Chair's comments change the focus of the hearing, puts government, industry, on notice, to get their acts together
GATINEAU – The the second week of the CRTC's basic service objective (BSO) hearing featured a rare moment of reflection from CRTC chairman and CEO Jean-Pierre Blais which will now alter the focus of this hearing. Below are Blais' unedited personal thoughts, made just prior to Monday's lunch break.
Those of you who are familiar with CRTC proceedings will appreciate that it is unusual for Chairs to make formal remarks beyond those made at the beginning of the oral hearing.
But this is an exceptional…
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GATINEAU – So far, the CRTC’s basic service objective (BSO) hearing has been largely focused on broadband backbone network, speed and data caps, but on Thursday, the panel of commissioners were dealt doses of reality on the need to implement a low cost broadband service when the broad Affordability Access Coalition (AAC) making its appearance.
AAC is a collection of organizations including the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), the Consumers Association of Canada (CAC), the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and others. The group argued that a minimum basic broadband should carry speeds of 10 Mbps download…
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GATINEAU – Some 66,000 Canadians, or just 0.5% of Canadian television households, have signed up for the new slimmed down basic TV programming packages five weeks after they debuted, the CRTC said Friday.
The Commission asked ten of the country’s biggest TV service providers – Access Communications, Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, MTS, Rogers, SaskTel, Shaw, Telus and Vidéotron, to add up subscribers to their new basic television packages. These ‘skinny basic’ packages, priced at $25 or less, debuted March 1st amidst great fanfare touting choice and affordability.
TV service providers also began offering either pick-and-pay for individual channels or small packages of…
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TORONTO – Canada's wireless tower owners are putting too much pressure on tower consulting and construction companies to cut their costs, the inaugural conference of a new industry safety association was told today.
Tom Vardy, president of Fredericton-based Varcon Inc., a tower consulting engineering firm, complained Monday that tower owners are "bashing" suppliers so much he’s concerned worker safety will be affected. "Pressure for unrealistic service provider pricing is getting ridiculous," he said. "That's what got the United States (communications tower industry) in the (safety) hole they were in 10-15 years ago. As a Canadian group…
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TORONTO – Telus will invest $1 billion in new communications infrastructure across Ontario through 2019, of which $245 million will be invested this year alone, the company said Monday.
Telus said that the funds will be used to increase wireless speeds and coverage in rural areas, extend its fibre optic Internet network to more businesses, invest in Internet-connected devices to promote the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), and to help to deliver better healthcare solutions.
"By the end of 2019, Telus will have invested more than $45 billion to provide Ontario citizens businesses, healthcare providers and educators with access to…
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VANCOUVER – Telus will invest $4.5 billion in new communications infrastructure across British Columbia through 2019, of which $1.2 billion will be invested this year alone, the company said Tuesday.
Telus said that the funds will be used to extend its fibre optic network infrastructure directly to thousands of homes and businesses in rural and urban communities, further strengthen its wireless service, and support key services including healthcare and education with new technologies.
“By the end of 2019 Telus will have invested more than $51 billion in British Columbia since 2000 to provide our neighbours with access to critical next-generation health, education,…
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EDMONTON – Telus intends to invest $4.5 billion in new communications infrastructure across Alberta through 2019, of which $900 million will be invested this year alone, the company said Monday.
Telus said that the funds will be used to extend its fibre optic network infrastructure directly to thousands of homes and businesses in rural and urban communities, further strengthen its wireless service, and support key services including healthcare and education with new technologies.
"The Telus team is unwavering in our commitment to continue investing in the future of this resilient province during challenging economic times, directly providing more than 1,250 full-time employment…
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TORONTO – Rogers Communications is offering Internet of Things (IoT) 'as a service' in an effort to help Canadian businesses simplify the process of managing IoT solutions.
In partnership with Canadian-based provider blueRover, the first two solutions being offered as a service include Farm & Food Monitoring and Level Monitoring. Additional services include End-to-End Incident Management plus Cold Chain Management and Food Safety Monitoring for restaurants and food kitchens.
(Ed note: while Rogers’ news release claims that it is the first Canadian carrier to offer IoT on an as a service basis, that title actually belongs to Telus which Continue Reading
Canadians are receiving the broadband speeds they're paying for
OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The majority of broadband Internet services in Canada are as fast or faster than their advertised download and upload speeds, says a CRTC report on Internet services.
The preliminary report, released Thursday, found that most services from the country's major Internet service providers delivered between 109% and 122% of the advertised download speed, and that performance was largely consistent across all geographic regions of Canada in a mix of urban and rural settings.
Services using fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technologies delivered 119% of advertised download speed on average, while cable/hybrid-fibre co-axial (HFC) delivered 103%,…
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TORONTO – Cord-cutters or -nevers missing their live sports now have the option to buy Sportsnet Now, a direct-to-consumer service, without a pay-television subscription.
Launching nationally on Friday, the live streaming service (including the regular TV ad load) of the six Sportsnet linear channels promises select NHL, MLB, NBA, soccer and tennis events, as well as original programming like Tim & Sid and Sportsnet Central. Sportsnet Now will be available on tablet, mobile and online for a monthly subscription of $24.99 with no contract and a 7-day trial period. It remains included for existing Sportsnet TV distributors such as Shaw, Telus, Bell,…
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