OTTAWA — Through its Data for Good program, Telus said today it is working with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) to support government efforts in Canada to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of Covid-19.
NSERC is the largest funder of natural science and engineering research in Canada. Telus will share insights with NSERC researchers free of charge and provide “supervised and guided access to strongly de-identified and aggregated network mobility data” to be used by NSERC-eligible researchers studying and assessing the Covid-19 crisis, says the news release.
For research projects that qualify, NSERC will offer…
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TORONTO — Bell Media’s Animal Planet is offering a nationwide freeview, starting Tuesday, June 2, just in time for the premiere of its summer lineup of new and returning series.
Available until Thursday, July 9, the channel’s free preview will coincide with the season premieres of The Aquarium (June 15), Pit Bulls and Parolees (above, June 26) and North Woods Law (June 30).
In addition, all-new episodes of Lone Star Law (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET), Coyote Peterson: Brave the Wild (Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET) and Amanda to the Rescue (Fridays at 9 p.m. ET) are scheduled during the freeview…
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VANCOUVER and TEMPE, Ariz. — Telus and cyber safety expert NortonLifeLock have partnered to launch today Telus Online Security, which features Norton 360 Basic and Norton 360 with LifeLock Basic Plus, providing cyber safety, device security and online privacy services.
This marks the Canadian debut of NortonLifeLock’s full-service identity restoration and protection services and is an exclusive offering to Telus Internet customers in British Columbia and Alberta at launch, according to the news release. The product will be exclusive to Telus home internet customers at launch.
“NortonLifeLock has a stellar track record of helping protect consumers’ devices and online privacy,…
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By Ken Kelley
OTTAWA – An exchange between a Telus executive and a Calgary MP got a little heated late Thursday during a virtual meeting of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
The bulk of the tension stemmed from a line of questioning directed at Telus EVP and chief customer officer Tony Geheran by Conservative MP Michelle Rempel-Garner (Calgary Nose Hill).
After asking the executive for the company’s cost per gigabyte when it comes to serving its customers (something Geheran said he didn’t have at hand and offered to send after the meeting) and noting that the figure doesn’t seem…
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GATINEAU – After being told in a letter from CRTC staff that the Commission would not be pursuing an investigation into contact-tracing applications, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre today demanded certain procedural rights its original application requires.
First, PIAC notes the CRTC has not yet posted the May 4 application publicly on its website, which is required by section 23 of its Rules of Practice and Procedure and wants to see it on crtc.gc.ca immediately.
Plus, the advocacy group said it wants the full Commission, not just staff, to issue a ruling on its application, which was opposed…
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GATINEAU — The CRTC won’t open a proceeding to investigate the role and responsibilities of telecom service providers when it comes to contact-tracing applications currently being developed by government authorities to help in the fight against the spread of Covid-19.
In a letter Wednesday to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), the Commission said it would not give further consideration to PIAC’s Part 1 application filed on May 4. The Commission’s decision comes a day after Bell and Telus submitted letters to support a previous May 7th letter from Rogers which asked the Commission to dismiss PIAC’s application.
In…
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GATINEAU — Rogers, Bell and Telus are asking the CRTC to dismiss a recent Part 1 application from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) that asks the Commission to investigate and clarify the rules and responsibilities telecom service providers have regarding Covid-19 contact-tracing apps.
In a letter to the Commission dated May 7, Rogers submitted the initial request to have PIAC’s application dismissed, arguing the concerns about privacy and oversight raised by PIAC in its application are already being addressed by Canada’s privacy commissioners in a joint statement outlining the principles expected to be adhered to by governments…
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OTTAWA — The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) reported early Tuesday a 12% decrease in the number of complaints it received from Canadian telecom and TV customers between August 1, 2019 and January 31, 2020, following a 44% increase for that same six-month period last year.
The CCTS accepted a total of 8,621 complaints in the time frame and resolved 90% of all complaints. There were 46 confirmed wireless code breaches, five TV service provider code breaches and three deposit and disconnection code breaches.
The main contributors to the decline were Cogeco and Bell, with Cogeco recording a 75%…
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By Greg O’Brien
“THERE’S A WASTE OF two hours,” was my thought after listening to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology on Thursday evening.
Not just my own time. Everyone’s.
The meeting notice said only that the INDU committee was looking at the Canadian response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but with a witness list of Jay Thomson, CEO of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance; Ian Stevens, CEO of independent broadband provider Execulink; Andy Kaplan-Myrth, vice-president, regulatory and carrier affairs at TekSavvy; two rural politicians – Steve Arnold, mayor of St. Clair Township and Rob Gay, the board chair of the…
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By Denis Carmel
GATINEAU – On December 10, 2019, the CRTC opened a new proceeding to examine potential barriers to the deployment of broadband-capable networks in underserved areas in Canada, such as support structures and the cost of access to transport networks.
It identifies two issues that might help accelerate the rollout of broadband”: In this regard, identifying barriers to extending transport networks and accessing support structures, while considering regulatory steps to address such barriers, could simultaneously help to reduce the costs associated with extending broadband networks and serve to improve Canadians’ access to high-quality telecommunications services,” the CRTC document…
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