CRTC revokes licences of 21 telecoms

The CRTC has revoked basic international telecommunications services (BITS) licences of 21 small telecoms after they violated their licence conditions.

The companies didn’t comply with annual reporting requirements, it said in a decision Friday.

The commission requires all companies who carry telecommunications traffic between Canada and another country to hold a BITS licence.

Blais calls out demands for ‘political interference’ with CRTC

OTTAWA — CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais used his opening remarks at a panel discussion Thursday to criticize individuals who are calling for “political interference” in the commission’s decisions.

CRTC consulting on message relay services

The CRTC is collecting feedback on whether wireless service providers should be required to provide message relay service (MRS) for customers with a hearing or speech disability.

New area codes determined for Nfld, QC

Ten-digit dialling will officially roll out in Newfoundland and Labrador next summer after the CRTC approved a new area code for the province.

Already served by 709, the province will add the 879 area code as of Nov. 24, 2018. Ten-digit dialling will begin Aug. 17, 2018, the CRTC said in a decision Thursday.

Nuisance call deadline extended

The CRTC has changed the deadline for interventions in its consultation on measures to reduce caller ID spoofing and other ways of managing nuisance calls.

Bell asks CRTC for ‘holistic’ rules on traffic pumping

BCE Inc. wants the CRTC to implement new rules governing traffic pumping, which would put the onus on any telecom accused of artificially inflating traffic to prove they’re not engaged in the practice.

“Much like in the United States, our proposed solution has the benefit of shifting the burden to the person who knows best why traffic is increasing and allows them to justify the increase,” Bell said in a Part 1 application filed Monday.

Telecoms to challenge Calgary bylaw in court

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc., Telus Corp., and Zayo Group Holdings Inc. plan to challenge the constitutional validity of Calgary’s municipal rights-of-way bylaw.

TVO to end OTA broadcasts outside of Toronto

Ontario public broadcaster TVO will shut down eight over-the-air transmitters, keeping one transmitter in Toronto “for the purposes of the CRTC licence and to minimize distribution costs,” it said in a Jan. 25 press release.

Broadcasts will stop on July 31 in a move that will save the broadcaster $1 million per year, it said.

The affected transmitters are in Ottawa, Belleville, Chatham, Cloyne, Kitchener, London, Thunder Bay and Windsor, Ont.

Bell Media cutting jobs

BCE Inc.’s media division is “reducing a number of positions” across the country, spokesman Scott Henderson confirmed Tuesday, though he declined to specify the number of people that will be affected.

The job cuts are part of a “restructuring that includes local radio and TV stations,” he said in an email, adding that the positions affected “are from all areas of the business.”

Bell plans viewer contests, Letterkenny broadcast for Super Bowl

BCE Inc. has given more details about its broadcast plans for the upcoming National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl, including pointing fans to a resource where they can watch American ads in advance of the game.

It said in a press release Thursday that Canadian fans can visit a website that “directs visitors to the best new ads as they are released in advance of the game, as well as fan-favourite ads from previous seasons.”

CRTC jobs, vacant or not, posted

Heritage Canada has issued a series of help-wanted ads for the CRTC — including for the not-yet vacant position of chair.

Four new job openings are now on the government’s appointments website for the roles of chair, vice-chair of broadcasting and two regional commissioners.

Current chairman Jean-Pierre Blais’ five-year term is set to expire in June, though he has not publicly said whether he intends to seek a second term.

Mandating co-location would be a barrier to competition: CNOC

An application by BCE Inc. asking the CRTC not to require the implementation of meet-me points through which smaller companies could connect to the telco’s network, if granted, would harm competition, small ISPs are arguing.

“Bell’s application is an attempt to slow competition that would also generate an unnecessary windfall for Bell at the expense of competitors and consumers,” the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) said in a Jan. 23 intervention.

CRTC approves Stingray jazz channel for distribution

An application by Stingray Digital Group Inc. to bring over its non-Canadian jazz music program has been approved by the CRTC.

Published on the commission’s website Tuesday, Stingray describes Djazz as a 24-hour niche service of Dutch origin that provides swing, bebop and contemporary jazz, “including concerts from around the world, recording sessions, club gigs, interviews, video clips and related documentary programs.” 

