Service providers support TV choice, but not to extent suggested

In interventions submitted as part of the CRTC’s review of the future of the television, both BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. said they supported a pick-and-pay television system, though details of their submissions showed they did not favour going as far as the CRTC has suggested.

CBC plan’s emphasis on mobile not ‘logical’: analyst

CBC/Radio-Canada’s re-focusing of its priorities on its digital and mobile presence is “not a very logical thing to do,” said Barry Kiefl, president of Canadian Media Research Inc.

The public broadcaster said in a strategy paper released Thursday, called "A Space For Us All," that its priorities will be completely reversed from the current pecking order of TV followed by radio, online and mobile.

OpenMedia to meet TPP negotiators

OpenMedia.ca said Thursday it is going to meet negotiators of the Trans-Pacific Partnership when they convene in Ottawa in early July, and it is inviting the public to provide input into various related issues, including Internet censorship.

It's been reported by various publications that representatives of a dozen countries, including Canada, will meet in Ottawa from July 3 to 12 to negotiate elements of the TPP, which would create one of the world's largest free trade zones.

U.S. Supreme Court declares Aereo illegal

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with broadcasters in their case against Aereo Inc.’s TV service, ruling that the service violates the U.S. Copyright Act.

Social TV growing, still lacks audience, monetization: experts

While singing competition reality shows have been a mainstay on network television for the past decade, their newest iteration could offer an indication of the direction in which social-TV strategies are heading.

Rising Star, which premiered on Sunday night and airs in Canada on BCE Inc.’s CTV network, allows viewers to vote — in real time — on which singers will stay in the competition, while contestants perform in front of a giant screen made up of viewers’ social media profiles.

T-Mobile launching unRadio music streaming service

T-Mobile US Inc. and Rhapsody International Inc. are introducing a music streaming service that will not count against T-Mobile customers’ monthly data cap, the U.S. wireless carrier announced Thursday.

The new service, unRadio, will be ad-free, allow unlimited streaming and unlimited skipping, and let customers choose their own music, T-Mobile said in a press release. 

Has the time come to make broadband a basic service?

As the CRTC is set to reconsider what constitutes a basic telecommunications service, some voices are saying that it’s about time to include broadband Internet in that definition.

Under current rules, basic service includes a telephone line “with capability to connect via low-speed data transmission to the Internet at local rates,” according to the commission’s website — a definition set in 1999 that includes services such as “Touch-Tone dialing” and “a copy of a current local telephone directory.”

Government formalizes ‘notice-and-notice’ copyright regime

A “notice-and-notice” copyright regime — under which Internet service providers (ISPs) will be legally required to notify customers about copyright infringement complaints brought to their attention by rights holders — will come into force in January 2015, the government said Tuesday.

Therrien says court ruling should prompt reviews of C-13, S-4: report

New Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says two government bills that deal with the sharing of information about Internet users, C-13 and S-4, should be reviewed in light of a recent Supreme Court decision, the Globe and Mail reported.

Court decision muddies lawful access rules for ISPs: Lawford

Friday’s Supreme Court decision requiring law enforcement to get a warrant in order to obtain customers’ personal information from Internet service providers muddies the water around lawful access legislation, according to lawyer John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).

Teenager arrested for hacking Bell accounts

The RCMP on Friday said it has arrested and charged a minor in Quebec for hacking into a supplier of BCE Inc. and posting personal information from its small-business clients online.

The police said in a press release that the supplier's IT system was hacked and as a result 22,421 users names and passwords and five valid credit card numbers of Bell's customers were posted online.

FCC to examine U.S. Internet traffic management

Tom Wheeler, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, said Friday that his organization is looking into whether Internet service providers are purposely diminishing, for their own benefit, the flow of content from sources such as Netflix Inc.

In a statement posted online, Wheeler referred to recent disputes between Netflix and ISPs such as Comcast Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc.

Rogers to spend $450M on B.C. wireless network

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it would spend $450 million to expand and improve its wireless network British Columbia over the next three years.

It said in a press release that the outlay would expand its mobile network in more than 70 communities throughout the province.

Music industry report takes aim at Copyright Board, piracy

A House of Commons heritage committee report on the music industry released Thursday said the government should look at how long the Copyright Board, which sets the rates for use of copyrighted material such as music, takes to make decisions.

