Brief
The Conservatives kept up their pressure on the government to implement a three-digit emergency line for mental health crises and suicide prevention. It has been more than a year since the House of Commons unanimously approved MP Todd Doherty’s motion to establish 988 as that line. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …
Continue reading "Tories demand action on 988, Liberals say outreach is ongoing"
Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen decried the fake outrage he said the Conservatives are invoking in opposing Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, as Liberals got a chance to defend the bill in the House of Commons on Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "Liberal MPs say Tories faking outrage over Bill C-11, defend CRTC as regulator"
The Conservatives continue to lambaste the government for the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11, while the Liberals maintain the Tories are misrepresenting the legislation and compare it to the Canadian Content regulations brought in 50 years ago. The Conservatives have vowed to change the bill in committee. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
Continue reading " Tories attack C11, Grits compare it to CanCon regulations"
Canadians are sending approximately 6,459 complaints per week to the Spam Reporting Centre (SRC), according to a report issued by the CRTC. 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 "Email spam and lack of consent top list for biggest spam complaints: report"
Debate continued in the House of Commons Thursday on the Online Streaming Act, known as Bill C-11. Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs were the speakers.They took opposite approaches to the bill. The Tories worry about censorship and government overreach while the Bloquistes stressed the need for cultural autonomy. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
Continue reading "Tories denounce Bill C-11 while Bloc defends it"
In the wake of a Federal Court ruling that determined a trio of companies that had established a private television network for hotels violated Quebecor Inc.’s copyright by rebroadcasting TVA Sports, Quebecor has asked the CRTC to remove the companies from the regulator’s list of exempted broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs) under its 2017 BDU order. …
Continue reading "Quebecor asks CRTC to punish hotel broadcasters"
The CRTC has approved Telus Corp.’s revisions to next-generation 911 (NG911) Local Government Service Agreement template. 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. …
Continue reading "CRTC approves Telus NG911 Local Government Service Agreement"
Thursday the CRTC released the schedule for broadcasters and telecommunications companies to report under the Accessible Canada Act. The initial regulations were issued last July. 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 accessibility reporting timetables"
Public Sector Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday has declined to open his own investigation into the conduct of CRTC chair Ian Scott following a complaint by TekSavvy Solutions Inc. about Scott’s 2019 meeting in an Ottawa bar with BCE Inc.’s then-chief operating officer (and now CEO) Mirko Bibic. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
Continue reading "Integrity Commissioner refers TekSavvy’s Scott complaint to Ethics Commissioner "
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. is asking the CRTC to speed up the regulatory process by which new speed tiers are introduced and become available to wholesale-based internet service providers like the Chatham-Kent, Ont.-based company. 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 "TekSavvy calls for TPIA tariff changes to stop delayed access to new offerings"
The 911 committee for the Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique au Québec (SCFP) is asking the CRTC to suspend its consultation on funding the next-generation 911 (NG911) system through the National Contribution Fund until the commission determines if it should reclassify small incumbent local exchange carriers (SILECs). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
Continue reading "Quebec union 911 committee request CRTC suspend NG911 funding consultation"
The CRTC has admonished Telus Corp. for not entirely fulfilling its broadcast programming obligations mandated by its 2018 license renewal. 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 …
Continue reading "Telus hasn’t completely lived up to its broadcast license obligations: CRTC "
As the CRTC is considering the funding structures for the planned rollout of so-called next generation 911 service (NG911) the non-profit Canadian Public Safety Operations Organization (CanOps) is asking the regulator to mandate that telecommunications service providers adopt a universal service protocol that would allow for a level of centrally coordinated emergency service delivery. This …
Continue reading "CanOps argues for broader standard adoption for NG911"
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh called once again for the government to disallow the Rogers Communications Inc. takeover of Shaw Communications Inc., saying it is not in the public good. The merger will result in layoffs of staff and higher costs for consumers, he alleged. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "Singh calls for halt of Rogers-Shaw merger, PIAC appeals to cabinet"