Telus rolls out welcome mat to lead Dec. lobbying numbers

Telus Corp. led the telecom pack in December for government relations activity, according to the federal lobbyists’ registry, logging 14 monthly communication reports.

In addition to getting in touch with the policy advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Justin To, Telus also bent the ears of members of the prime minister’s cabinet.

Eastlink asks for review and vary, stay of interim wholesale rates

Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink is asking the CRTC to delay the imposition of lower wholesale high-speed access rates it put in place last year pending the outcome of a review-and-vary application Eastlink filed with the regulator.

Build voice and data support at same time in NG911 system: Freedom

GATINEAU, Que. — There are unique considerations for wireless carriers when contemplating the switch to next-generation 911 (NG911) services, a CRTC panel was told on the penultimate day of a public hearing on improvements to the 911 network, including the fact they can offer more services for 911 users more quickly.

CRTC approves three channels for distribution

The CRTC said Thursday in two decisions it has approved three channels — Stingray Brava, Bestseller and Mult — for distribution in Canada.  

Bell set to increase Internet and TV prices

BCE Inc. will increase monthly prices for some of its residential services as of Feb. 1, a move it says is needed to support higher traffic on its network.

On its website, the company said it spends $3.5 billion each year on network infrastructure to deliver “new features, even faster and more reliable Internet and world-class entertainment.”

It said its network traffic grew by nearly 40 per cent last year.

O’Leary promises unrecognizable CRTC as he enters CPC leadership race

Celebrity businessman Kevin O’Leary has the country’s telecom regulator in his sights as he launches his campaign for leader of the federal Conservative Party.

National 911 operator could disrupt regional relationships: PSAP

Forming a national consortium for the development of next-generation 911 (NG911) services would disrupt relationships formed under the current ILEC model, a British Columbia public-safety answer point (PSAP) argued on the second day of the CRTC’s week-long hearing on NG911.

Address diversity gaps when filling CRTC roles, minister told

Filling all 13 spots allotted to CRTC commissioners could go a long way in addressing what some are calling decades of ongoing disparity between the demographics of those who make decisions about the country’s broadcasting and telecommunications sectors and the rest of Canada, according to advocacy groups, community broadcasters and researchers keeping an eye on the composition of the regulator.

CRTC should take charge in next-generation 911 rollout, regulator hears

GATINEAU, Que. — The CRTC should take a leading role — at least temporarily — in co-ordinating the development of next-generation 911 services, the regulator heard Monday as it kicked off a week-long hearing into the future of the emergency call system.

Making the transition to an environment where 911 call-takers, or public safety answering points (PSAPs), can receive communication other than voice (such as text, picture and video messages) needs outside guidance, interveners said.

CRTC sides with Shaw in conduit billing dispute with Telus

Telus Corp. can’t charge Shaw Communications Inc. or any other telecom for access to its service entrance conduit, the CRTC said in a decision Friday.

It said that if Telus is “providing access to service entrance conduit, because such service is a telecommunications service, it must file and obtain Commission approval for a tariff specific to that service.”

Unifor asks for suspension of SimSub ban

The union representing members of the television and media sectors is asking the CRTC to reverse or suspend its decision banning simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl in order for its impact to be fully considered.

CRTC consulting on nuisance calls decision

The CRTC issued a call for comments Monday on its two-month-old decision to force telecoms to implement measures to reduce caller ID spoofing and offer services to manage nuisance calls.

CRTC approves new radio stations, to hold licence hearing in March

On Friday, the CRTC approved two new radio stations for the Edmonton market, granting a licence to an Alberta numbered company for an ethnic commercial AM station and to the Société Radio Communautaire du Grand Edmonton Society for a French-language community FM station.

The commission said in its decision that it had determined the “Edmonton radio market can support the licensing of only one new ethnic commercial radio station at this time,” and denied several other applications.

ISP tax a good idea, former CRTC chair says

A former chairman of the CRTC is backing the concept of levying a new tax on Internet Service Providers (ISPs) as the heritage minister mulls ways to rejig the country’s cultural institutions.

Bell drops Zazeen suit

BCE Inc. has dropped its second lawsuit alleging copyright infringement against a small Internet protocol TV (IPTV) provider, following changes the company made to its service.