Cogeco Cable looks to enter wireless market

Internet- and television-service provider Cogeco Cable Inc. is looking to enter the wireless market if the CRTC paves the way with new rules as part of its ongoing review of the wholesale wireless sector, the company’s director of regulatory affairs said in a phone interview this week.

Michel Messier said Tuesday that Montreal-based Cogeco will not build its own wireless infrastructure but is interested in becoming a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), buying services from Canada’s incumbent carriers and re-selling them to its customers.

Amazon launches music streaming in U.S.

Amazon.com Inc. announced Thursday the launch of a new music-streaming service in the United States.

It said in a press release that the product is called Prime Music and is available at no extra cost to existing U.S. customers of its Prime service, which already provides video streaming, book-borrowing services and two-day shipping privileges for $99 US a year, according to Amazon's website.

Senate committee fails to pass S-4 amendment on disclosure

The Senate committee dealing with the Digital Privacy Act failed to pass an amendment, on a tie vote, that would have required companies to inform individuals if their personal information was being shared with another party, according to an official with the senator that proposed the amendment.

More smartphone owners streaming audio, video: MTM

The number of anglophone Canadians who are streaming television content on their smartphones increased 71 per cent from a year earlier, according to a new report from Media Technology Monitor (MTM).

In 2013, 12 per cent of respondents reported watching TV on a smartphone, up from seven per cent a year earlier, according to MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada.

“While smartphone TV streamers watch less traditional TV on a TV set, they more than make up for that time streaming TV,” said the report, released on June 5.

Google buys satellite company to improve Net access

Google Inc. said Tuesday it had reached a deal to buy satellite company Skybox Imaging Inc. and hopes it can help it improve Internet access in some areas.

Google said in a press release it is buying Skybox for $500 million US in cash.

Canadian IP traffic to expand 2.4 times by 2018: Cisco

Data transmitted over Internet protocol networks with devices in Canada will be about 2.4 times more in 2018 than what it was last year, according to a new report from Cisco Systems Inc.

Highlights of Canadian figures from Cisco's latest Visual Networking Index show IP traffic in Canada will reach a total of 42.3 exabytes (about 42.3 billion gigabytes) in 2018, compared to 17.4 exabytes in 2013. That represents average annual growth of 19 per cent between now and 2018, Cisco said.

Internet ads revenue exceeded TV last year: PwC

A recent report from PwC showed Internet advertising revenue in Canada surpassed television ad revenue last year for the first time.

The report found Internet advertising was worth $3.75 billion last year, compared to $3.52 billion for television, PwC spokeswoman Emily Abrahams said in an interview Tuesday.

Instagram to use ads in Canada

Canadian users of the Instagram photo service, owned by Facebook Inc., will soon start seeing advertisements appear in their feeds, the company said Monday.

Instagram said in an emailed statement the ads will start "later this year" in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.

An article in the Globe and Mail said the ads will target individuals based on the accounts they follow, the photos and videos they view, and also each user's registered information.

Rogers climbs from bottom spot in Netflix speed index

Rogers Communications Inc. climbed out of the bottom ranking among 14 Canadian ISPs measured in latest speed index from Netflix Inc.

CRTC warns companies as rural broadband deadline looms

This week the CRTC warned three companies — Telus Corp., BCE Inc. and Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. — about missing a late-August deadline for expanding broadband service to rural communities.

The deadline is part of a 2006 agreement on the use of money set aside from the companies’ telephone operations as independent local exchange carriers (ILECs) between 2002 and 2006 at the behest of the CRTC.

Teksavvy data handover too expensive: Voltage

Rogers received over 170,000 sub-info requests in 2013

Rogers Communications Inc. said Thursday it received 174,917 requests for information on subscribers from government agencies last year, though it did not say with how many it complied.

Telecoms should provide warrantless disclosure stats: Therrien

OTTAWA — Daniel Therrien, the government’s nominee for privacy commissioner, told senators Tuesday that telecom companies should disclose statistics about the number of requests for information they receive.

“Absolutely, I am concerned with the issue of warrantless disclosure and the number of these disclosures that was revealed is of great concern,” he said during an appearance in front of the Senate committee of the whole on Tuesday afternoon.

Internet of Things worth $7.1 trillion US by 2020: IDC

The market to provide technology and services related to the Internet of Things will rise to $7.1 trillion US by 2020, International Data Corp. said Tuesday.

