OTTAWA – While cable companies, telcos and others roll out service upon service, and have now made convergence a reality, government policy must reflect that, says the Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association.
In its just-released annual report aptly entitled, On Demand, the CCTA points out how its members have launched voice services to go along with their digital cable and high speed Internet offerings – and in some cases, wireless, too.
A source of frustration to the industry as well have been the several Parliament Hill committees, often operating in their own little traditional silos. Recently, there are, or have been, Senate committees on media concentration and television, various Heritage Department committees on Canadian culture and Industry Canada panels on television and telecom which, despite being led by the same federal government, mostly operate apart from each other and often give cabinet conflicting recommendations.
Both the Heritage Department and Industry Canada both hold sway over the CRTC, as well.
“On the 10th anniversary of the Information Highway Initiative, it is time for the federal government to ask whether separate approaches to broadcasting and telecommunications are the best way to deliver on the convergence vision it championed in 1995. It is also time to consider how regulation and consumer demand can work together to guide Canada’s future,” reads the report.
The CCTA “calls on the federal government to encourage investment, innovation and risk-taking in Canadian communications policy,” adds the association’s release.
"Cable has become more than just television. The cable industry now provides personalized entertainment, communication and information services to consumers across Canada," said Michael Hennessy, CCTA president. "Consumers are making convergence a reality, but little has been done in the last two years to integrate the needs of consumers into communications policy."
"This year’s annual report calls on the federal government to address the growing convergence of consumer technologies by promoting more competition and choice across the communications spectrum, from broadband networks to broadcast content," added Hennessy. "CCTA will advocate for a new consumer-based convergence policy as part of its submissions to the panel that is reviewing Canada’s telecommunications policy framework."
The association’s research shows that Canadian consumers are embracing digital technologies to provide advanced services in the home. Forty-three percent of Canadian television subscribers now benefit from digital television and interest in personal video recorders (PVRs), video on demand and digital phone services continue to rise.
"In the years to come, competition and consumer demand will result in increasingly faster and more robust networks. The cable industry has invested over $7.5 billion to build a broadband infrastructure," said Dean MacDonald, president and CEO of Persona Inc. and CCTA Chairman. "These networks will provide ample bandwidth for whatever a consumer requests and whenever they want it – television from anywhere in the world, streaming movies and music, and the latest news tailored to the individual’s interests."
Other highlights from the report include:
* In early 2005, a survey commissioned by the CCTA found that 63% of people with an Internet connection at home had a CD burner hooked up, as compared to only 32% in 2004.
* 33% had a DVD burner, up from 11% in ’04.
* 22% had an MP3 player tied to their computer in February 2005, up from 11% last year.
* 30% had one or more TV sets wired into the ‘net.
* Among cable and satellite subscribers, 31% report using their computer to watch video, too.
* 43% of Canadian TV subscribers have digital cable or satellite.
* There are 10.3 million subscription television customers in Canada, of which cable has a 76.6 share.
* In 2002, cable had an 80.1% share.
* Of those with access to cable, New Brunswick leads the nation in cable penetration at 72.8%
* Nunavut (45.9%) and Quebec (51.9%) have the lowest penetration.
The CCTA represents 78 Canadian cable companies across Canada which provide television services to 7.3 million subscribers and high-speed Internet access to 2.8 million Canadians.
For more, go to www.ccta.com.
