By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – Quebecor has asked the CRTC and the Competition Bureau to conduct an inquiry into whether the three largest wireless providers, Bell, Telus and Rogers, are violating the Wireless Code by how they price devices as well as the charges incurred when consumers want to terminate their contract.
Through its own investigation, Vidéotron says in a letter to the CRTC it has collected the prices of various wireless devices on the websites of the Big Three and the conditions attached to them. The conclusion is clear, says the Quebec company. Compared to the prices offered by manufacturers,…
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Lobbying, new energy board, sees province take action
By Ahmad Hathout
TORONTO – The Ontario government has made good on a pledge to tackle broadband roadblocks in the province by proposing in new legislation to reduce hydro pole attachment costs, a move that is receiving praise across the board and that has been many months in the making.
The legislation, called Building Broadband Faster Act, proposes timely access by telecommunications companies to infrastructure owned by utilities and municipalities, including underground facilities, and requires utilities to better prepare their poles for new wire attachments, which require weighting assessments – the cost of which…
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TORONTO — The federal government “must dramatically reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry to accelerate 5G deployment,” says the newest report from the C.D. Howe Institute’s telecommunications policy working group – which includes top regulatory experts and executives from Canada’s biggest telecom companies, including Bell, Rogers, Telus, Shaw, Cogeco and Eastlink.
“Telecommunications providers face obstacles in gaining access rights to infrastructure for installing telecommunications facilities. These barriers, alongside difficulty navigating government incentive programs for expanded connectivity, could stall the federal government’s aim of extending high-speed internet coverage to 98 percent of households by 2026,” reads a press…
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GATINEAU – On January 19, 2021, WildBrain Television, which owns kids and family-focused specialty services aimed at children filed an application with the CRTC against Cogeco Cable, claiming the BDU did not follow the principles of the TV Wholesale Code and the standstill obligations which forbids the discontinuation of service carriage during negotiations.
However, an intervention filed in support of Wildbrain’s complaint explores a deeper issue: The code is broken because large distributors like Cogeco hold too much power over smaller broadcasters like Wildbrain, which owns Family Channel, Family CHRGD, Family Junior and Telemagino.
Wildbrain’s complaint is a central…
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GATINEAU – With the latest and greatest smartphones now costing more than $2,000, Rogers Communications launched new device financing plans in July 2019, which would let customers spread the cost of a new handset over 36 months, paying $0 up front, if they wanted.
Rogers (and Telus and Ice Wireless, which followed their competitor’s lead) was convinced the device financing plans were on side with the CRTC’s Wireless Code of Conduct because the no-interest financed phones were not tied to a wireless service plan. If customers wanted to leave for another provider, all they had to do was…
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VANCOUVER – Optik TV customers who are also animal lovers and birdwatchers can now watch live streamer Jessica Duquette, also known as the Canadian Bird Nerd on Telus Optik TV.
Birdwatching and other nature-focused live streams have become a source of comfort for people to watch during the pandemic and viewers have come to enjoy watching “the drama in Jessica’s backyard unfold, the lead characters being the birds along with special guest appearances from other critters,” says a release from Telus.
“Jessica battles a number of challenges in her life, including chronic illness and living in isolation. Through her passion for…
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OTTAWA — On the one-year anniversary of the CRTC’s denial of a request by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the National Pensioners Federation (NPF) to require Telus flanker brand Koodo Mobile and other wireless service providers to provide paper bills upon request, the federal cabinet announced today it will not rescind the Commission’s decision nor refer it to back for reconsideration – because the Regulator is actually studying the matter already.
After the CRTC denied their joint application on March 3, 2020, PIAC and the NPF filed a petition to the Governor in Council on June…
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VANCOUVER — Telus International announced Tuesday it has completed its acquisition of Lionbridge AI, a global provider of managed training data and data annotation services and platform solutions.
When the acquisition was first announced in November, the purchase price was estimated to be approximately $1.2 billion (or US$935 million), an amount confirmed yesterday in a separate announcement by Lionbridge Technologies. Telus International’s purchase of Lionbridge AI closed on December 31, 2020, and received clearance by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
“The integration of digital CX (customer experience) services and solutions, powered by artificial…
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VANCOUVER — Telus Ventures announced today it has invested in PocketPills, a Canadian online pharmacy with warehouses in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia which is looking to expand further.
In a press release, PocketPills says it has raised $30 million in Series B funding, led by Telus Ventures, with follow-on participation from WaterBridge Ventures. The online pharmacy says it will use the funding to invest further in technology and pharmacy automation and to open facilities in Alberta and Quebec, which will help achieve its goal of nationwide same-day delivery, the company says.
“Telus Ventures is committed to making…
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Also makes investment in Indigenous impact fund
VANCOUVER — In celebration of International Women’s Day (March 8), Telus announced today it will donate the cost of movie rentals (up to $10,000) of 73 curated films in its Breaking the Glass Ceiling collection in the Telus Video on Demand library to the Dress for Success Canada Foundation, a not-for-profit organization offering career development tools for at-risk and underemployed women.
Available now until March 14 to all Optik and Pik TV customers, this curated collection includes biographical and landmark films featuring iconic female figures, such as Harriet, Little Women and RBG. Rentals…
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