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TAGGED AS RURAL BROADBAND
Residents want CRTC to allow more competition in ‘monopolistic’ North
Canadian residents in the North want the CRTC to allow enhanced competition to break up the “monopolistic” landscape of internet services in the area, according to an Environics Research report commissioned by the regulator. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, …
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As he steps down, Bains says telecom affordability ‘won’t go away’
The affordability-focused initiatives Navdeep Bains put in place will continue to bring down prices of telecom services after he leaves the innovation minister role, he told The Wire Report in an interview. Bains announced Tuesday morning that he would not run in the next federal election, shortly before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named François-Philippe Champagne …
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ISED proposal to displace spectrum for fixed wireless divides ISPs
A pair of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada proposals on changes to midband spectrum allocation that would affect fixed wireless service has drawn a mixed response from telecoms. 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 …
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Create a broadband czar to coordinate funding: PIAC
The disparate broadband funding programs administered across different federal government departments should instead all be coordinated by a single governmental body, with sole authority for administering the billions of dollars aimed at connecting the country to high speed internet, the House of Commons industry committee heard Tuesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
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LEO satellite service pricing still uncertain, conference hears
While much of the conversation about rural broadband in Canada has recently centered on low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites, the business is a very expensive one, with huge capital costs and — depending on the business model of a given company — big subsidies, according to the panellists at a Friday session of the 2020 online edition of …
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Gov. rural broadband funding lacks strategy, cohesion: Execulink CEO
The recently launched package of funding opportunities for rural broadband is a good start for rural connectivity, but the federal government so far lacks a cohesive strategy to properly execute the goal of connecting the most rural Canadians, according to Ontario-based Execulink Telecom CEO Ian Stevens. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …
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Post-bankruptcy OneWeb plans to offer Canadian broadband by 2022
OneWeb Ltd. is still planning to offer broadband internet service in Canada, following its recent exit from bankruptcy protection. 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 …
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Going public gives ‘more optionality’ for funding LEOS, Telesat CEO says
A corporate restructuring that will see Telesat Holdings Inc. go public and have its shares listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market will give Telesat access to much more funding from investors and lenders in the American stock market for bigger capital projects like its low-earth orbit satellite constellation, according to the company’s CEO. This …
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UBF won’t have fixed affordability requirements
Government officials have indicated that the newly-launched Universal Broadband Fund will seek to allow for affordable internet pricing across Canada, although it will not impose many firm or fixed affordability requirements on companies that receive funding via the UBF, or on companies that provide internet service through UBF-funded infrastructure. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
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LEO providers aiming to meet gov’t connectivity goals within 3 years
Telesat Holdings Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) both said Tuesday they plan to provide broadband connectivity to remote and rural areas of Canada seven years ahead of the government’s 2030 target date, though neither had a definitive answer about the affordability of the services. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …
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CRTC to release report on impact on online services on TV soon
The CRTC will release a report detailing the impact of online services on the state of video and television and video distribution in Canada and some nine other countries before the end of the year, chairman Ian Scott said Tuesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
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CIB, UBF to collaborate on projects that fall between market cracks
The $2 billion Canadian Infrastructure Bank rural broadband fund will seek to fund projects that fall in the gap between profitable connectivity projects the market could support on its own, and projects that would be mostly or entirely reliant on the Universal Broadband Fund, which launched Monday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already …
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Telecoms object to Telesat’s proposal to auction 3800 MHz spectrum
A number of Canadian wireless providers have objected to a proposal that could allow satellite operator Telesat Holdings Inc. to sell off part of the 3800 MHz spectrum, instead of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada, which typically conducts auctions for spectrum allocation. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …
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Feds boost Universal Broadband Fund by $750M
The federal government announced the launch of its long-awaited Universal Broadband Fund Monday morning, increasing the funding by $750 million and the number of Canadians it aims to have connected by 2026 from 95 per cent to 98 per cent. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot …
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CRTC opens consultation on telecom service in the North
The CRTC Monday announced a consultation on the state of telecommunications in the North, and is in particular seeking input on the service offered by BCE Inc. subsidiary Northwestel. 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 …
