THE TRANSITION TO DIGITAL television in Canada is officially Heritage Minister James Moore’s to deal with, but Industry Minister Tony Clement doesn’t want to see the August 31, 2011 deadline moved.
That was the word we received directly from Industry Minister Tony Clement on Friday during an interview (which you’ll read below) in his Parliament Hill office.
Cartt.ca readers will know we’ve been prodding the industry and the federal government about their inaction on the transition to digital broadcast television. Using our bully pulpit here and directly with the ministers on Twitter (they are @TonyClement_MP and @mpjamesmoore).
In a…
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Perry Hoffman
OTTAWA – It’s not very often the country’s telecommunications and cable firms agree with anything the regulator has to say, but on foreign ownership rules, they at least partially support the CRTC’s proposal to a Parliamentary committee studying the matter.
One after the other last week, they addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology on the need to liberalize current foreign investment restrictions for both telecommunications and broadcasting companies. They echoed the CRTC’s position that regulations can protect Canadian content on television and radio.
“While we do not believe there is a problem today, given…
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OTTAWA – Chinese networking and telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei opened its first Canadian research and development centre just outside of Ottawa on Tuesday.
The Ottawa R&D Centre is working on multiple, strategic product initiatives in the wireline, wireless, optical, and IP networking areas, the company said. Located in Kanata, the facility has more than 70 company employees to date.
“The opening of this facility represents another major step in Huawei’s growth in North America,” said Carl Liu, president of Huawei Canada, in the announcement. “Our ability to innovate and develop solutions for customers depends on adding the right people, and Ottawa…
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TORONTO – By the end of 2014, new wireless entrants will capture 22% of the Canadian wireless market, says a study from Toronto’s Convergence Consulting.
And the effect of the newcomers is already being felt – and will continue to be. Despite wireless data’s 36% revenue growth in 2009, total wireless service ARPU declined, says the report. New wireless entrants will increasingly put pressure on both data & voice prices (the US has already seen major impact in this regard) leading to lower ARPU (at least over the next three years), regional (West, Quebec, Atlantic) bundle battles, a shift in…
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VANCOUVER – Citytv-owned CKVU debuted in high definition on Monday for viewers who receive the basic HD service from major cable operators serving the Vancouver market.
"Citytv is thrilled that viewers in the Vancouver market are now able to watch their favourite programming in HD," said Renato Zane, VP and GM of Rogers Media Television B.C., in the announcement. "We’re confident that audiences will enjoy this enhanced viewing experience."
Cable operators offering CKVU HD include Novus Entertainment, Shaw Communications and Telus TV.
www.Citytv.com
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TORONTO – Internet service providers got little more than a slap on the wrist Friday during a Canadian Music Week session billed as ‘ISP Liability on Trial’, where panellists debated the role of ISPs in protecting the rights of music creators and publishers in the on-line world.
Although there was a palpable feeling of frustration emanating from David Basskin, president and CEO of the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA), most of Basskin’s disdain was targeted at the Federal Government which had no representation on the panel.
Collective rights management agencies such as CMRRA and SOCAN (the Society of…
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TORONTO – Canadians may soon be able to pay for their groceries or gas up using only their mobile phones and a wireless payment sticker.
The Zoompass Tag, the next step in the evolution of the mobile payment system Zoompass, is a wireless payment device designed in the form of a sticker that can be attached to a mobile phone. It lets consumers simply tap their phones at checkout to make real-time purchases at retail stores such as Tim Hortons, McDonalds, Petro Canada and Loblaws.
By tapping a mobile phone with the Zoompass Tag on a contactless reader at the point-of-sale,…
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TORONTO – Following Telus’ lead, Rogers is offering DRM-free (digital rights management) song downloads through its music service.
Visitors to Rogers’ full-track over-the-air music downloads store urMusic can now purchase and download DRM-free (also known as MP3) music tracks to their wireless device or computer, and then transfer them to their other digital music-capable electronic devices, free of charge. Rogers is also offering customers the ability to pre-order albums in advance of their release date.
DRM-free music tracks are priced at $0.69, $0.99 and up to $1.29 per track. Full album purchases generally cost less than $10, plus applicable download…
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OTTAWA – CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein said Friday the regulator had “made a mistake” in eliminating Canadian content spending requirements for over-the-air broadcasters back in 1999.
Speaking in conversation with broadcast veteran Trina McQueen during the CFTPA Prime Time in Ottawa conference, von Finckenstein added, “It doesn’t make sense.”
However, the chair noted that the system “can’t turn back.” While failing to confirm expenditures would be revived in upcoming regulation, it looks like the CRTC is heading that way.
McQueen noted that the CRTC should not want “to make the same mistake over again” (by not changing the rules).
Can’t the amount…
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OTTAWA – Comments filed on the CRTC’s reconsideration of speed matching strike a familiar refrain: Would-be competitors say Canadians will suffer if the CRTC doesn’t mandate speed matching and access to higher-speed local access facilities for them, while incumbent telcos tell the Commission that doing so will threaten future network investments.
Telcos were already required under CRTC regulations to provide speed matching (also referred to as service parity) to competitors over both legacy copper facilities as well as their faster fibre, or next-generation networks (NGNs). But the implementation of the rule was put on hold following appeals to the…
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