The research company said in a press release that it defines the Internet of Things as "a network of networks of uniquely identifiable endpoints (or 'things') that communicate without human interaction using IP connectivity."

IDC said the market was worth $1.9 trillion US last year.

Rogers launches Sportsnet streaming service

Rogers Communications Inc. on Tuesday announced the launch of an online streaming service and mobile application for Sportsnet programing.

The company said in a press release the service is called Sportsnet Now, and for the time being is available as a "preview" to Rogers customers. Rogers spokesman Sebastian Gatica clarified in an email that this means those who subscribe to Sportsnet on Rogers cable.

Bell, Videotron offer high-end WiFi routers

BCE Inc. and Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron have both announced the availability of new high-performance, multi-device WiFi routers available to its customers for an extra cost.

On Monday, Bell said in a press release that its Fibe customers could purchase a router for $199.95 that's ideal for households with multiple devices. Bell said it delivers speeds up to three times faster than what's typical for home WiFi routers.

Advocacy groups object to nominee for privacy commish

OpenMedia.ca said Friday it has sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper — on behalf of itself and other advocacy groups — protesting his nomination for a new federal privacy commissioner.

OpenMedia, which advocates for an open Internet, said in a news release that its letter has been signed by other groups, such as the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), B.C. Civil Liberties Association, B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC).

Bill C-13 needs amending: Geist

Law professor Michael Geist called on the government to strike out parts of the lawful-access provisions in its so-called cyberbullying bill at an appearance on Parliament Hill on Thursday, saying that Bill C-13 should be amended to ensure “appropriate safeguards against misuse of our personal information.”

S-4 copyright trolling concerns not ‘valid’: Moore

OTTAWA — Industry Minister James Moore said Wednesday that he is not concerned that the government’s Digital Privacy Act will, as critics as have charged, open the door to copyright trolls.

Ont. privacy commish blasts federal cyberbullying bill

Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner on Wednesday criticized the federal government’s so-called cyberbullying bill, C-13, saying it would “invade the privacy of every Canadian.”

"I'm astounded that this government, which was so concerned about the privacy of Canadians that it cancelled both the long-form census and the long-gun registry, is unwavering in its attempts to pass a bill which invades the privacy of every Canadian,” Ann Cavoukian said in a press release.

TSN signs ad deal with Canadian Tire

Canadian Tire Corp. and TSN announced a multi-year advertising and production deal on Monday that will see the sports broadcaster produce branded content for the retailer that will appear on TSN’s broadcast and web platforms.

The agreement includes traditional advertising for Canadian Tire during TSN’s sports programming as well as TSN-produced content that will appear in Canadian Tire flyers, in online ads, and on in-store displays, according to a joint news release.

Allstream gets certified for Ethernet service

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. on Monday said its business-networking arm, Allstream, had achieved a level of certification for its Ethernet services to enterprises, and is the first national carrier in Canada to receive this particular distinction.

MTS said in a press release that Allstream is now certified Carrier Ethernet (CE) 2.0, by a global organization called the Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF).

Rogers announces new direction to combat customer flight

Rogers Communications Inc. on Friday released a “comprehensive” plan to overhaul its customer service and restructure its corporate hierarchy.

International coalition gets hyper about voice

You’d be forgiven for thinking that voice calling is becoming less important to the telecommunications industry.

Study outlines positives, negatives of an Internet of Things future

Experts from industry and academia mostly agree that by 2025 the Internet of Things will be pervasive and ubiquitous while agreeing on little else in a new report from the Pew Research Center.

Rogers’ Boynton, Stoneham depart as corporate revamp set

Rogers Communications Inc. said two senior officials in its marketing operations have left the company in advance of CEO Guy Laurence announcing a new corporate strategy to employees on Friday.

In an email to The Wire Report, Rogers spokeswoman Patricia Trott said John Boynton, chief marketing officer, and Shelagh Stoneham, senior vice-president of brands and marketing communications, “have left the company. We’re doing some restructuring of the marketing organization. The company thanks them for their years of service.”

BlackBerry launches Internet of Things project

BlackBerry Ltd. announced Wednesday a number of initiatives it said will be the “cornerstone” of its “vision to offer end-to-end solutions for the Internet of Things.”

The company said in a press release this effort has been codenamed “Project Ion.” Among the things it said it would be doing is establishing a platform that will securely manage the transfer of data across millions of end points involving various devices. The company said its QNX software and enterprise mobility management system would be key to such a platform.