Conservative MP Todd Doherty carried on the fight for implementation of a 988 suicide helpline Monday, culminating in a private member’s bill on the subject. 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 "Doherty introduces private member’s bill on suicide helpline"
Friday the CRTC approved an application by the Burns Lake & District Broadcasting Society for a licence to operate a radiocommunications distribution undertaking (RDU) in northwestern British Columbia. 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 new television rebroadcaster in British Columbia"
In replies to one of a number of disputes before the CRTC about access to in-building wires in multi-dwelling units (MDUs), the internet service provider Beanfield Technologies Inc. has asked the regulator to expand its inquiry to investigate why such exclusivity arrangements have been signed in the first place. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
Continue reading "Beanfield wants CRTC to expand scope in Toronto MDU proceeding"
The Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) is the only intervener in a CRTC proceeding that supports a Toronto-based attorney’s request to consider whether the CRTC’s general policy of forbearance remains applicable. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "Little support for CRTC forbearance policy review following Part 1 application"
The Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) is calling on the CRTC to reverse a planned service cancellation by Shaw Communications Inc. ahead of its takeover 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 "CCSA decries Shaw’s plan to cut satellite service"
In a federal government that is mostly targeted towards new spending on housing and defense, there were a handful of new spending commitments related to the telecommunications and broadcast sectors. 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 …
Continue reading "Budget devotes new funding to CRTC and to journalism initiatives"
The CRTC mostly accepted the arguments of small wireless carriers against the big three in a ruling on seamless handoff and 5G roaming. In a lengthy decision issued Wednesday, the commission sought to make life easier for the regional players by finding in their favour in almost every one of the disputed areas. Those topics …
Continue reading "CRTC sides with regional wireless carriers in roaming decision"
Telecom complaints fell by 26 percent in six months while disclosure issues and incorrect charges topped the top consumer grievances in the wireless sector, according to a mid-year report from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "Telecom complaints down by 26 per cent according to CCTS report"
Tuesday the CRTC approved an application by Shaw Communications Inc. to introduce internet 1500 wholesale high-speed access service (1.5 Gig service). It denied three conditions suggested by Shaw and also dismissed a request from TekSavvy Solutions Inc. for administrative monetary penalties (AMP) on Shaw. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "CRTC approves, with changes, Shaw’s 1500 wholesale service"
Tuesday Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron was granted approval by the CRTC for reintroduction of aggregated and disaggregated Giga service and introduction of aggregated and disaggregated 1.5 Giga service. Last November the telecom applied to reintroduce third-party internet access (TPIA) of services with download speeds of 501-1000 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 0-100 Mbps …
Continue reading "CRTC approves aggregated and disaggregated Giga service from Quebecor"
Extremist groups are able to propagate their message and raise funds because Canada does not have legislation that prevents it, the House Committee on Public Safety and National Security was told on Thursday. Further hindering lawmakers is that many of the fundraising platforms are located in the United States and are not subject to Canadian …
Continue reading "Hate groups need legislative stops on fundraising, security committee hears"
GATINEAU, Que.–The CRTC came in for a drubbing at two panels Wednesday at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Service Providers (CanWISP). Many questioned the current mandate of the regulator and others criticized it for being slow and unresponsive to small competitors, such as the members of CanWISP itself. This content …
Continue reading "Panelists tell government to reform the CRTC"
Distributel Ltd. is asking the CRTC to revise the interim rates for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access (“HSA”) services to help jumpstart the lagging disaggregated wholesale regime. 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 "Distributel seeks revised interim rates for disagg regime"
The CRTC has issued $19.5 million from the regulator’s Broadband Fund for seven projects that will bring internet connectivity to 10 communities in Alberta and British Columbia. In a series of decisions released Tuesday, the commission said the plan would bring service to 1,255 households including seven Indigenous communities. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
Continue reading "CRTC allocates $19m for broadband rollout in Alberta and B.C."
