OTTAWA – The CRTC today approved the broadcast side of the merger between Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications, with several conditions attached.
The Commission concluded the transaction – when modified – “is in the public interest and advances the objectives set out for the Canadian broadcasting system in the Broadcasting Act,” its decision reads. “Canadians as consumers will benefit from this transaction.”
One of the conditions included in the decision requires Rogers to submit a revised tangible benefits proposal. Tangible benefits were a significant topic of discussion during the CRTC’s hearing last November.
Originally, Rogers proposed a tangible benefits package…
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WATERLOO, Ont. – Blackberry announced today the Region of Niagara selected BlackBerry AtHoc to be the critical event management platform for its 13 municipalities, as well as the Niagara Regional Police Service.
The emergency management solution is being deployed in partnership with Telus. (Two years ago, BlackBerry and Telus announced they formed a partnership, which would see Telus reselling BlackBerry’s AtHoc solution with Telus’ connectivity.)
“Modernizing emergency management systems, BlackBerry AtHoc, with Telus’ world-class connectivity, gives organizations the information they need to make critical safety decisions in real-time, helping to protect lives, assets and operations, during planned and unplanned events,”…
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“I’m not building yesterday’s telecom,” founder says
By Amanda OYE
RICHMOND, B.C. – After spending nearly two decades working for a major Canadian telecom, Babbl Communications’ president and founder Jason Speers (above) decided to put what he had learned to use to bring down Internet prices in western Canada.
Babbl is a third-party Internet access (TPIA) provider that was launched last September and currently serves over 40 communities in Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Southern Vancouver Island and the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Internet packages, which are currently being offered at a discounted rate, include $35/month for Internet 75, $45/month…
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VANCOUVER — Telus Communications announced today it is using its Smart Hub technology and 5G network to bring fixed wireless Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps to nearly 60 rural communities across B.C. and Alberta by the end of the year.
“Residents in these communities will be the first in the country to access home Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps through Telus’ 5G network, which is up to four times faster than speeds currently available through a 4G network,” reads a Telus press release.
“Telus Smart Hub uses a fixed wireless connection that is powered by our 5G network to…
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OTTAWA and GATINEAU – The CRTC announced today Canadian television service providers can no longer distribute the Russian state-funded English-language channel RT (Russia Today) or RT France.
The Commission formally removed both channels from its list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution in Canada after determining their continued distribution “is not in the public interest,” according to a press release.
“RT’s programming is not consistent with the standards against which Canadian services are measured nor the policy objectives set out in the Broadcasting Act,” the release explains.
“The CRTC is also concerned with programming from a foreign country…
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Telecoms generally against ISED proposal for restricted areas around airports
By Amanda OYE
OTTAWA – Comments submitted to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) Consultation on a Policy and Licensing Framework for Spectrum in the 3800 MHz Band, show Canada’s telecoms are divided on which, if any, pro-competitive measures should be adopted for the 3800 MHz spectrum auction, expected to be held in 2023.
ISED proposed three options for competitive measures for the 3800 MHz auction – a 50 MHz set-aside, a 100 MHz cross-band cap (this would apply across the 3500 MHz and 3800 MHz bands), or both.
The set-aside option…
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CALGARY — Telus announced today its Telus Pollinator Fund for Good has invested in Virtual Gurus, “a North American-based marketplace that matches organizations with skilled remote administrative talent while providing income earning opportunities to underrepresented individuals,” a press release says.
Virtual Gurus says it has secured a combined $8.4 million in a funding round led by the Telus Pollinator Fund for Good and supported by other key investors including Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, The51, The Houssian Foundation and Accelerate Fund. Virtual Gurus’ cumulative funding since February 2020 now totals $10.4 million, according to the press release.
Virtual Gurus “creates meaningful earning…
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The Field of Dreams business philosophy
By Mark Goldberg
IF YOU BUILD IT he will come.
Often misquoted as “If you build it, they will come”, the mantra from “Field of Dreams” has become a metaphor driving many business plans.
Unfortunately, reality shows that if you build it, whatever “it” may be, you improve the chances for them, whoever “them” may be, to come.
The Field of Dreams business case philosophy has been a driving force behind many government broadband programs. Just get broadband built, people will sign up. Build broadband pipes into this community and knowledge-based workers will work from home. Build municipal…
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VANCOUVER – While Rogers Communications has been working on its acquisition of Shaw Communications, Telus has been accelerating its broadband build program in the hopes of grabbing market share ahead the proposed deal’s approval.
“We knew the timeline for… going through the process of approval was 18 months to two years, and then they’ve got a post-acquisition integration effort,” said Tony Geheran (above), executive vice-president and chief operations officer at Telus, in an interview with Cartt.ca.
Based on this, in May 2021, Telus announced it would invest an additional $1.5 billion in capital expenditures over 18 months. This pulled forward…
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Interventions suggest scope of CRTC hearing could be appropriately widened
OTTAWA – The CRTC’s decision on the future of the Russian state-funded English-language news service RT is unlikely to have a significant impact, Ethnic Channels Group Ltd. (ECGL) argues in an intervention submitted to the CRTC yesterday.
RT came to Canada in 2009 after ECGL applied to add it to the Commission’s list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution in Canada.
The CRTC received an order from the Governor in Council last week, asking it to “hold a hearing to determine whether RT (formally known as Russia Today)…
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