By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC is asking for comments by Friday on a request by a consortium of internet service providers urging the regulator to rule on the eligibility of the big three telecoms to lease bundled access to middle and last mile fibre facilities both under the interim, and any future permanent, mandated regime.
The consortium – which is made up of Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, TekSavvy, and the indie rep the Competitive Network Operators of Canada – filed a request dated March 28 to the CRTC asking for a final ruling before May 7 on whether Bell, Rogers, Telus and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers wants the CRTC to limit the time telcos reserve space to attach wireless equipment on their own poles, according to a submission to the regulator.
The ask comes in response to a consultation launched by the commission inquiring, among other items, about whether it has jurisdiction over wireless attachments on telco-owned or controlled structures. The CRTC holds the preliminary view that it has concurrent jurisdiction over those structures with the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), which has domain over towers and siting.
Beside recommending that the CRTC confirm that jurisdiction – which…
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As people gathered in large groups Monday for the total solar eclipse visible in parts of southern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada, the country’s major wireless carriers ensured eclipse seekers and locals stayed connected and able to share the experience with family and friends as wireless network traffic spiked in some areas.
Rogers says it saw record-breaking amounts of traffic in communities along the eclipse’s path of totality. In Niagara Falls, which had one of the biggest influxes of eclipse watchers, Rogers saw network traffic increase by six times during the time of totality. In Kingston, network usage increased by…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has ordered Cogeco on Monday to ensure TekSavvy can continue to access its facilities at two Ontario locations the cable provider said it would need to migrate to fibre by May 1.
Cogeco’s transition to fibre facilities would lock TekSavvy and its customers out of locations in Burlington and Windsor – where it uses the Montreal company’s older coax facilities – in part because the commission does not allow mandated access to cablecos’ bundled middle and last mile fibre infrastructure, the Chatham-based company argued in an application in January. TekSavvy also alleged Cogeco…
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CBC/Radio-Canada announced Thursday that it will provide Inuit TV with the rights to air CBC News: Igalaaq to broaden the reach of its broadcast and preserve and promote Inuit languages.
The public broadcaster expects the rights will “increase access and reach of CBC’s Inuktitut-language supper-hour news broadcast to new audiences,” it said in a release.
The program will air on Inuit TV, the Nunvaut government’s educational broadcaster focused on Inuit culture and language, starting April 3, 2024 at 1 pm EST and repeat at 5:30 pm from Tuesday to Saturday.
The program normally runs live each weekday at 6 pm EST from…
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Telus flanker brand Koodo has this week expanded its new internet service in more provinces.
Koodo internet is now available in Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador after launching in the fall following a successful pilot run in Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
A Telus spokesperson said in a statement that Telus is working with network providers across these provinces to bring this expanded service.
Internet services include a $65 per month package with speeds of 75 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload; a $100 per month package with speeds of 500 Mbps download and 30 Mbps upload; and 1…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Telus filed a trademark last week for a service that provides support for device repair, maintenance and protection.
According to the application, ExperTechno includes an array of services, including software “in the nature of a search engine for locating support, repair and maintenance services.”
Other services include protection plan coverage for repair, replacement or reimbursement of devices; technical support services, including tune-up and repair of consumer electronic devices and telecommunications network hardware; in-home installation, set-up and repair services for consumer electronics, smart home devices and appliances, computers, tablets and telecommunications networking hardware; and technical support in the nature of…
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Groups representing deaf and blind Canadians that took part in the CRTC’s two-and-a-half-year review of video relay service (VRS) are accusing the country’s large telecom players of turning the cost claim process for the proceeding into a barrier to Canadians with disabilities.
On Jan. 14, the Canadian National Society of the Deaf-Blind (CNSDB), Deaf-Blind Planning Committee (DBPC) and Deaf Wireless Canada Consultative Committee (DWCC) submitted applications for reimbursement of costs associated with their participation in the CRTC’s 2021-102 proceeding, which was launched in March 2021 and closed in October 2023. The CNSDB and DBPC conducted…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri told members of the House of Commons industry committee Monday that the wireless price increases it announced in January affect only a small percentage of legacy customers and that millions of customers switched providers and plans last year against a backdrop of increasingly lower prices.
Members of the committee called a meeting with the heads of the country’s three largest telecoms to address concerns about wireless prices after Rogers announced that month that it would hike prices for certain off-contract customers by an average of $5 and by as much as $9.
Staffieri…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Concerned about further delay in the process, the CRTC on Tuesday denied Bell’s application asking it to defer to the courts the question of whether it has jurisdiction over small cell attachment on telco structures or hold a separate proceeding on just that question.
The regulator launched a proceeding on the wireless attachment issue last month, holding the preliminary view that it has simultaneous jurisdiction over those structures with spectrum auction authority Innovation Canada (ISED). It also laid out some other related issues to be determined during the consultation period.
Bell has argued that these attachments on poles it…
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