Telus to invest $1.1B in Ont. by 2016

Telus Corp. said Wednesday it will invest $1.1 billion in technology infrastructure in Ontario between now and 2016.

It said in a press release that the money will go toward expanding its wireless network, bringing fibre-optic connections to businesses and advancing its health-care network.

Telus said $500 million would be spent this year as part of an existing three-year plan that was to end in 2014. It said a new commitment was made to invest $600 million in Ontario in 2015 and 2016.

Netflix to expand in Europe

Netflix Inc. on Tuesday said it is expanding in Europe by adding service in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg later this year.

That follows other European launches in countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands in recent years.

Netflix, which said it currently has more than 48 million subscribers in more than 40 countries, said in a press release details will come later on pricing, programming and what devices will be supported in these new European markets.

William Yan becomes Icognito’s new COO

Incognito Software said Tuesday that William Yan is its new chief operating officer.

The Vancouver-based maker provider of broadband-device management technology said in a release that Yan had previously been its senior vice-president of worldwide sales.

It said Yan has more than 20 years of management experience in the technology industry, including positions at companies such as Allot Communications and PhyFlex Networks.

Google buying BYOD support company

Google Inc. is purchasing Divide, a company that provides technology and services for workers who bring their own mobile devices to work.

Divide posted a notice on its website on Monday that said it is “thrilled to be joining Google.” Terms of the deal were not released.

AT&T reaches deal to buy DirecTV

AT&T announced on Sunday it has reached a deal to buy cable- and satellite-TV provider DirecTV for a total consideration of $67.1 billion US.

The direct purchase price of about $48.5 billion US is about a third in cash and two-thirds in stock, AT&T said in a press release. AT&T is also assuming around $20 billion US in debt from DirecTV, AT&T said.

FCC moves ahead with Internet ‘fast lanes’ proposal

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved forward Thursday with plans to explicitly allow Internet service providers give select content providers so-called “fast lanes” to end users.

The FCC passed a preliminary plan, led by Chairman Tom Wheeler, with a 3-2 vote, despite criticisms that it undermines the principle of an open Internet that treats all data equally.

Bloomberg reported that the FCC now enters a “comment-and-review period” that will precede a second and final vote later this year. 

Xplornet investing $475M in satellites

Xplornet Communications Inc. is investing $475 million in two satellites that will enable it to add more capacity to its satellite Internet service, said company president Allison Lenehan.

On Wednesday, the company announced it was committing $200 million to a lifetime lease for the Canadian capacity on Hughes Network Systems LLC's EchoStar XIX, two weeks after an announcement that it would make an investment in ViaSat Inc.'s ViaSat-2 satellite with “up to $275 million depending on options.”

Apple, Pandora challenge SOCAN on streaming tariffs

OTTAWA — Lawyers representing two streaming music services told the Copyright Board of Canada in hearings this week that a request from the not-for-profit group that represents Canadian songwriters and music publishers to increase usage fees is too much to ask.

The dispute that pits streaming music providers Pandora Media Inc. and Apple Inc. against the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) boils down to how the online music services should be defined and thus how their monthly royalty fee will be determined.

Cord-cutters dominate Internet usage: report

North American cord-cutters are dominating Internet network usage market by consuming more than seven times the typical subscriber, according to a report Wednesday from Sandvine Inc.

On average, cord-cutters consume 212 GB over the Internet per month while the typical Internet subscriber will use about 29 GB per month, Sandvine, a Waterloo, Ont.-based provider of broadband network services for fixed and mobile operators, said in a press release.

OpenMedia joins fight in U.S. over net neutrality

OpenMedia said Tuesday it is actively fighting a proposal in the United States that would allow content companies to pay service providers for faster access to end users on the Internet, arguing that such a policy would affect the quality of Internet service in Canada.

MTS squeezes more profit out of less revenue

Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. said Tuesday that its first-quarter earnings were up as expenses declined in the face of lower revenue.

The company’s financial statements indicated it had net income of $41.9 million in the three months ended March 31, up from $30.9 million a year before. Its revenue was $401.5 million for the period, down 1.3 per cent from the previous year. Operating expenses, combined with depreciation and amortization costs, fell to $327.4 million from $343.3 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Telus promises $2.6B in Alberta investments

Telus Corp. said Monday it will invest $2.6 billion in new infrastructure and facilities in Alberta over the next three years.

