CRTC sent a request for information to wireless providers asking them further information on that very subject.
At the beginning of this “process” (although it’s not an official CRTC proceeding at this point) the Public Interest Advocacy Centre had voiced its reservations about the nature of this exercise, asking for a public hearing.
In effect, this started in January 2020 with a CRTC staff letter (not a notice initiating a…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – Saying it is suffering from an asymmetrical marketplace, Shaw filed an application to the CRTC on May 27th, requesting interim relief from having to offer access to its network to resellers, at mandated rates while Telus and Bell/MTS have no such obligations for their higher speed offerings.
The application was filed the same day the company launched its Fibre+ Gig service, across 99% of their network.
“Five years have now passed since the last review of the Commission’s wholesale wireline framework and ILECs’ fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) services continue to enjoy a regulatory holiday from mandated HSA requirements….
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