Brief
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is the first party leader to explicitly oppose the proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc. by Rogers Communications Inc., saying that telecommunication giants are already “exploiting people.” His comments came at a Friday morning press conference while on the campaign trail. “We already pay some of the highest rates for cell …
Continue reading "Singh says he’ll oppose Rogers-Shaw merger"
Telecoms shares have continued to track higher thanks to a regulatory backdrop which “has turned much more benign,” according to an industry analyst. 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 "Telecom regulation more ‘benign’: analyst"
GATINEAU, Que. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is giving Canada’s telecommunications companies an ultimatum: drive down your prices or face much more competition in the marketplace. His comments come after the second French-language leader’s debate held Wednesday, where Trudeau declined to say whether or not his government would overturn the CRTC’s decision on wholesale internet …
Continue reading "Lower your prices or else, Trudeau tells big telecom at debate"
With a federal election called for Sept. 20, parties have pledged to make Canadians’ lives better in a myriad of ways, including by connecting rural and remote communities to quality internet. The government has had a vision for increased connectivity for years, even before the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the need as people were forced to …
Continue reading "Broadband blues: the UBF and its discontents"
Canada’s big telecommunications companies are in favour of making access to mental services more convenient for Canadians, by implementing 988 as the national three-digit dialing code. Three numbers is easier to remember than a 10-digit number and therefore, can save lives, the companies argue in interventions to a CRTC consultation on the matter. This content …
Continue reading "Telecoms support for 3-digit crisis line and transition to ten-digit dialling "
The CRTC has approved an application from the Cochrane Telecom Services for the CRTC to refrain from regulating its residential services in Cochrane, Ont. 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC approves Cochrane Telecom application for forbearance "
Rogers Communications Inc. is calling out a Toronto developer’s so-called “feigned ignorance” in a dispute over access to a high-rise building in the Yorkville area. 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 "Rogers claims Yorkville MDU owner playing ignorant to stall CRTC proceeding"
Three companies are disputing claims from BCE Inc. that it would be unduly harmed by the CRTC’s decision to include all competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) in receiving toll-free traffic. 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 "Bell misunderstands CRTC toll-trunk order: Telus"
The CRTC is giving the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) more time to analyze information the regulator recently ordered incumbents to disclose in an ongoing proceeding on the 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC gives CNOC more time to analyze disagg disclosure"
An Ottawa-area internet service provider has added its voice to those asking the government to overturn the CRTC’s decision to revert rates for wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs) to 2016 interim levels. 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 "National Capital FreeNet asks gov. to reverse CRTC wholesale rates decision "
The CRTC has said it will consider a procedural request from Iristel Inc. to direct the incumbent wireless carriers to publicize their template agreements for wholesale mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) and seamless roaming services, in a letter published this week. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
Continue reading "Iristel asks CRTC for incumbents’ MVNO template agreements"
As party platforms make the rounds ahead of the Sept. 20 federal election, the Bloc Québécois has proposed the creation of a Quebec-based organization to replace the CRTC in its own slate of promises to voters. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "Bloc Québécois proposing a regional replacement for the CRTC"
In its response to a Rogers Communications Inc. request to the CRTC asking that it force a Toronto high-rise owner to give the company access to the building to perform maintenance on its facilities, the developer has said it is unaware of any of the facilities referenced by Rogers. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
Continue reading "Tell us more about Rogers facilities in our building: MDU owner "
A dispute over Cogeco Inc. dropping children’s television content creator Wildbrain Ltd.’s programming will now go through a mediation process after the CRTC has opted to suspend a Part 1 application filed by the production company. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "CRTC sending Cogeco and Wildbrain to mediation over channel drop dispute"
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally called Sunday for a widely-expected election to take place on Sept. 20, the political machinery across Canada’s parties has whirred into action, making promises and plans in the hopes of attracting voters. Here’s your early guide from The Wire Report into what issues across the telecommunications and broadcast sectors …
Continue reading "The Wire Report’s guide to the 2021 federal election "