Bell, NFL file appeal of Super Bowl simsub rules

BCE Inc. and the National Football League (NFL) have filed appeals in federal court arguing that the CRTC lacks the authority to ban the use of simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl.

Bill shock, wireless complaints continue to fall, CRTC study says

The number of Canadians surprised by the extra charges on their monthly wireless bills continues to decline, according to the latest CRTC-commissioned study on the efficacy of the Wireless Code.

Look beyond incumbents with new $750M fund, Iristel tells CRTC

Iristel Inc. is asking the CRTC to “go beyond the ‘same old players’ to companies committed to competition and enhanced services for Canadians” when it comes to providing funding as part of its new $750-million program to improve Internet service in Canada.

50 Mbps speeds, LTE part of CRTC’s new basic service requirements

GATINEAU, Que. — Advocates are calling the CRTC’s new basic service requirements — which include a minimum of 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds and LTE coverage — “transformative” and “game-changing” while financial analysts said the new rules won’t have an impact on companies’ bottom lines.  

Amid political push for SimSub ruling reversal, Bell yet to file appeal

Despite having less than two months until the Feb. 5 kick off at the 51st Super Bowl, BCE Inc. has yet to start the process with the courts to put a stop to a decision prohibiting the broadcaster from replacing American advertisements with Canadian ones during the game.

At the beginning of November, the federal Appeals Court granted Bell leave to appeal the CRTC’s decision to ban simultaneous substitution during the broadcast of the National Football League’s championship game, beginning in February.

Boston station approved for Canadian distribution

BCE Inc. has received approval to carry an American TV station, the CRTC said Tuesday.

In a decision posted online, the CRTC said WBTS-LD Boston will be added to the list of non-Canadian programming services and stations authorized for distribution. The English-language, general interest channel will become the new NBC affiliate in the new year for Massachusetts city, the notice said.

TekSavvy campaign pushes for continuation of interim HSA rates

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is lowering its Internet prices next month, and asking its customers to help press for the continuation of interim wholesale access rates.

Using the hashtag #ThanksAgainCRTC, TekSavvy customers took to Twitter to react to emails received about price reductions ranging from $1 to $16 per month.

CRTC gives go-ahead to Bell-MTS BDU licence transfer

The CRTC has granted approval for Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. to transfer its broadcast distribution licences to BCE Inc. as part of an overall $3.9-billion acquisition of the provincial provider.

In a notice on its website Tuesday, the regulator said the transaction “does not raise concerns with resect to applicable Commission policies and regulations and that it does not trigger the payment of tangible benefits.”

Retail regulation ‘worst case’ in basic service decision: Desjardins

The “worst case scenario” for incumbent telecom companies when the CRTC releases its decision on the basic service proceeding it held this spring will be if the commission “decides that regulation of retail prices is required to make the service more affordable,” according Desjardins Capital Markets analyst Maher Yaghi.

Canadian politicians follow U.S. in call to reverse SimSub ban: report

Two MPs are asking the CRTC to reverse its decision on simultaneous substitution for the National Football League's (NFL) Super Bowl, a week after four United States congressmen demanded the same, according to a report by the Canadian Press Thursday.

Investel to launch national Wi-Fi based wireless service

Investel Capital Corp.’s TNW Networks Corp. (TNW) will soon start deploying a Wi-Fi-based mobile technology as part of a nationally available wireless service that the company is claiming will be disruptive to the Canadian market, despite regulatory uncertainly caused by a CRTC complaint regarding a similar service.

Iristel says traffic stimulation accusation “rests on false speculation”

Iristel Inc. has responded to a Part 1 application by Rogers Communications Inc. accusing it of “traffic stimulation,” stating that “the entire factual basis for underlying the Application rests on false speculation.”

Bell targets second small IPTV provider over copyright claim

Zazeen Inc. is facing legal action from BCE Inc. over its Internet protocol TV (IPTV) service, with the incumbent calling the small provider’s service copyright infringement.

In a statement of claim filed with the Federal Court last month, Bell said Zazeen is currently operating “an unlicensed Internet delivered service… that is exempt from licensing by the CRTC.”

CRTC suspends PIAC website blocking application

U.S. politicians asking Canadian gov’t to reverse SimSub ban

Canada is violating its trade obligations by banning simultaneous substitution for the National Football League’s (NFL) Super Bowl, four United States politicians said in a letter to the Canadian government Thursday, which follows another letter by the NFL condemning the decision.