The CRTC has issued an administrative renewal of CBC/Radio-Canada‘s broadcasting license through Aug. 30 of this year, over a year after the regulator held hearings into the public broadcaster’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 digital media …
Continue reading "CBC license administratively renewed, full decision to come by late June "
The CRTC has added a dozen additional routes to its list of interexchange private line (IXPL) services that it is forbearing from regulation. 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC to forbear from regulating IXPL services on 12 additional routes"
The commission denied an application by City Wide Communications Inc. requesting it order Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink to move its Nova Scotia third-party Internet access (TPIA) point of interconnection to downtown Halifax, N.S. 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 "CRTC won’t order Bragg to relocate its TPIA point of interconnection"
The CRTC approved two separate applications by Cogeco Inc. and Arsenal Media which would essentially see the two companies swap several radio stations 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 media news you need. Take a …
Continue reading "CRTC approves Arsenal, Cogeco, radio swap"
Digital creators are wary of the government’s claim that amendments to the Broadcasting Act will not include them. The current legislation, Bill C-11, is too vague, the House of Commons Heritage committee heard Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "Digital creators may still be subject to C-11, Heritage Committee told"
The CRTC has approved Rogers Communications Inc.‘s acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc.‘s broadcasting assets, meaning that the companies have now cleared the first of three regulatory hurdles on the way to cementing the merger. In a Thursday afternoon release after the close of markets, the regulator wrote that it “concludes that the transaction as modified …
Continue reading "UPDATED: CRTC approves Rogers-Shaw broadcasting acquisition"
The CRTC has acknowledged the concern of certain stakeholders about the regulator’s delay in resolving a number of files still open before it, and has written that it, too, is concerned about the delays. 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 acknowledges, shares CNOC concerns about delays"
The industry group Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) has sent a letter personally addressed to CRTC chair Ian Scott, asking Scott to both “resolve the commission’s backlog of competition moving decisions as soon as possible,” as well as “consider [his] ongoing and future participation in any proceeding before the commission involving service-based competition.” This …
Continue reading "CNOC makes appeal to CRTC chair personally"
The CRTC approved a BCE Inc. subsidiary’s request to implement its plan for local competition in the low-density market of Upton, Que. within five months, despite pushback from Quebec-based telecom company CoopTel which argued it should be done sooner. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
Continue reading "Bell subsidiary given 5 months to implement local competition plan in Upton, Que."
The CRTC issued an updated notice of consultation on video relay service (VRS) 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 free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report now. FREE TRIAL …
Continue reading "CRTC issues notice of consultation on video relay service"
The CRTC is seeking comments on funding for the rollout of next-generation 911 (NG911) service, according to a notice issued Tuesday. 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC seeks comments on next-gen 911 deployment"
The commission is holding a hearing for two separate applications for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language community FM radio station in Fermont, Que., and to operate an Indigenous low-power FM radio station in Wauzhushk Onigum Nation, Ont. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
Continue reading "CRTC holding hearing for Indigenous radio, French-language radio, applications"
Following the issuing of an order-in-council from the cabinet on Wednesday night, and announcements from both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez earlier in the week – the CRTC Thursday opened a consultation to review the presence of Russia Today (RT) on Canadian airwaves. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
Continue reading "CRTC opens consultation on Russia Today removal after request from Gov."