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Cogeco acquiring Quebec telecom for $405M
Cogeco Inc. is buying Quebec cableco DERYtelecom for $405 million, the company 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 now. FREE TRIAL …
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CRTC hears differing pitches to fix lagging disaggregated regime
In order to make its disaggregated wholesale regime work, the CRTC should reintroduce a level of aggregation to cut down on the amount wholesale-based providers would have to spend to connect, the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) told the CRTC. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
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Infrastructure Bank earmarks additional $1B for rural broadband
The Liberal government is doubling the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s funding for broadband projects to $2 billion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday, though he offered no updates on the delayed Universal Broadband Fund. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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Throne speech reiterates rural broadband, web giant promises
In Wednesday’s throne speech kicking off Parliament’s return, the Liberal government repeated previous commitments to introduce new rules for large foreign digital companies and accelerate rural broadband builds. 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 …
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Back to Parliament: your (pandemic) preview
Given the precarious situation around the now-escalating COVID-19 pandemic, what will actually be included in Wednesday’s speech from the throne, and in the government’s priorities in the following weeks, is more uncertain than ever. With a day to go, even the details of exactly what a hybrid and virtual sitting will look like are still …
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Rural broadband ‘public policy priority’ for CRTC, Scott says
As the CRTC announced the first recipients of its $750-million rural broadband fund Wednesday, chairman Ian Scott said in an interview that while the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to delays in the funding process, it also made it more “imperative” to make rural broadband a priority. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
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Comp. Bureau signs consent agreement with WESCO over pole line hardware merger
The Competition Bureau has reached a consent agreement with electronics distribution and services company WESCO International Inc., which will see the company divest its utility and datacom businesses in Canada in order to assuage the bureau’s concerns about its acquisition of Anixter International Inc. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
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UBF should focus on both backbone, last mile, ISPs told ISED
At a discussion about Ottawa’s now-delayed Universal Broadband Fund with stakeholders in January, the federal government heard it shouldn’t require funding from other levels of government and focus on both backbone and last-mile projects, according to documents obtained through access to information. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …
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Bell upping internet speed for some rural customers to 50 Mbps
BCE Inc. announced today that it is increasing the speed of its fixed wireless home internet service for some 300,000 rural homes, and will expand the service into parts of Atlantic Canada. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and …
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Broadcaster pushes for new multilingual channel as COVID lobbying continues
An Ontario-based ethnic broadcaster lobbying the government for funding to create a multilingual news channel to help Canadians access health information says it’s too early to reveal further details about its potential creation. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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Indigenous communities will be left behind without funding overhaul: ISP
As the question of how to connect rural communities across Canada to increasingly essential high-speed broadband internet continues to occupy the minds of policy makers and telecom companies, one Indigenous-owned internet service provider says there needs to be a separate stream of funding for companies devoted to indigenous communities. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
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Xplornet says Stonepeak sale will lead to accelerated broadband investment
Xplornet Communications Inc.’s sale to U.S. based Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners will allow it to accelerate its broadband roll-out in rural Canada, according to CEO Allison Lenehan. 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 …
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Community ownership key to connectivity: Winnipeg Municipality Region
Winnipeg Municipality Region executive director Colleen Sklar says the organisation would have taken community ownership of rural broadband earlier if it had its time over again, telling Canada’s Rural and Regional Broadband Conference that private-public partnerships are key to achieving universal connectivity as soon as possible. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a …
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Universal Broadband Fund applications to open in ‘coming days’: Monsef
The federal government will open applications for its $1.7 billion Universal Broadband Fund in the “coming days,” according to Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef. 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 …
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Monsef tight-lipped on rural broadband funding announcement
Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef says “precise timelines” for announcing steps to speed up rural broadband funding are still being worked out, five weeks after saying she would “soon” announce them in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
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2025 offered as connectivity target as pressure to fast track rises
