VANCOUVER and GATINEAU – A Part 1 application filed October 1st with the CRTC this week says a Vancouver developer allegedly doesn’t know or won’t follow the rules around allowing competitive network providers into new buildings.
The application from Novus Communications asks the Commission to issue an order for timely access to certain developments currently being built by Polygon Construction Management. Novus provides broadband, TV, and telephone service to thousands of customers in and around Vancouver in multiple unit dwellings such as apartments and condos.
The application focuses on what has happened trying to get into the Berkeley House project in…
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GATINEAU — In what could be a precedent-setting proceeding, Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications have asked the CRTC to issue an order which would grant reasonable compensation to the two companies for the costs of relocating their transmission lines along (or on, over, or under) provincial highways in British Columbia.
Rogers and Shaw are seeking compensation for costs associated with mandatory relocations of their transmission lines due to B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) work or requirements, regardless of who owns the supporting structures for the transmission lines. In virtually all cases, the telephone poles supporting Rogers’ and Shaw’s…
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Also files lawsuit seeking $12 million in damages
MONTREAL — Quebecor-owned Videotron is taking its dispute with Bell over access to support structures to the Competition Bureau of Canada, asking for an investigation into Bell’s practices which Videotron says are anticompetitive by allegedly slowing down or, in some cases, blocking access to Bell’s telephone poles.
In a Videotron press release today, the company says its application to the Competition Bureau provides “multiple documented examples of the Canadian telecommunications giant’s stratagems to limit competition. These tactics, which are depriving entire communities of access to 21st century digital infrastructure, are destructive and…
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TORONTO – Calling itself a broadcaster “where all voices matter,” The News Forum launched with a press release late Tuesday evening saying its mandate is “to encourage critical thinking and to celebrate diversity of opinion.”
The channel, which features a show called Boom and Bust hosted by former Conservative cabinet minister Tony Clement but will also offer domestic and international news, launched on all Bell television platforms (as well as Telus satellite TV and Regina’s Access Communications) and is partnered with two Canadian companies, Nextologies, for master control and distribution, and Ethnic Channels Group for sales and advertising, says the…
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But industry still has work to do
GATINEAU — The CRTC released today the findings of its first-ever secret shopper project, which was launched in response to the Commission’s 2019 report on misleading or aggressive sales practices among telecommunications service providers.
While the secret shopper report concludes the vast majority of enlisted shoppers’ interactions with the providers’ sales staff were perceived as positive, approximately one in five shoppers perceived they may have faced misleading or aggressive sales practices.
The report also says misleading or aggressive sales practices occur at a higher rate for certain vulnerable segments of the Canadian population, such…
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By Dr. Mark Meitzen and Nick Crowley
NO ONE COULD REASONABLY claim a track contest was fair when one runner is required to run uphill against the wind while the other runners cover the same distance running downhill with the wind at their backs, yet that is precisely what is happening in Canadian wireless markets with the naive comparison of nominal prices for wireless services across countries without accounting for the significantly higher costs that Canadian wireless providers incur in providing service.
In terms of costs, Canadian providers are running uphill against the wind.
In previous economic analysis, we measured the individual…
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Telus leads all global operators in download speeds
CANADA’S BIG THREE wireless operators are providing superior data speeds to their customers, better than any other operators in the world, according to the most recent wireless performance research done by Opensignal.
In fact, Telus stood head and shoulders over everyone Opensignal measures when it comes to wireless download speeds, posting the highest average overall in the world at 75.8 Mbps, with Bell coming in second at 70.6 Mbps. Rogers placed 5th at 54.7 Mbps.
Opensignal’s testing software can be found on 95.9 million devices around the world, as of June 28, 2020 and…
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VANCOUVER, LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK — OUTtv, the world’s first LGBTQ+ television network, announced today it is teaming up with Fuse Media and Vice Studios on a new series, Clothes Minded (working title).
The empowering makeover series (eight episodes x 30 minutes) helps individuals from the transgender and non-binary community find a new look to celebrate their true identity, says the press release. The global premiere of the series is scheduled for early 2021 on OUTtv and Fuse.
Hosted by gender non-conforming model and activist Richie Shazam and by musician, artist, activist and life coach Lucas Silveira (Canadian rock band…
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By Greg O’Brien
ONE OF THE MORE prominent, persistent fictions when it comes to the Canadian wireless business, is that the market isn’t competitive.
Proponents of that myth point to similar pricing, similar services, similar devices, and so forth, as proof Canadian wireless operators march in lock-step, perhaps even consulting one another behind the scenes looking for ways to maintain the status quo. You don’t have to dig very far on Twitter or Reddit, or even in talking to family members, to hear such balderdash.
If you pay attention to the market, however, you can easily see a high level of competitive…
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By Ahmad Hathout
VANCOUVER – A British Columbia court has dismissed an injunction application filed by Telus over Shaw’s promotion of its new Fibre+ internet product launched earlier this year.
In a September 11 ruling made public this week, the B.C. Supreme Court said it is unconvinced by Telus’ argument that the average customer would care about the differences between Shaw’s hybrid fibre-coaxial cable network and Telus’ fibre to the home technology when deciding on a broadband provider.
Telus asked the court in June to force Shaw to stop using “Fibre+” for its highest internet speeds until a final determination is made…
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