Bell asks CRTC to reconsider aspects of disaggregated regime

BCE Inc. is asking the CRTC to hold off on requiring the company to build new infrastructure as part of the regulator’s new disaggregated wholesale wireline regime, something small Internet Service Providers (ISPs) say they are concerned could further delay the implementation of a system the CRTC decided to establish in 2015.

CRTC to cut roles, services at regional offices

The CRTC is making changes, including trimming roles and services at its regional offices for what it’s calling a “digital first” initiative, according to an emailed memo circulated by the regulator. 

On Wednesday, the commission said in the email it will centralize client services at its headquarters in Gatineau, Que., and create a “virtual regional administrative support hub for Commissioners.” 

Pick-and-pay won’t tempt consumers to switch or subscribe: RBC

The pick-and-pay options launched by Canada’s TV providers last week aren’t likely to appeal to either current subscribers or those without traditional TV service, according RBC Capital Markets’ Drew McReynolds.

Korean channel approved for distribution

The CRTC said Friday it has approved MBC Drama HD for distribution in Canada.

The channel, which originates in South Korea, “provides high-quality dramas and movies drawn from one of South Korea’s largest terrestrial broadcasters, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation,” the decision said.

CRTC to go ahead with French-language music review

The CRTC announced Thursday that it will go ahead with a hearing on rules governing French-language vocal music on commercial radio stations that had been postponed since last year.

The commission is allowing parties, who have already filed submissions, an opportunity to update them by Jan. 11. It said the new date for the hearing will be announced at a later time.

Public consultation before closing TV stations unwarranted: Bell, Rogers

GATINEAU, Que. — CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais floated the idea that the commission should require a public consultation before a broadcaster closes a TV station during the last day of its hearing on English-language TV licence renewals.  

Pick-and-pay still has many ‘pitfalls’ for consumers: PIAC

As the CRTC’s rules requiring all TV providers to allow customers to sign up for channels individually came into effect Thursday, the regulator emphasized that consumers have to take responsibility to ensure they’re getting a good deal — a process the head of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said is a significant amount of work for the average person.

PIAC executive director John Lawford said in a phone interview “there’s a lot of pitfalls if you don’t, quote-unquote, do it right, and all the work is up to you.”

VI news stations need rules to ensure independence: Telus

GATINEAU, Que. — The question of whether news stations owned by vertically-integrated (VI) companies need  safeguards for journalistic independence came up at the CRTC’s English-language TV licence renewal hearing Wednesday, with the commission chairman floating the idea of implementing rules codifying independence.

CRTC consulting on Sirius going-private plan

Companies launching pick-and-pay ahead of new rules

Rogers Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc. have introduced their line-up of stand-alone TV channels a day ahead of the CRTC’s deadline requiring them to do so.

The cost for individual channels with Rogers mostly ranges from $4 to $7 for English-language specialty channels to $18 for sports and some international channels, according to its website.

Cogeco’s stand-alone channels are priced at between $3.50 and $6 for English specialty channels and up to about $12 to $15 for sports, its website specifies.

Shoan drops second case on Blais’ power to name panels

Bell Media ‘comfortable’ with Crave, president tells CRTC

GATINEAU, Que. — BCE Inc. has to take both offensive and defensive positions when facing off against international competitors, the company told the CRTC Tuesday, as it took its turn being grilled about its TV licence renewal application.

CRTC grants licence to radio station it previously ordered off the air

The CRTC has approved two new ethnic radio licences — one to a company it previously ordered to stop broadcasting —  and a rebroadcast transmitter for another to serve Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Mandatory carriage for OMNI only option, Rogers tells CRTC panel

GATINEAU, Que. — Rogers Communications Inc. said it understands the irony of asking for mandatory carriage for its proposed new regional OMNI service, but that it’s the only way forward.

Shoan dismissal part of ‘witch hunt,’ former commissioner says

Former CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan is alleging that Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and the governor-in-council (GIC) have effectively participated in a “witch hunt” against him by removing him from his appointment this summer, according to new court documents.

