By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – The CRTC should look into the existing agreements and structures in place that deal with network reliability issues before it does anything hasty, according to panelists at the Canadian Telecom Summit, after the chairman said yesterday the commission plans to hold proceedings on the matter.
During his keynote speech on the first day of the conference yesterday, CRTC Chairman Ian Scott said the regulator will be planning proceedings that could examine issues related to reporting of major network outages, including enhancing network resiliency, access to emergency services, consumer communication and compensation, and penalties on providers.
But…
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TORONTO — Organizers of the Canadian Telecom Summit (CTS) announced today details of the regulatory blockbuster panel (above), taking place at the annual conference on Nov. 22 at 4:15 p.m.
Ed Antecol, vice-president of professional services with COMsolve will moderate the panel. Panel participants include:
Stephen Schmidt, vice-president telecom policy and chief regulatory legal counsel, Telus
Samer Bishay, CEO of Iristel and Ice Wireless
Geoff White, executive director and general counsel, with the Competitive Network Operators of Canada
Rob Malcolmson, chief legal and regulatory officer, BCE and Bell Canada
Paul Beaudry, vice-president, regulatory affairs, Cogeco
Ted Woodhead, chief regulatory officer…
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OTTAWA – The Competition Tribunal hearing on the Competition Bureau’s application to block the merger of Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications continued today, although mostly in camera.
The tribunal heard from Blaik Kirby, group president, consumer and small and medium business at BCE, who also appeared yesterday. He spoke about the competitive environment and Bell’s response to the launch of Shaw Mobile.
“If there is a divestiture the resulting environment is actually going to better for Bell Mobility than the current environment,” Kirby told the tribunal panel, speaking about the divestiture of Shaw’s wireless assets.
“When we look at Shaw today, the…
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TORONTO — Organizers of the Canadian Telecom Summit (CTS) today announced a new panel discussion, “Connectivity for All – Accessibility and Affordability”, which will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. ET during the upcoming conference.
The panel will be moderated by Rita Trichur, senior business writer and columnist at The Globe and Mail.
Panel participants include:
Helaina Gaspard, director, governance and institutions, for the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa
Shazia Zeb-Sobani, vice-president of customer network implementation at Telus
Todd Hofley, vice-president of policy and communications at Beanfield
Mark Uhrbach, chief of digital…
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Telus receiving $2.5M in provincial funding to connect 600 homes in three B.C. communities
NANOOSE BAY, B.C. — CityWest and the B.C. and federal governments today announced $4.6 million in combined government funding has been awarded to CityWest to bring high-speed Internet access to 1,200 rural and remote households in seven communities on Vancouver Island and the nearby Gulf Islands.
CityWest will use the funds to build and operate a new fibre network in each of the communities, which include Telegraph Cove, Holberg, Kyuquot and Winter Harbour on northern Vancouver Island, as well as Van Anda on Texada Island, Galiano Island…
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CEO accuses Bell of refusing to negotiate MVNO rates in good faith
MONTREAL – Quebecor announced today its third quarter 2022 financial results, which show the company’s revenues were $1.1 billion – a slight decrease from Q3 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA was also slightly down at $518 million.
In Quebecor’s telecommunications segment specifically, the company reported $942.2 million in revenue, which is an increase from $939.5 million in the same quarter the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA in the segment was $489.5 million, up from $476.8 million.
In the media segment, the company reported revenue of $170.1 million – down from $190.6 million in the…
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By Howard Law
IF JOURNALISTS IN politics are the friends of news media, perhaps it needs new friends.
At the Commons Heritage Committee, former CTV reporter and Conservative MP Kevin Waugh continues to thunder that major TV networks Bell CTV, Rogers City-TV and CBC should be excluded from the “FaceGoogle” Bill C-18.
This Monday at the Senate committee studying the Online Streaming Act Bill C-11, former Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons and former CBC TV correspondent Julie Miville-Dechêne suggested Unifor’s recommendation for better cable and streamer funding of local news was unnecessary because TV companies are set to cash in under…
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OTTAWA – Almost all newcomers to Canada own a smartphone, according to the latest data to be released by the CBC’s Media Technology Monitor (MTM).
MTM’s second annual newcomers study, which had 4,000 respondents, “focuses on the media behaviours as well as the leisure and settlement activities of those who have arrived in Canada in the last 5 years,” says an email today announcing the new data and a free infographic providing a look at MTM’s findings.
The study also found 60% of newcomers get a cell phone after arriving in Canada. “Flanker brands such as Fido, Virgin and Freedom are…
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TORONTO — Organizers of the 2022 Canadian Telecom Summit (CTS) announced today the details of an environmental sustainability panel, taking place during the conference on Nov. 21 at 11 a.m.
“Environmental, social and governance issues loom ever larger across the telecommunications sector,” a description of the panel on the conference website says. “The panel of industry experts will delve into the some of the most pressing, including the connections between connectivity and energy efficiency, ensuring sustainability throughout supply chains, accessing capital through green and sustainable financial instruments, navigating evolving rules for ESG disclosure and powering communications with renewable energy.”
The panel…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC last week sided with Quebecor in a dispute with Bell, Rogers and Telus over what the term “manufacturer’s suggested retail price” (MSRP) means as it pertains to the Wireless Code.
Section G of the Wireless Code deals with early cancellation fees and factors in the MSRP of devices when the device was subsidized as part of the contract.
In April, the CRTC launched a show cause proceeding on the use of the term after Quebecor, on behalf of its subsidiary Videotron submitted a letter claiming it observed Bell, Rogers and Telus inflating the retail price of…
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