The company said in a press release that the spending pledge includes $1 billion this year, as the last of a three-year plan announced in 2012, and another $1.6 billion in 2015 and 2016 “to build infrastructure, expand urban and rural Internet connectivity and capacity, and bring the world's fastest wireless technology to more Alberta communities.”

FCC backs down on net neutrality proposals: reports

Canadian ISP speeds faster than U.S.: Netflix

The average speed of video streaming on Netflix is faster in Canada than in the United States, but slower than European countries such as Norway, Finland and the United Kingdom, Netflix Inc. spokesman Joris Evers said in a blog post Monday.

Among Canadian companies, BCE Inc.’s fibre network had the fastest speeds, with an average speed of 3.19 Mbps, while Rogers Communications Inc.’s speeds were the slowest, at 1.67 Mbps.

New Netflix customers to pay $1 more

Netflix Inc. is raising its monthly subscription rates for new customers to a basic cost of $8.99 from $7.99 per month, though existing customers are getting a two-year reprieve from the higher price.

Emails went out to customers on Friday, informing them that the price hike is needed “to continue adding more movies and TV shows,” but that as a “thank you,” existing customers would not pay the higher rate for two years.

Distributel introduces first ever Wi-Fi enabled bus in Montreal

Independent Internet service provider Distributel Communications Inc. announced Thursday the launch of what it said was Montreal’s first WiFi bus.

Société de transport de Montréal (STM) passengers had the opportunity to connect to the WiFi offered on the designated buses as of Thursday, according to a press release from Distributel.

Quebecor earnings up as wireless revenue surges

Quebecor Inc. improved its bottom line in this year’s first quarter as its telecommunications segment saw a revenue boost of 4.8 per cent, featuring some strong gains in its wireless business.

Revenue was up 1.1 per cent from a year earlier to $1.04 billion, the company said in a press release Thursday. Net income rose to $40.7 million from $35.6 million in last year’s first quarter, it added.

Tech giants call for FCC to protect net neutrality

Almost 150 U.S. technology companies, such as Google Inc., Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc. and Microsoft Corp., have written a letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission calling its proposed net-neutrality rules a “grave threat to the Internet.”

Telus earnings up on wireless, Internet subscriptions

Telus Corp. on Thursday reported higher earnings for the first quarter of 2014, driven by subscriber growth for its wireless and high-speed Internet offerings.

The company reported $377 million in profit on revenues of nearly $2.9 billion, up from earnings of $362 million on revenues of $2.76 billion in the same period last year.

Dial-up Internet surviving despite broadband access

The continuing use of dial-up Internet access by more than 100,000 Canadians, despite the CRTC’s assertion that broadband is now available to almost every household in the country, shows the limits of access targets, according to telecom lawyer Tamir Israel.

Israel, staff lawyer with the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic, said in a phone interview on Wednesday that the continuing use of dial-up shows that universal access doesn’t translate into more usage.

Google changes up Canadian leadership: report

Google Inc. has made a switch in the managing director’s position at its Canadian operations, the Financial Post reported Wednesday.

An article on the Post’s website said Chris O’Neill was leaving the post after 3 ½ years to head up business operations for the wearable product in development, Google Glass. He reportedly will be based at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.

Cities in B.C., Quebec getting free WiFi

Two Canadian cities have been granted free WiFi in separate arrangements involving Shaw Communications Inc. and Cogeco Cable Inc.

Shaw said in a press release Wednesday that under a five-year agreement with the City of Penticton in British Columbia, its Go WiFi service will become available in the coming months to the general public in public locations, such as city hall, several parks and other community buildings.

‘Rentership society’ friendly to music streaming: Deezer exec

OTTAWA — Canada is becoming a “rentership society,” and this bodes well for the future of music streaming in this country, the managing director for Canada of online music provider Deezer told a parliamentary committee reviewing the music industry. 

“Young people see no need to buy things as they once did,” Justin Erdman said before the House of Commons heritage committee meeting on Tuesday. “Homes, cars, cable TV and, of course, music — you can rent them all with no commitment.”

Another U.S. cableco offers Netflix

Another U.S. cable company said it will provide the services of Netflix Inc. to its customers through set-top boxes made by TiVo Inc.