Universal connectivity at the CRTC’s universal service objective speeds could be achieved by 2025 if funds were administered in the right way, according to Ryerson University research fellow Reza Rajibiun, a time frame labelled “realistic” by Federation of Canadian Municipalities rural director Ray Orb. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign …
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Wholesale debate moves to transport in CRTC rural broadband consult
The familiar argument over wholesale access has made its way to a CRTC consultation on how to remove barriers to rural broadband rollouts, with smaller providers arguing the regulator should mandate and regulate access to transport networks. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
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Spectrum funds could achieve broadband targets before 2030: telecoms
An NDP plan for the federal government to add money raised from past and upcoming spectrum auctions to existing broadband funding could achieve universal connectivity well before the government’s 2030 target if executed correctly, four telecommunications service providers told the House industry committee. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …
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COVID-19 accelerating rural/urban connectivity divide: CIRA
Rural home internet speeds during the first full month where Canadians shifted to working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic were almost 12 times slower than the median speed for urban Canadians, according to speed test analysis conducted by the Canadian Internet Registration Authority. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
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Conservatives call for universal rural broadband by 2021
Under a rural broadband policy platform put out for public consultation by the federal Conservatives, all Canadians would have access to internet service at the CRTC’s basic service standards by next year, a plan panned Wednesday by the Liberal government and the NDP as unrealistic. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? …
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Provinces also looking at speeding up rural broadband rollouts
As the federal government and individual companies work on accelerating funding for and deployments of rural broadband in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of provinces are trying to do the same with their own programs. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
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Cogeco to bring back overage fees as of May 1
Cogeco Inc. will again start charging overage fees to its home internet customers who exceed their data limits as of Friday, with the company instead focusing on other measures it considers to “be more essential” to its customers. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
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Federal government to accelerate rural broadband funds: Monsef
The federal government will speed up its rural broadband funding in response to COVID-19, with details to be announced shortly, according to Maryam Monsef, minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development. Monsef told The Wire Report in an interview Wednesday that she has been hearing from rural municipalities about “how we can …
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Deadline for Broadband Fund applications extended again
The CRTC has again extended the deadline for telecommunication service providers to apply to the regulator’s $750 million Broadband Fund in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, pushing back the deadline to June 1. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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ISED pushing Bell to show progress on CTI rollout: docs
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) will be pressuring BCE Inc. to show progress on the rural broadband projects for which it has received funding under the Connect to Innovate program, documents obtained under Access to Information indicate. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
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CRTC approves Northwestel’s waiving of overage fees
The CRTC has given interim approval to BCE Inc.’s Northwestel application for urgent relief that will allow to it waive data overage charges for its cable and fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) internet customers. 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 …
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Broadband Fund deadline extended to April 30, others remain suspended
The CRTC has extended the deadline for telecommunication service providers to apply to the regulator’s $750 million Broadband Fund to April 30, in light of the COVID-19 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 …
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Price commitment applies to wireless, but not road coverage: CRTC
The CRTC has clarified that the pricing commitment in its $750-million Broadband Fund will not apply to funds used only for new mobile wireless coverage along major roads. 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 …
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Xplornet confirms sale to U.S infrastructure firm
Xplornet Communications Inc. has confirmed it has signed an agreement for it to be purchased by U.S. based Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. 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 …
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Xplornet to be sold to U.S. company for $2B: report
Xplornet Communications Inc. will be bought for some $2 billion USD by a U.S.-based investment firm, according to a report from Bloomberg News. 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 …
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Potential spring launch for Universal Broadband Fund: ISED doc
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada could launch its $1.7-billion rural broadband fund as early as this spring, according to a briefing note obtained through Access to Information. 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 …
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Regions call for overhaul of broadband funding criteria
Investment in rural broadband infrastructure should be focused on improving areas with Canada’s slowest internet speeds, despite new minimum internet service speeds vastly increasing the amount of Canadian regions considered “underserved”, according to a CRTC submission by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here …
