FRPC and PIAC request for oral hearing also denied
The CRTC last week denied a request from Telus asking for the regulator to separate its inquiry into whether new fees introduced by the largest telecoms are offside of the Wireless Code.
Telus had requested that the regulator first establish whether a violation has occurred and then determine whether an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) is required and what that should be. At issue are Bell’s new $40 device handling fee, Telus’s $15 charge for SIM cards, and Rogers’s $40 device…
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Rogers announced Friday that it has turned on its satellite-to-mobile service Rogers Satellite for free to all Rogers wireless customers in British Columbia as wildfires continue to spread across the province.
Rogers Satellite provides connectivity to most modern smartphones where traditional cell coverage is not available. It can keep wireless customers connected if a cell tower is down because of wildfire damage or a power outage, and in areas not reached by towers such as remote highways, Rogers said in a press release.
Rogers is opening up the service province-wide in B.C. (south of…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC on Friday launched a show-cause proceeding requiring Bell to show why its practice of selling locked devices isn’t a violation of the Wireless Code.
In the meantime, the regulator is suspending section F.1 of the Wireless Code, which explicitly states that carriers must sell devices in an unlocked state. As a result, carriers will be allowed to sell locked devices provided they automatically unlock them within two business days after purchase.
“Service providers must also make reasonable efforts to inform customers about how long devices will be locked for, what receiving a locked device…
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Telus announced Wednesday it is mobilizing $2 million in connectivity and humanitarian support for British Columbians affected by the wildfires currently raging across their province.
Telus’s emergency response includes network connectivity, data top-ups and bill credits for affected customers, as well as donations and support to local charities.
“TELUS is directing resources toward affected First Nations and non profit organizations on the ground — including the Salvation Army BC and community food banks — while ensuring residents and first responders have access to the critical communications services they need to stay connected,” reads a Wednesday press release from…
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The CRTC on Monday announced it has administratively renewed the broadcasting licences for various television programming undertakings, networks and broadcasting distribution undertakings from Sept. 1, 2026 to Aug. 31, 2027.
These licence renewals cover the large broadcasting groups of Bell, Rogers, Quebecor, Corus and Blue Ant, as well as smaller broadcasters including APTN, Accessible Media, Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), OUTtv, Pelmorex Weather Networks, Stingray, Super Channel, TLN Media Group, TV5 Quebec Canada and ZoomerMedia, and BDUs operated by Cogeco, SaskTel and Telus.
The broadcasting regulator said the administrative renewals are necessary to allow the various undertakings to…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC said Thursday that Bell must pay for all corrective work to attach third-party equipment for which it did not issue an invoice to Quebecor before the regulator ruled that all such work must be done by the structure owner at its own expense.
The clarification favours Quebecor, which asked the regulator late last year to decide on a dispute with Bell that dealt with the status of permit applications that had yet to be fully approved by Bell when the CRTC in January ordered the telcos to make the necessary corrective work…
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Crave subs top five million
By Ahmad Hathout
Bell executives said Thursday that the company will focus on trade-in and other “device residual programs,” rather than device discounting, to address affordability for consumers.
Bell reported wireless product revenue that was $555 million, down 6.6 per cent in the quarter against the equivalent period that ended June 30 last year. The company noted in its second-quarter earnings report that this was a result of lower wireless device sales to consumers “mainly from lower contracted activations due to a greater mix of bring-your-own-device activations and fewer upgrades, partly offset by reduced discounting and…
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By Ahmad Hathout
Under new management, Telus is resetting its dividend and pausing acquisitions to get its debt level in check.
Starting October 1, the corporation will issue a quarterly dividend of $0.1875 cents per share, which is 75 cents on an annualized basis – a reduction of 55 per cent from the existing distribution. It is also eliminating the discount on dividend reinvestments.
“It served a clear purpose during the peak of our network build, preserving cash when capital intensity was at its highest,” Telus CEO Victor Dodig said Friday about the dividend reinvestment plan in his first earnings call as…
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By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has not provided reasons for why it believes Rogers, Bell and Telus are violating the regulator’s new rules on activation fees, even after the companies provided justifications for charges related to device handling and SIM cards, according to submissions by the Big Three.
As such, Rogers and Bell are backing a procedural request by Telus this month to bifurcate the CRTC’s inquiry: first, establish a proceeding to consider whether a violation has been committed by any of the companies, and, if required, establish a proceeding to consider if any enforcement remedies are necessary in the event…
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Telus announced last week the opening of a new Telus Living 195-home rental community in downtown Nanaimo, B.C. — part of the Vancouver-based telecom’s initiative to repurpose legacy telephone infrastructure into rental housing as it completes its network transition from copper to fibre technology.
Located at 235 Wallace St., the Nanaimo development joins another completed Telus Living building in Sechelt and one under construction in Vancouver-Point Grey.
“The Nanaimo development represents exactly what TELUS Living stands for by providing purpose-built rental housing tailored to the specific needs of…
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