The CRTC cannot direct internet service providers (ISPs) to implement age verification techniques on pornographic websites in Canada, because the regulator must adhere to the principles of net neutrality – the concept that all traffic on the internet should be given equal treatment by ISPs – according to the commission’s chief of consumer, research and …
Continue reading "Net neutrality prevents CRTC from ordering ISPs verify age online: CRTC to Senate"
For the second time in the span of a year, the Liberal government has introduced a new bill to update Canada’s broadcasting act but “what it doesn’t bring is new ideas,” according to one Conservative member of parliament. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "Bill C-11 a new bill with no new ideas, and a ‘legal pretzel’ for censorship: CPC"
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday afternoon that the Government is asking the CRTC to “begin the process” of reviewing the presence of the Russian-state funded Russia Today channel on Canadian broadcaster airwaves following last week’s invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. “The CRTC is an independent body and we will be asking them …
Continue reading "Gov. to ask CRTC to stop RT broadcasts over Ukraine invasion"
On Friday, the CRTC approved recommendations from the Emergency Services Working Group (ESWG) on handset-based location technology implementation for 911 service. Because of delays, the commission is setting new deadlines for a further report from ESWG. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "CRTC approves 911 location technology implementation, denies Bell rate range"
BCE Inc. is arguing to the CRTC that Quebecor Inc. provided no justification or rationale to the commission for the pricing discrepancies between its Vrai hybrid video-on-demand (HVOD) service and its Vrai direct-to-consumer (DTC) service, which the incumbent says is giving Quebecor an undue preference. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "Quebecor provides no justification or rationale in Vrai pricing dispute: Bell"
The CRTC is calling for comments on proposed amendments to the Telecommunications Fees Regulations, it announced 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. Take a free trial or subscribe to The Wire Report …
Continue reading "CRTC seeks comments on telecom fees amendments"
The CRTC has decided that it will not consider a request from the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) for commission chair Ian Scott to recuse himself from all matters before the regulator related to the relationship of wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs) and incumbents. In a Feb. 15 letter to CNOC, the CRTC wrote …
Continue reading "CRTC rejects CNOC request for Scott’s recusal"
Quebecor Inc. wants BCE Inc.’s request to mandate that Videotron immediately remove its Vrai service to “be rejected outright,” Quebecor told the CRTC, claiming that the incumbent’s arguments are “devoid of any merit and relies on an erroneous interpretation of regulatory principles.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …
Continue reading "Quebecor calls Bell’s Vrai complaint “desperate” and “devoid of any merit”"
The CRTC has relaxed its rules for the reporting of the telephone frauds known as number porting and SIM swaps. 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC relaxes phone fraud reporting requirements"
The CRTC has released a dozen questions it wants stakeholders to answer regarding the establishment of a three-digit number reserved for suicide prevention and mental health crises. The questions seek to discover what barriers would prevent such a rollout and how to overcome them. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "CRTC poses questions on three-digit suicide number"
On Friday the CRTC dismissed a complaint by Telus Corp. against TLN Media Group (TMG), saying what was before it was a business dispute, not a violation of commission regulations. 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 …
Continue reading "Telus, TLN, have a business dispute, not an actionable complaint: CRTC"
The CRTC has determined that all communications service providers (CSPs), including telecommunications service providers (TSPs), Canadian carriers, and broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), must provide certain market segments with free paper billing, in an effort to protect vulnerable consumers. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "Paper billing for vulnerable customers, not universally: CRTC"
In an at-times testy exchange between CRTC chair Ian Scott and MPs on the House of Commons Industry committee, the commission chair sought Tuesday afternoon to defend both the regulator’s decisions and his own personal behavior from allegations that neither was in the best interest of the Canadian public. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
Continue reading "Scott defends CRTC decisions, and himself, at Industry committee"
The CRTC is seeking aggregated data from telecoms on accessibility plans offered to deaf and hard of hearing individuals so organizations representing the community can make informed interventions. 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 seeks information on deaf accessibility from telecoms"
The CRTC denied BCE Inc. the right to market to tenants in a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) in Saint John, New Brunswick, in an ongoing dispute over access 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC orders Bell to stop service in Saint John MDU until Rogers gains access"
OTTAWA — Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodríguez called previous concerns over social media broadcasting regulations “legitimate questions” Wednesday as he introduced the Government’s second attempt at updating the Broadcasting Act, now known as the Online Streaming Act. The new bill brings back an exemption for social media platforms, while maintaining that the act will apply …
Continue reading "Gov. reintroduces Broadcasting Act update, with social media exemption"