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Big Three united in call for scrapping CRTC pricing guarantee
BCE Inc.’s push for the CRTC to remove a provision that would require wireless providers seeking funding under the $750-million Broadband Fund to make a pricing commitment has won the backing of Canada’s remaining Big Three providers. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
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$1.7B broadband fund to launch in 2020, no formal consultation: ISED
The federal government won’t hold a formal consultation on the development of its $1.7-billion Universal Broadband Fund for rural connectivity, as it aims to wrap up the application phase of the project by the end of the year. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock …
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Delete wireless price commitment in Broadband Fund: Bell
BCE Inc. is asking the CRTC to remove some of the pricing stipulations on mobile wireless offerings in its November call for applications to the regulator’s $750-million Broadband Fund. 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 …
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Bell subsidiary must provide TPIA service to Videotron: CRTC
The CRTC has denied an application by BCE Inc. subsidiary Cablevision du Nord de Québec to eliminate its wholesale internet service, and ordered the company to sell that service to Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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CRTC consulting on barriers to internet access in remote areas
The CRTC is asking all telecoms about what barriers exist that would hinder their ability to deliver the basic service objective for internet access established three years ago. 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 …
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CNOC’s Stein pitches municipal-ISP cooperation to roll out rural broadband
NORTH BAY, Ont. — President of the Canadian Network Operators Consortium (CNOC) Matt Stein proposed Thursday that small towns and municipalities looking to build their own broadband infrastructure should partner with wholesale-based ISPs. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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Hydro pole rates a problem for rural connectivity: CCSA vice-chair
NORTH BAY, Ont. — Higher rates telecom providers must pay to connect to hydro poles in Ontario are especially onerous in rural areas, Angela Lawrence, vice-chair at Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) and general manager at Hay Communications Co-operative Ltd., said at a rural broadband conference this week. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers …
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Not enough money for rural broadband, conference hears
NORTH BAY Ont. — The CRTC announced on Wednesday that it is now accepting a second round of applications for its Broadband Fund, as those in attendance at a conference focusing on rural connectivity heard about the need for more funding and more intergovernmental cooperation to ease bureaucratic barriers. This content is available to wirereport.ca …
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CPC plans for Netflix, rural broadband still unclear days ahead of vote
Despite Conservative leader Andrew Scheer indicating throughout this fall’s election campaign that he would make sure Netflix Inc. pays its “fair share,” his party is refusing to clarify whether he actually plans to introduce any new obligations on the streaming giant. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
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Conservatives propose three-per-cent tax on tech giant revenue
The Conservative Party has now specified its plan to make web giants “pay their fair share,” which consists of a three-per-cent tax on revenues of the largest digital companies. 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 …
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Election 2019: watch for price caps, Netflix regs, Huawei ban
Even before the federal election campaign officially kicked off, telecom price caps already emerged as a proposal that, if implemented, would reverse a decades-long policy trend in Canada and diverge from international norms. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting …
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OneWeb says it will begin LEO service in Canada next year
OneWeb’s constellation of low-earth orbit satellites will offer service in Canada’s North starting in 2020, the company said 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 …
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Telecom reaction to CRTC wholesale decision was expected: analyst
Analyst notes published this week confirm much of what was already known about the impact of new CRTC wholesale broadband rates on incumbent 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. Take a free …
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On wholesale rates, companies cry foul, but analysts aren’t convinced
Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron and Shaw Communications Inc. added their voices this morning to the list of telecom companies upset about the CRTC’s new wholesale broadband pricing, though indications are financial analysts aren’t worried about its effect on the sector. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
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ISED using CIRA speed test to inform Universal Broadband Fund design
Innovation Canada is asking Canadians to use a tool designed to test internet performance in order to inform how it designs its $1.7-billion Universal Broadband Fund. 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 …
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Feds put $151 million toward new fibre cable for Nunavut
The federal government is spending $151 million to lay some 1,700 kilometers of submarine fibre optic cable that it says will connect over 3,200 households in Nunavut to high speed internet. 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 …
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Telesat to detail supplier contracts for LEO constellation this year
A week after Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains announced an $85-million investment and a memorandum of understanding that tips as much as $600 million in federal government investments over the next 10 years into its low-earth orbit satellite [LEOS] division, Telesat Holdings Inc. is poised to make a “very disruptive offering” in the wireless broadband market, …