The CRTC has decided it will not open proceedings into creating a strengthened Broadcast Participation Fund, after being asked to do so by a pair of public interest advocacy groups. 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 "CRTC rejects PIAC/FRPC call for strengthened broadband participation fund"
The CRTC has denied a request made by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) to waive conditions of licence and regulations relating to broadcasters’ expenditures for the 2020 broadcast year, opting instead for an extended payment approach to benefit the entirety of the broadcasting industry. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "CRTC sides with creative sector in broadcasters’ CanCon relief proposal"
The Federal Court of Appeal will take up a Telus Corp. challenge to two aspects of the CRTC’s April wireless review decision. 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 "Court to hear Telus challenge to CRTC wireless review decision "
The CRTC will hold hearings on whether Rogers Communications Inc. may purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of Shaw Communications Inc. and its subsidiaries Nov. 22, and is looking for interventions and comments on the matter. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "CRTC to hold hearing on Rogers-Shaw merger, opens consultation"
Rogers Communications Inc. is asking the CRTC to force a high-rise building owner in Toronto, ON, to give it access to its own facilities for installation, maintenance and repairs the company says it needs to perform. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "Rogers files another MDU access complaint"
TekSavvy Solutions Inc.‘s arguments in its June challenge to the CRTC’s final decision on wholesale internet access rates — that the CRTC breached its duty of procedural fairness in not conducting a thorough review of the new rates — are the same arguments made by incumbent telecom companies (and rejected by the Federal Court of …
Continue reading "TekSavvy’s wholesale appeal uses failed incumbent arguments from 2019: Bell"
Civil groups and Canadian telecoms companies agree that the CRTC should extend its digital survey to foreign digital media broadcasting undertakings operating in Canada, but can’t find consensus on the best threshold or if it even has the authority to do so, according to interventions in the CRTC’s consultation in the matter. This content is …
Continue reading "Consensus on CRTC data collection for foreign outlets; disagreement on how"
Quebecor Inc.’s president and CEO is renewing calls for the federal government to implement a news media compensation strategy, to “ensure the sustainability of advertising revenue, and the vitality of competitiveness” and for the CRTC to ensure swift negotiations with incumbents on wireless network access. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "Quebecor calls for swift news media compensation legislation"
The CRTC has determined that, unless a telecommunications service provider (TSP) cannot be trusted to maintain the integrity of the anti-call-spoofing protocol known as STIR/SHAKEN, there is no reason to deny TSPs, that do not have direct access to numbering resources, access to secure telephony identity (STI) certificates. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
Continue reading "No reason to deny TSPs access to secure telephony identity certificates: CRTC"
Approximately 3,625 households will benefit from the CRTC’s Broadband Fund, after a Wednesday announcement of 10 projects selected to receive a total of $20.5 million. 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 announces 10 projects, $20.5M, in Broadband Fund"
The CRTC has ruled that the CBC/Radio-Canada is not giving itself an undue preference with its paid subscription, online, video-on-demand service, and that it has not contravened any exclusivity rules by allowing Telus Corp. customers free access. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
Continue reading "CRTC dismisses Quebecor complaint of CBC undue preference"
As the dust settles on the results of the 3,500 MHz auction announced Thursday, much of the initial interest amongst analysts and industry watchers has centered not on the $7.31 billion spent by the so-called big three incumbents — BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc, and Telus Corp. — but rather on the roughly $830 million …
Continue reading "Eyes on Quebecor following 3500 MHz auction"
The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed an attempt by Quebecor Inc. to overturn a CRTC decision that ordered the company to continue to provide its TVA Sports broadcast to BCE Inc. subscribers after Quebecor yanked the feed in April 2019, just as the puck dropped on the opening game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. …
Continue reading "Court of appeal dismisses Quebecor challenge in TVA Sports fight with Bell"
BCE Inc. is requesting that the CRTC allow it to deploy its new toll trunks only to Rogers Communications Inc., rather than all local exchange carriers (LECs), arguing that the commission was in the wrong to expand its scope without proper notice earlier this year. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "Bell asks CRTC to reverse decision to deploy new toll trunks to all LECs"
In its ongoing effort to gain access to multiple apartment buildings in Saint John, N.B., Rogers Communications Inc. said in a reply filed with the CRTC Tuesday that a representative of IronGate Developments has not officially responded to its application. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "Rogers claims Saint John developer ignoring CRTC proceeding"