Virgin Internet could hurt Videotron: Desjardins

The move this week by BCE Inc. flanker brand Virgin Mobile Canada to expand its home Internet into Quebec could put pressure on Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron, Desjardins analyst Maher Yaghi said in a note Friday.

CMPA asks for CanCon contributions from OTT, ISPs

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) is asking the federal government to “modernize” and require both over-the-top (OTT) services and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to contribute to the CanCon system.

Customer complaints down 18%, CCTS says

The number of complaints about telecom services has declined for the third straight year, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS) said, adding it expects complaints arising from confusion about the rules to drop amid clearer regulations from the CRTC. 

The CCTS released its annual report on customer complaints for communications services Thursday. It showed complaints were down 18 per cent this year, continuing a downward trend, which the agency attributed to its own efforts to publicise the issue.   

Iristel files complaint over Eastlink’s competition refusal

Iristel Inc. has filed a complaint with the CRTC over what it says is a “refusal” of Bragg Communication Inc.’s Eastlink to “implement local competition” in an eastern Ontario community.

Rogers accuses Iristel of ‘traffic stimulation’

Rogers Communications Inc. is turning to the CRTC in another dispute with Iristel Inc., which it’s accusing of deliberately driving up the volume of phone calls to the Northwest Territories in order to benefit from a “windfall profit” due to the area’s high traffic termination rates.

Judge sides with Bell in dispute over VMedia OTT service

VMedia Inc. is permanently prohibited from broadcasting BCE Inc.’s CTV channels on its over-the-top skinny basic service, an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Skinny basic best practices not enough to ‘scare’ BDUs: PIAC

The best practices for TV service providers offering skinny-basic cable packages announced by the CRTC Monday don’t amount to much more than lip service, with no real consequences for providers who don’t align themselves with the regulator’s preferred behaviour, according to a consumer advocate.

Videotron offering full pick-and-pay

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron said in a press release Thursday it’s now making all of its TV channels available on a pick-and-pay basis.

The move means the company is “fully meeting the new CRTC requirements that take effect on December 1,” it noted.

CRTC, FCC sign new anti-nuisance call agreement

The CRTC announced Thursday a new memorandum of understanding with its counterpart in the United States to help combat unwanted calls.

In a press release, the CRTC said the new formal agreement with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) “will enable the CRTC and the FCC to facilitate research and education related to robocalls and illegitimate caller ID spoofing.”

CRTC chair OK with being ‘disruptive showman’

OTTAWA — With more than six months left in his term as CRTC chairman, Jean-Pierre Blais isn’t ready to start using the word “legacy” in relation to his term as head of the Canadian regulator, but in a speech to a communications conference Wednesday, he gave a glimpse into a self-awareness of his own CRTC epitaph.

New Northwestel rates could ‘finally’ lead to competition: SSi

Judith LaRocque named CRTC vice-chair of broadcasting

MacDonald talks competition for radio, set-top rating system

CRTC commissioner Christopher MacDonald said radio stations must build on their strengths in order to deal with increasing competition in a speech to the Ontario Association of Broadcasters (OAB) conference Thursday.

CRTC calls for radio licence applications for Hamilton-Niagara

Two communities in Ontario’s Hamilton-Niagara region can handle “at least” one radio station, the CRTC said as it issued a call for applications Thursday.

The announcement follows a January application filed by Dufferin Communications Inc. to serve Grimsby and Beamsville, Ont., with a commercial radio station.

Any CanCon ISP tax should consider ‘economic consequences’: CNOC lawyer

TORONTO — The heritage ministry and the CRTC should engage in a more balanced discussion on what to do about taxes in support of cultural content, as both seem to be moving in different directions, the crowd on the final day of the Canadian ISP Summit in Toronto heard Wednesday.

Rogers ordered to keep serving new TekSavvy customers on FTTP

The CRTC has told Rogers Communications Inc. it has to keep providing wholesale service for new customers of TekSavvy Solutions Inc. in a building with fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure.

Last year, Rogers upgraded its network in a Toronto condo building from a hybrid fibre-coaxial cable to an “an optical-fibre-based solution,” and removed the coaxial cable at the request of the property manager, the CRTC said in a decision Wednesday.

Northwestel ordered to file new cost studies for wholesale rates

The CRTC has ordered BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel Inc. to file new cost studies for all speeds offered through its Wholesale Connect service.