Suddenlink Communications announced the arrangement in a press release on Tuesday, saying it’s the largest U.S. cable operator to date, with 1.2 million TV-service subscribers, “to provide its customers seamless access to Netflix through the same set-top box they already use to watch television.”

Suddenlink said the arrangement with Netflix will take effect in the summer.

BCE earnings up as wireless, media divisions boost revenue

BCE Inc. improved its bottom line in this year’s first quarter as wireless data revenue surged and last year’s purchase of Astral Media contributed to its overall revenue.

Revenue was up 3.7 per cent from a year earlier to $5.1 billion, the company said in a press release. Net earnings rose to $615 million from $566 million in last year’s first quarter.

Telus to invest $1.3B in Quebec through 2016

Telus Corp. said Tuesday it will invest more than $1.3 billion in new infrastructure and facilities across Quebec between now and 2016.

It said in a press release that it would invest $640 million across the province as part of the final year of a three-year plan launched in 2012. Telus said it would spend another $700 million in 2015 and 2016 to build infrastructure.

Google Play Music available in Canada

Google Inc. announced Monday that its online music streaming service, Google Play Music, is now available in Canada.

Paul Joyce, product manager for Google Play Music, said in a Google Canada blog post that Canadians can try out the service at an introductory price for $7.99 a month with the first 30 days free. Those who decide to sign up after June 30 will pay $9.99.

Subscribers can have access to about 25 millions songs through a web stream and create personalized, ad-free digital radio channels based on artitsts or songs they like, the blog said.

Telecoms don’t give out customer info ‘willy-nilly’: Bell ombudsman

OTTAWA — Telecommunications companies don’t voluntarily give out confidential customer information to the government, said William Abbott, senior counsel and privacy ombudsman at BCE Inc.

“I do not know a single TSP [telecommunication service provider] that makes voluntary disclosures of confidential customer information to the government,” Abbott said, adding that the use of the word “warrantless” is misleading because companies provide that information to a lawful authority.

Canada needs more music streaming services: music exec

OTTAWA — Canada needs more online music streaming providers, though the regulatory environment here keeps them away, the president of Nettwerk Music Group told a parliamentary committee reviewing the music industry on Thursday.

Microsoft extending Explorer fix to XP users: report

Despite saying it was ending support for Windows XP last month, Microsoft Corp. will make an exception in making a security update for Internet Explorer available to users of that operating system, Reuters reported.

The news agency said updates started being sent on Thursday, and it quoted Microsoft spokeswoman Adrienne Hall as saying XP users would get it.

“We decided to fix it, fix it fast, and fix it for all our customers,” she said in a statement, according to the article.

Bell defends targeted ad program as ‘transparent’

BCE Inc.’s chief legal and regulatory officer told a Senate hearing on Wednesday night that his company’s targeted advertising program respects Canada’s current privacy laws.

Mirko Bibic repeatedly compared his company to Facebook Inc. and Google Inc., which he said have access to richer and more personal data than Bell, and said his company needs the targeted advertising program to compete with those “global players.”

Audio streaming popular but not replacing radio: MTM

Online streaming of audio is gradually growing in popularity but not replacing traditional radio listening, according to a new report from the Media Technology Monitor.

MTM, a project of CBC/Radio-Canada, said Tuesday that 64 per cent of anglophone adults surveyed late last year had streamed audio within the prior month. That was up from 61 per cent in a survey done a year earlier and 57 per cent in 2011.

Bell Aliant first-quarter financials dip

Bell Aliant Inc. on Tuesday reported declines in both first-quarter revenue and profit.

The company’s financial records indicated that revenue came in at $675.7 million, down 1.2 per cent from the previous year. Net earnings for the quarter were $76.7 million, down from $89.3 million in the first quarter of 2013.

Twitter loses $132M US in first quarter

Twitter Inc. reported a loss of $132 million US in the first quarter of 2014 despite more than doubling its revenue from a year earlier, the company announced on Tuesday.

The majority of the social network’s $250 million US in revenue came from advertising, which totaled $226 million US for the quarter, up 125 per cent from the same period a year earlier, the company said in a release. About 80 per cent of the company’s advertising revenue comes from mobile.

Privacy czar calls for greater powers on telecom data sharing

Interim Privacy Commissioner Chantal Bernier said Tuesday that new legislation is needed to compel Canada’s telecom companies to disclose when they hand over subscribers’ private information to other parties, including government agencies, without a warrant.

