Brief
BCE Inc. is planning to maintain recently acquired Distributel Ltd. as a standalone company, but will incorporate it with its other fresh acquisition, EBox Inc., and will treat them both as part of the incumbent’s “value segment.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
Continue reading "Bell will fold EBox into Distributel: Bell CFO"
The Competition Bureau responded Monday to Rogers Communications Inc.’s request for more information on why divesting Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile is not enough to facilitate the merger of the two telecom giants. Rogers asked for clarification last week. Shaw is seeking to sell Freedom to Québecor Inc.’s Vidéotron division for $2.85 billion. This content …
Continue reading "Rogers gets details on how Quebecor-Freedom deal harms competition"
Telus Corp.‘s plan to introduce a 1.5 per cent surcharge for new and existing customers who pay their bills with a credit card is a “facial case of unjust discrimination” and the CRTC must reject the incumbent’s application on that basis, according to an intervention on the proceeding from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and …
Continue reading "Telus’ credit card fee proposal violates Telecommunications Act: PIAC"
In a Sept. 6 letter, the CRTC has accepted a request from Rogers Communications Inc. for final offer arbitration (FOA) with WildBrain Ltd. over carriage of the Family Channel and its subsidiary Family Jr. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "CRTC to arbitrate Rogers dispute over Family Channel"
Wednesday Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced a network sharing agreement for telecom service providers (TSPs) in response to the July outage experienced by Rogers Communications Inc. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news …
Continue reading "Champagne announces network sharing agreement following Rogers outage"
The Competitive Network Operators of Canada is taking issue with a costing study Shaw Communications Inc. presented to the CRTC to justify the prices it wants to charge its wholesale customers for two newly offered gigabit speeds. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
Continue reading "CNOC takes issue with Shaw’s proposed costs for new 1.5 gigabit service"
Friday the CRTC approved a report from the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) regarding handset-based location technology. The report itself came from CISC’s Emergency Services Working Group (ESWG). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you …
Continue reading "CRTC approves CISC working group report on location technology"
Following months of discussion, the CRTC has finally implemented the use of 988 as an emergency number for health care crises and suicide prevention services. In a lengthy decision released Wednesday, the commission said migration to 10-digit dialing is needed to facilitate the 988 code. Telecom service providers (TSPs) have until May 31 of next …
Continue reading "CRTC approves 988 crisis number, won’t start until next year"
Again dissatisfied with the redactions in Rogers Communications Inc.‘s public filings to the CRTC regarding the company’s massive July 8 outage, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre has again asked the CRTC to mandate greater disclosure from the incumbent telecom company. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "Rogers disclosure on outage, CRTC process not good enough: PIAC"
Rogers Communications Inc. filed a second response to a confidential Aug. 5 letter from the CRTC, requesting more information on the July network outage. The heavily redacted response was received Monday and posted to the commission website this week. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
Continue reading "Rogers answers CRTC request for information on July outage"
The CRTC has issued a request for information from the incumbent wireless carriers and their wholesale competitors on wholesale wireless and roaming access. The Aug. 19 letter poses eight questions to the ILECs and seven to the competitors. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "CRTC puts out request for information on wholesale wireless "
Television revenues are rebounding from the pandemic slump while revenues in radio continue to take a hit, the CRTC said Tuesday in its annual report on the broadcast industry. The greatest increase was for digital media broadcasting undertakings (DMBUs). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
Continue reading "TV revenues recover while radio continues decline: CRTC report"
The CRTC is once again dealing with a service outage from a major carrier, in this case BCE Inc. property Northwestel. According to an Aug. 17 letter to the incumbent telecom, there were service disruptions on Aug. 3 and 4. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "CRTC investigating Northwestel outage in Nunavut"
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the National Pensioners Federation are calling on the CRTC to suspend Telus Corp.‘s effort to put a 1.5 per cent surcharge on any retail bills paid for using a credit card. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
Continue reading "PIAC calls for suspension of Telus credit card charge application "
Thursday the CRTC renewed the licence of OUTtv Network Inc. for five years and said it should be on must-offer status in English Canada for four years. That wasn’t good enough for one commissioner. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "OUTtv licence renewed, becomes must-offer in English Canada"
Canada should look to Britain and Australia for lessons on how to regulate internet advertising, a new study by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre maintains. The consumer group surveyed regulators, industry and stakeholder groups as well as looking at foreign markets when assessing the state of the advertising market in this country. The study, Selling …
Continue reading "Britain and Australia provide example for internet ads, PIAC says"
BCE Inc. property Bell MTS had an outage on Monday that cut off internet and television services to customers. The incident was centered around Winnipeg and surrounding areas and lasted about two hours. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
Continue reading "Bell MTS continues to experience outages in Manitoba"
The CRTC is asking Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. to confirm that they have reached an agreement over burying cable lines in British Columbia. The pact would cover transmission costs for cable lines on, over, under or along BC highways. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …
Continue reading "CRTC seeks to confirm Rogers-Shaw deal on cable lines"
Submissions to the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development’s (ISED) consultation on a new draft policy direction for the CRTC reveal some of the legal arguments that could be used to fight the direction should the government give it the force of law. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "Big 3 fight back against ISED’s efforts to protect wholesale regime"
The Attorney General of Canada will not make any representations for itself in an application for judicial review to which it is a party over the CRTC’s renewal of the CBC/Radio-Canada‘s license. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …
Continue reading "AG won’t fight CMPA’s application for leave to appeal CBC license "
The Canadian Media Producers Association, with support from parties across the television and film production sector, has added its voice to calls for the cabinet to overturn the changes granted to CBC/Radio-Canada in the CRTC’s renewal of the broadcaster’s license. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "CMPA files petition to cabinet on CBC license "
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre has asked the CRTC to mandate that Rogers Communications Inc. reveal more about the details of what led to a nationwide outage across the telecom’s network on July 8. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "PIAC, CNOC detail disclosure request on Rogers outage "
The National Pensioners Federation and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre have filed a petition asking cabinet to overturn the CRTC’s renewal of the CBC/Radio-Canada broadcast licence. The decision contravenes broadcasting policy, they maintain, and should be thrown out. Failing that, the government should send the decision back to the regulator for reconsideration, they argue. This …
Continue reading "PIAC, pensioners want cabinet to overturn CRTC’s CBC licence renewal"
Monday the CRTC granted approval of a change in speeds for third party internet access (TPIA) for Cogeco Communications Inc., on behalf of its Cogeco Connexion subsidiary. The regulator also set rates for the various services. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "Cogeco gets approval for TPIA speeds and rates from CRTC"
City Wide Communications Inc.‘s lack of growth in Nova Scotia is due to the presence of other third-party internet access (TPIA) competitors in the province, rather than anything having to do with the location of Bragg Communications Inc.‘s points-of-interconnection (POIs), according to Bragg. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …
Continue reading "City Wide is the victim of competition, not anti-competitive practice: Eastlink"
The CRTC has said it may ask for additional information from Rogers Communications Inc. on the July 8 nationwide outage that the commission is currently investigating. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …
Continue reading "Parties may request additional disclosure from Rogers on outage: CRTC"
VMedia Inc. can expand its national footprint with resources from Quebecor Inc., as part of the Quebec-based company’s national expansion, according to VMedia co-founder George Burger. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …
Continue reading "Quebecor’s acquisition of VMedia exciting for competition says co-founder, CNOC"
The CRTC denied a request filed by Sarnia Media and Entertainment Inc. for a broadcasting licence to operate an English-language low-power commercial FM radio station in Sarnia, Ont., having found that the market cannot support an additional station at this time. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
Continue reading "Sarnia, Ont., won’t see new radio stations for at least 2 years: CRTC"
Two Canadian and American governing authorities responsible for implementing STIR/SHAKEN are collaborating to combat robocalling. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now. FREE …
Continue reading "Canadian, U.S., STIR/SHAKEN authorities sign MoU on robocalling"
Thursday the CRTC added five interexchange private line (IXPL) routes to the list of routes it is forbearing from regulation. The routes, all from subsidiaries of BCE Inc., are in Manitoba and central Canada. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "CRTC adds five Bell IXPL lines to forbearance list"
Tuesday the CRTC issued approvals of several statements of work for projects covered by the Broadband Fund. The projects are in western Canada and the Atlantic provinces. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. …
Continue reading "CRTC approves statements of work for several broadband projects"
The Competitive Network Operators of Canada has lent its full-throated support to the federal government’s proposed new policy direction for the CRTC, one that orders the regulator to promote, encourage, and foster competition, affordability, consumer interests and innovation. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "CNOC supports proposed policy direction, with “minor changes”"
Xplornet Communications Inc.‘s Xplore Mobile will shut down at the end of August, the company announced Friday afternoon. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire …
Continue reading "Xplornet to shut down Xplore Mobile, blaming CRTC delays in MVNO regime"
The House of Commons Industry committee will launch hearings into the Friday, July 8 Rogers Communications Inc. outage, the committee voted Friday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or …
Continue reading "INDU to hold hearings into Rogers outage, CIRA backs full public hearing at CRTC"
A Quebec-based hotel accused of copyright infringement is asking the CRTC to order BCE Inc. to enter into good faith negotiations with the company regarding the terms of distribution of Réseau des sports (RDS) and its other discretionary services, claiming that the incumbent is using stall tactics to slow down competition. This content is available …
Continue reading "Quebec hotel company asks CRTC to mandate negotiations with Bell"
BCE Inc. is asking the CRTC to rescind its order to make seamless handoffs available for in-footprint coverage gaps, arguing that the order is harming competition by mandating Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. to make the revised changes in its wholesale mobile wireless roaming service tariffs. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
Continue reading "In-footprint seamless handoffs hurt competition: Bell to CRTC"
City Wide Communications Inc. is appealing the CRTC’s decision not to force Bragg Communications Inc. to move its third-party internet access to downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …
Continue reading "City Wide appeals Eastlink POI decision at CRTC"
The CRTC is estimating that its telecommunications fees for the 2022-2023 fiscal year will total just more than $47.5 million, according to its telecom order released Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. …
Continue reading "CRTC yearly telecom fees increase by 24 per cent"
Monday the CRTC approved claim forms for four projects under the Broadband Fund. The payment orders went to the Kativik Regional Government in northern Quebec and to three projects from BCE Inc.’s Northwestel Inc. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "CRTC approves claims for broadband rollout in North"
The Competitive Network Operators of Canada has filed an intervention in support of a Part 1 request for the CRTC to review the methodology by which the regulator sets roaming tariffs. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital …
Continue reading "CNOC back regional carriers’ call for roaming rates review"
In a Thursday decision, the CRTC announced it was implementing regulations to control botnets that threaten Canadians’ internet security. It established the guiding principles for the framework and required a detailed set of recommendations from the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) within nine months. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "CRTC outlines framework to block botnets from internet traffic"
The CRTC has granted a sweeping flexibility that paves the way for CBC/Radio-Canada to shift toward a focus on digital outputs and away from its linear programming. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. …
Continue reading "CRTC grants CBC flexibility for push to digital"
Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez attacked Conservative party critics of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act during Question Period Thursday. Three Tory MPs raised the issue hours after the House of Commons Committee on Canadian Heritage went through clause-by-clause study of the legislation. All three opposition MPs are members of that committee. This content …
Continue reading "Rodriguez lashes out at Online Streaming Act critics, Senate begins study"
The CRTC has imposed an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) of $7.5 million on BCE Inc. for violating the Telecommunications Act and delaying the network deployment of its main competitor in Quebec. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital …
Continue reading "CRTC fines Bell for delaying access to support structures"
The government’s new cybersecurity bill, introduced on Tuesday, is taking a two-pronged approach. One component will concentrate on telecommunications while the other focuses on telecom, transport, energy and finance. The legislation is called An Act Respecting Cyber Security (ARCS) and will be numbered Bill C-26. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "Government introduces two-part cybersecurity bill"
The CRTC is estimating that its telemarketing regulatory costs for the 2022-2023 fiscal year will total $3.3 million, according to its public notice released Monday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a …
Continue reading "CRTC issues notice on 2022-2023 estimated telemarketing regulatory costs"
Rogers Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc. are among competitors protesting proposed changes to the telecom fees regime while incumbent telecoms are happy with the CRTC’s amendments. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take …
Continue reading "ILECs and CLECs spar over telecom fees amendments"
The CRTC has denied a request from BCE Inc. to stay a 2021 commission order mandating that the incumbent change its tariff language to include all competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs), finding that “there is no substantial doubt as to the correctness” of its previous decision. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …
Continue reading "CRTC denies Bell’s review and vary on toll-trunk tariff language"
The CRTC announced it was initiating a proceeding to improve telecommunications services in Canada’s north. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now. FREE …
Continue reading "CRTC looks at improving telecom services in Far North"
The CRTC gave Rogers Communications Inc. permission Wednesday to access a building in Toronto to which it has been denied entry. Other carriers in the building must inform their clients of the decision. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
Continue reading "Building owner ordered to give Rogers access to Toronto facility"
Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. are asking the CRTC to deny a request by TekSavvy Solutions Inc. to speed up the regulatory process by which new speed tiers are introduced and become available to wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "Rogers, Telus, want CRTC to deny TekSavvy TPIA tariff changes "
BCE Inc. wants the government to incentivize foreign-domestic partnerships through its Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11, arguing that the entire Canadian broadcasting ecosystem is funded by profits generated from foreign content, which domestic broadcasters have less access to. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "C-11 needs to incentivize a new era of foreign-domestic partnerships: Bell"
CRTC chair Ian Scott told the House of Commons Heritage Committee Tuesday that Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, is needed to modernize Canada’s broadcast sector. The Broadcasting Act from 1991 did a lot of good but stands out as a product of its time, he said. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
Continue reading "Intent of C-11 is to exclude digital creators: CRTC chair"
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has assured the House of Commons that the next chair of the CRTC will be fluent in both of Canada’s official languages. The government has been taking heat for appointing a unilingual anglophone as Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick and a Governor-General who does not speak French. This content is available …
Continue reading "Next CRTC chair must be bilingual: Rodriguez"
Amongst those independent internet service providers (ISPs) who had been pleading with the federal government to overturn the CRTC’s 2021 reversal of a 2019 decision that drastically lowered the rates those ISPs paid for access to incumbent networks, reaction to Thursday’s proposed policy direction was like the policy itself: decidedly mixed. This content is available …
Continue reading "Stakeholder reaction to CRTC policy direction mixed"