The regulator said in a decision Tuesday the cost studies will “result in Wholesale Connect service rates that reflect the most current costing information and that are expected to enable other service providers to offer more competitive services to their customers.”

CRTC denies N.S. radio station due to contour overlap

The CRTC has denied an application for a new radio station in Nova Scotia because its service area would have encroached that of existing stations.

It said in a decision Tuesday that Atlantic Broadcasters Ltd. had applied for a broadcasting licence for a country music station in the Antigonish, N.S., market, whose contours would overlap those of three other stations in the area.

One of those stations had launched in 2014 and “may therefore not be fully established in the market,” the CRTC said.

CRTC orders telecoms to develop tools for blocking nuisance calls

Telecom companies will soon be required to put in place measures to block “unwanted nuisance calls” on both wireless and wireline networks, the CRTC announced Monday.

Cord-cutting accelerates despite skinny basic: Boon Dog

The introduction of skinny-basic TV package offerings doesn’t seem to have slowed down the trend toward cord-cutting in Canada, according to subscriber number data reported by Canada’s publicly traded telecoms.

In a Monday press release issued ahead of the upcoming release of its quarterly report, Boon Dog Professional Services said the companies lost 13 per cent more TV subscribers in the past six months than in the equivalent period last year.

Videotron goes on defence as differential pricing hearing wraps

GATINEAU, Que. — Those who innovate shouldn’t be penalized because their competitors can’t keep up, the CRTC heard Friday from representatives of the telecom company partially responsible for this week’s public hearing on differential pricing practices.

CRTC consulting on capacity of Ont, N.L. markets

The CRTC is looking for comment on whether the Brampton, Ont. and St. John’s, N.L. radio markets can support additional stations.

It said Friday in separate notices of consultation it has received two applications for new commercial ethnic radio stations in Brampton and one application for a commercial radio station in St. John’s.

CRTC hears opposite takes on social benefits of zero-rating

GATINEAU, Que. — The question of whether differential pricing practices (DPPs) can be used for socially beneficial purposes came up on the fourth day of the CRTC’s hearing on DPPs Thursday, where accessibility advocates argued against zero-rating while Telus Corp. representatives said it could be used to promote cultural content.

Family Channel advertising OK ‘clearly positive’: Canaccord

DHX Media Ltd. announced Thursday it received approval from the CRTC to allow broadcast advertising on its specialty Family channel, a move that one analyst describes as “clearly positive,” but not a “game changer.” 

CRTC consulting on Ottawa-area radio

The CRTC is looking for feedback on whether the Ottawa-Gatineau radio market can support additional radio stations.

In a notice of consultation posted to its website Thursday, the commission said it received an application for a new commercial ethnic station to serve the area.

Interested parties have until Dec. 5 to file interventions.

CRTC suspends closed-captioning targets

The CRTC has granted a group testing alternative methods of closed captioning English-language television a reprieve in having to hit accuracy targets.

In a notice on its website Wednesday, the commission said it would suspend until Aug. 31, 2019, the requirement that captioning on live programming have a 95-per-cent accuracy rate.

CRTC should be flexible with zero-rating: Rogers

GATINEAU, Que. — While Rogers Communications Inc. said it generally does not support differential pricing practices (DPP), it suggested Wednesday that the regulator should stay flexible in its approach given potential developments in Internet of Things (IoT) technology.

CRTC issues TV licence-renewal outline

The CRTC has issued a “working document” to guide discussion in the upcoming public hearing on the renewal of television licences by large ownership groups.

“The inclusion of specific proposals in the working document should not be seen as an indication that the Commission has made up its mind on any issue or that it prefers one option over another,” the CRTC cautioned in a notice on its website Wednesday.

Super Bowl appeal to go ahead, but court says no stay

Federal Court has granted BCE Inc. leave to appeal the CRTC’s decision not to allow simultaneous substitution for the Super Bowl, though it declined to delay the implementation of the decision until the court process wrapped up.

No proven harm from differential pricing: Bell

GATINEAU — The CRTC shouldn’t take the non-participation in this week’s hearing by content providers who might eventually benefit from zero-rating and other differential pricing practices as non-interest, a five-commissioner panel studying the issue heard Tuesday.