Bernier, speaking at a Senate transport and communications committee hearing into privacy and data collection policies at BCE Inc., said her office is unaware how many government requests are made for customer data or how many of them are fulfilled.

Matt Stein named Distributel’s new CEO

Independent Internet service provider Distributel announced Tuesday that Matt Stein is taking over as the company’s new CEO.

The company said in a press release that Stein took on the role on March 31. It said Mel Cohen, the former president, will remain chairman of the company.

Spokesman Jean-Pierre Gosselin said in an email that the position of president no longer exists at Distributel and “CEO is a new position.”

Parks Canada looking for WiFi providers

Parks Canada has issued a public tender for suppliers of equipment and service to provide WiFi access to visitors of national parks and historic sites.

Internet Explorer vulnerable to hacking

Microsoft Corp. said in an Internet security advisory Saturday that it is aware of attacks that attempted to exploit vulnerability in Internet Explorer that could potentially corrupt a user's memory and result in an attack on their computer.

Internet Explorer versions 6 through 11 are the ones affected, Microsoft said. With such software, visits to certain malicious websites could allow hackers to take over a user’s computer remotely, the company said.

Ending simultaneous substitution could be ‘huge financial hit’: analyst

If the CRTC ends the practice of simultaneous substitution, as it has suggested it could as part of its review of television, conventional broadcasters would be in for a “huge financial hit,” said Barry Kiefl, president of Canadian Media Research Inc.

“This has been estimated to be worth anywhere from $200 to $300 million in additional advertising revenue that private broadcasters receive, and a lot of that would just basically be cut off because the audience would no longer be watching the Canadian ads,” he said.

Shaw announces partnership with streaming service

Shaw Communications Inc. and music streaming service Rdio Inc. have entered a “marketing, content and promotion partnership,” the companies said Thursday in a release.

Shaw CEO Brad Shaw said Rdio is “a great complement to our leading broadband and Shaw Go WiFi services.”

He added that the partnership “will develop great offers that will enable Shaw customers and everyone across the country to enjoy this service.”

Verizon numbers up on wireless growth

Verizon Communications Inc. said earnings and revenue were up in the first quarter largely on strength from the wireless side of the business.

The company’s financial figures released Thursday showed revenue was up 4.8 per cent from a year earlier to $30.82 billion US for the three months ended March 31. Net income was $6 billion US for that period, up from $4.86 billion US a year earlier.

Verizon said in a press release the results included the impact of taking full ownership of Verizon Wireless in February.

Companies pledge millions to prevent rerun of Heartbleed bug

More than a dozen of the world’s biggest technology firms are dedicating millions of dollars to an initiative that will fund open-source projects in response to the Heartbleed bug that affected security for millions of web users around the world in early April, it was announced Thursday.

AT&T reports fastest revenue growth in years

AT&T on Tuesday said its first quarter featured its strongest year-to-year revenue growth in more than two years.

The U.S. telecommunications company said in a press release that revenue in the three months ended March 31 was $32.5 billion US, up 3.6 per cent from a year earlier. It said it now expects full-year revenue growth of four per cent or more.

Net income for the quarter stayed the same as a year earlier, at $3.7 billion US.

TV, basic services, payphones among CRTC’s upcoming priorities

For the coming year, CRTC has prioritized issues including the ongoing review of Canada’s television-broadcasting system and looking into what telecommunications services should be accessible to all as well as determining how important a role payphones still play in people’s lives.

Rogers’ Phil Lind to retire at year’s end

Rogers Communications Inc. said Phil Lind, the company’s executive vice-president of regulatory affairs, is retiring after this year.

In an email to The Wire Report, Rogers spokeswoman Jennifer Kett said Lind has been with the company 45 years. She said he has agreed to stay on in an advisory role and maintain his position on the board of directors.

Lind was among 16 individuals re-elected to seats on Rogers’ board of directors at its annual general meeting Tuesday, the company announced in a press release, as was CEO Guy Laurence.

SaskTel expands fixed wireless LTE

SaskTel is making its fixed-wireless, fourth-generation LTE service available on its remaining 43 wireless broadband Internet (WBBI) towers, the company said in a release Monday.

CRTC establishes video relay service

The CRTC said Tuesday that it will establish a video relay service for users of American Sign Language and Langue des signes québécoise.