The CRTC Monday approved an application from Asian Television Network International Limited, authorizing its “Mirror Now” channel for distribution as non-Canadian 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. Take a free trial or …
Continue reading "CRTC approves Asian Television Network authorization for Indian news channel"
With advertising revenues battered by the pandemic — particularly the second half of the year — the CRTC Friday reported widespread drops in broadcast revenues for the 2019-2020 year, with total revenues coming in at over $15.7 billion. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "CRTC reports drop in broadcast revenue for 2020"
The new low-cost mobile wireless plans released yesterday by BCE Inc., Telus Corp., and Rogers Communications Inc. are not good enough, according to the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. 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 "Low cost mobile plans fall short of the mark: PIAC "
Cogeco Inc. saw a rise in revenue and profit this spring and though CEO Philippe Jetté did not discuss the company’s potential wireless plans with analysts during a call Thursday morning, he did set the stage for the upcoming year. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "Cogeco reports rise in Q3 revenue as it eyes a ‘landmark year’ in 2022 "
BCE Inc. has filed an intervention with the CRTC saying New Brunswick’s plan for how it would like to adapt its next-generation 911 (NG911) services may not be the best approach. 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 "Bell wary of New Brunswick’s proposed NG911 system"
Six months after it received a request to release the data it collects on a fraud process known as “SIM swapping,” the CRTC yesterday sent a letter to parties involved in a proceeding on the matter saying that instances of the fraud had fallen by 95 per cent between October 2020 and May of this …
Continue reading "PIAC disappointed with CRTC SIM swap disclosure"
A Canadian radio broadcasting group operating in Southern Ontario will be taking over the shares of a commercial FM radio station serving Vancouver, B.C., despite a request from a former prospective buyer to hold off on the deal. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
Continue reading "CRTC approves change of Vancouver station ownership to Durham Radio Inc."
The CRTC is opting to reduce the timeline for the implementation of area code relief from 72 months before the projected exhaust date of an area code down to 36 months. 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 altering area code relief implementation timeline"
The CRTC today released its regulations for accessibility reporting requirements, which will govern the obligations of telecom companies when it comes to their compliance under the Accessible Canada Act. 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 "CRTC releases accessibility reporting regulations"
Telus Corp. wants the CRTC to set an industry-wide definition of “permanent roaming,” especially after its decision to allow MVNO services to be available to some carriers. 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 "PIAC says no to permanent roaming test, Telus wants new definition"
Shaw Communications Inc. reported a large spike in profit for its third quarter of the year on 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 …
Continue reading "Shaw reports rise in profits for third quarter"
The CRTC is amending its consultation on a potential network-level framework to limit malicious botnet traffic following input from some telecommunications service providers (TSPs), which claimed they are already doing that work. 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 "CRTC wants info on TSP’s botnet blocking efforts"
Local Radio Lab Inc. will be picking up three stations near the Greater Toronto area following approval of its application Friday 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 …
Continue reading "Local Radio Lab acquiring three stations in Ontario"
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. has provided the Liberal Government with what it says is “clear evidence” of CRTC chair Ian Scott’s bias, and doubled down on calls for the government to remove him from his post. In a Thursday release, TekSavvy said that it had filed “additional evidence” in support of a May petition to the …
Continue reading "TekSavvy adds evidence of ‘bias’ to its petition to cabinet "
Senators are looking beyond the free speech issues raised by critics of the revised Broadcasting Act and instead are focusing on what some senators say are other problems arising from the bill, as C-10 crawls its way to the finish line. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
Continue reading "Senate begins C-10 analysis with broad debate "
Rather than creating a “lacuna in the federal regulatory scheme,” causing uncertainty when it comes to access to municipal rights of way for wireless technology as Telus Corp. argues, the CRTC’s decision not to create a regime for that access correctly leaves the matter up to Parliament, according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. This …
Continue reading "FCM rejects Telus complaint of regulatory uncertainty in wireless review appeal"
Fewer Canadians are paying for data overage fees and fewer are complaining about their wireless service charges. Whether or not that has to do with the COVID-19 pandemic is to be determined however, according to research commissioned by the CRTC and released Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …
Continue reading "Wireless Code, home Internet, helping with data overage fees: Research"
An organization advocating for an open and surveillance-free internet is fishing for a beer date with CRTC chair Ian Scott in response to claims that he met with BCE Inc.’s CEO weeks after the company filed an appeal of the commission’s 2019 wholesale rates. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
Continue reading "OpenMedia wants its shot at a beer with CRTC chair Ian Scott"
The House of Commons Industry committee is recommending that the government direct the CRTC to revise its process for the implementation — and subsequent appeals — of new rates so incumbent telecom companies “stop using the appeals process as a delay tactic.” This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …
Continue reading "Industry Committee calls for stricter timelines on CRTC rate-setting procedures "
The revised Broadcasting Act is finally on its way to the Senate after the House of Commons passed Bill C-10 in a vote of 196 to 112 through a time allocation motion. 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 "House passes controversial Bill C-10 through limited debate"
The CRTC has denied an application from Amherstburg Broadcasting Corporation to operate a low-power FM station in Amherstburg, ON. 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC rejects Amherstburg FM station proposal, citing Windsor radio market impact"
New Brunswick is looking for answers as to whether or not independent local exchange carriers (ILECs) delivering next-generation 911 (NG911) services may connect those networks to demarcation points determined by relevant 911 Governing Authorities that may not be located at Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
Continue reading "New Brunswick seeks clarification from CRTC regarding NG911 PSAPs"
The CRTC has approved a new broadcasting licence for Mohawk Multi Media Inc., allowing it to operate an English and Kanien’ke:ha (Mohawk) language Indigenous ration station in Kanesatake/Oka, 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 …
Continue reading "CRTC approves broadcasting licence for Mohawk station in Quebec"
The CRTC is setting new deadlines for the implementation of next-generation 911 networks and services after delaying due to the pandemic. 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 sets new next-gen 911 implementation deadlines"
A debate which Canadian Heritage Committee chair Scott Simms has jokingly said was “so exciting we could sell the rights to Netflix” has finally come to an end. 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 "C-10 headed to HoC; Bloc adds 5 year review of act"
Rogers Communications Inc. has voiced its support for Telus Corp.‘s Federal Court of Appeal challenge of certain elements of April’s CRTC decision, in which Telus challenged provisions of the regulator’s decision mandating seamless roaming between carriers and access to public infrastructure. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
Continue reading "Rogers backs Telus in Wireless Review decision challenge"
The Liberals and the Bloc Québécois cooperated to pass a motion in the House of Commons Monday to limit the Heritage Committee to five hours to complete its work on Bill C-10, the revised Broadcasting Act. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the …
Continue reading "NDP says Libs are to blame for C-10 delays as HoC passes ‘gag order’"
Independent internet service provider (ISP) CIK Telecom announced Friday that it would dial back a planned $300 million fibre network development, blaming the CRTC’s decision to revert wholesale internet access rates to 2016 levels. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
Continue reading "CIK Telecom suspending investments following CRTC wholesale rates decision"
The CRTC is seeking public opinion on wether or not the regulator should establish a national three-digit number for mental health crisis and suicide prevention services in an effort to quicken access to support. 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 seeking input on three-digital mental health, suicide, crisis line"
The CRTC approved a request from broadcaster Stingray Group Inc. Wednesday, asking that it be allowed to change its English-language discretionary service, Stingray HITS, into a French service. 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 "Stingray gets French designation for HITS service "
BCE Inc. subsidiary Cablevision du Nord has to finish upgrading its routers in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue of Quebec — at its own expense — by Sept. 1 to accommodate a higher capacity of users, as per a Tuesday decision from the CRTC. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
Continue reading "CRTC orders Bell subsidiary to upgrade routers in Quebec"
The federal government’s Canadian Heritage Committee is holding firm on plans to subject social media to broadcasting regulations after it voted down a proposed amendment from the Conservative Party that would have compensated for social media’s exemption from Bill C-10. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
Continue reading "Conservative attempt to reintroduce C-10 social media exclusion fails"
Rogers Communications Inc. is repeating its request that the CRTC help it gain access to a number of apartment complexes in Saint John, N.B., as it claims it has not heard from the developer following its Part 1 application. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
Continue reading "Rogers renews request to CRTC for building access in N.B."