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‘Many’ in the North to get 50 Mbps+ speeds: Bains
OTTAWA — As part of its strategy to tackle rural broadband in Canada, the Liberal government today announced its first spending commitment to a project that will use low earth orbit satellites to connect Canada’s most remote areas — an approach to rural broadband that has yet to be successfully deployed. This content is available to …
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CCSA lauds Ontario gov’t promise to review hydro rates
The Ontario government’s $315-million plan to improve connectivity in the province includes a promise to review hydro pole attachment rates, which was praised by the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) in a press release Wednesday. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all the Canadian …
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Any gov’t ban unlikely to affect Huawei partnership: Iristel
OTTAWA — With the federal government’s decision on whether to ban Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd equipment from 5G networks still looming, the company and Iristel Inc.’s Ice Wireless held a press conference in Ottawa Monday to announce they’re partnering up to connect 70 of some of Canada’s most remote communities. This content is available to …
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Newly-acquired WireIE helping maximize ISED CTI funding: CEO
WireIE Holdings International Inc., a wholesaler of enterprise telecom services, has been helping telecoms across the country deliver internet and TV services to underserved areas, an effort that will be boosted by its acquisition this week, its CEO said. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? …
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Gov’t denies SWIFT request to amend CRTC broadband fund
The federal government has declined an application by SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technology Inc. asking for changes to the CRTC’s rural broadband fund. 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 …
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ISED officials frustrated with competing MB fibre project, emails show
The federal government approved spending on a fibre project in Manitoba because it said it was a technically-sound and cost-effective business case for broadband coverage in the region. 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 …
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EORN funding to improve cell service in 102 communities
The federal government will contribute $71 million to a project from the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) that aims to improve mobile connectivity in the region. 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 …
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Connectivity strategy repeats budget promises, offers no details
The connectivity strategy released by Rural Economic Development Minister Bernadette Jordan Thursday morning reiterated the Liberals’ commitment to the promises made in the federal budget, but offered no new information about how those funds will be spent. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
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Few surprises in BTLR ‘what we heard’ report
The blue ribbon panel in charge of reviewing Canada’s communications legislation has released its interim report, which — as expected — offers no indication of what policy positions the seven members might take in their final recommendations. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN Forgot password? Unlock all …
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ISED missed internal CTI deadline despite ‘considerable pressure’: docs
The federal government failed to meet an internal goal by which it aimed to have nearly all of the contribution agreements signed for its Connect to Innovate (CTI) rural broadband funding program. “There is considerable pressure by Ministers, provinces, media and Canadians to show progress — both in negotiations, and in getting ‘shovels in the …
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Industry committee dissents from ISED spectrum clawback plans
The House of Commons industry committee has endorsed Xplornet Communications Inc.‘s call that the ministry of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) should not claw back any of the 3.5 GHz spectrum from providers that offer fixed-wireless internet in rural areas. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in here LOGIN …
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Final CRTC policy direction references rural connectivity, investment
The government’s new policy direction to the CRTC — first proposed in March and focusing on affordability and consumers — is now in force. 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 …
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32% of Indigenous households at below 5 Mbps: gov’t projections
The federal government expected contributions from its broadband programs, including Connecting Canadians and Connect to Innovate (CTI), to slash by half the number of Indigenous households that don’t have access to at least 5 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload by this year, according to a confidential August 2018 document. This content is available to …
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Effect of 3.5 GHz clawback on rural broadband to vary across Canada
In recent weeks, telecom issues haven’t escaped the increased rhetoric that comes with pre-election periods, with topics including rural broadband — and the clawback of 3.5 GHz spectrum — generating discussion in committee meetings and on the floor of the House of Commons. This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers Already a subscriber? Sign in …
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CRTC broadband fund rollout criticized at industry committee
OTTAWA — Liberal MP William Amos, the MP who brought forward a motion compelling the House industry committee to study the issue of rural broadband, said Thursday that he’s “very disappointed” with the CRTC’s decision to restrict the first round of applications for its $750 million broadband fund to projects in the North. This content …
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