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BREAKING: Feds ban Huawei from 5G networks
The federal government Thursday announced that it would be banning equipment from “high risk vendors”, including Chinese telecom companies Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and ZTE Corp. from the country’s 5G telecommunications systems. In addition, the government will also introduce legislation aimed at beefing up cybersecurity across the nation’s communications infrastructure and key industries. “Cybersecurity is …
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OPC not consulted, privacy experts concerned on cell phone border search bill
A new Government-backed Senate bill now seeks to establish a new framework for the search of digital devices like phones and laptops by Canada’s border agents, 1.5 years after the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled that the search of a traveler’s electronic devices at the Edmonton airport was unconstitutional. In launching the bill in late …
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UPDATED: CRTC approves Rogers-Shaw broadcasting acquisition
The CRTC has approved Rogers Communications Inc.‘s acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc.‘s broadcasting assets, meaning that the companies have now cleared the first of three regulatory hurdles on the way to cementing the merger. In a Thursday afternoon release after the close of markets, the regulator wrote that it “concludes that the transaction as modified …
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Gov. to ask CRTC to stop RT broadcasts over Ukraine invasion
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday afternoon that the Government is asking the CRTC to “begin the process” of reviewing the presence of the Russian-state funded Russia Today channel on Canadian broadcaster airwaves following last week’s invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. “The CRTC is an independent body and we will be asking them …
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CRTC rejects CNOC request for Scott’s recusal
The CRTC has decided that it will not consider a request from the Competitive Network Operators of Canada (CNOC) for commission chair Ian Scott to recuse himself from all matters before the regulator related to the relationship of wholesale-based internet service providers (ISPs) and incumbents. In a Feb. 15 letter to CNOC, the CRTC wrote …
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UPDATED: Board can’t change “at the stroke of a pen”: RCI
Lawyers for Edward Rogers are arguing that the recently ousted chairman of the Board of Directors exercised his shareholder rights when he chose to replace five of the company’s board members, through a written resolution, in order to reappoint himself as chair. The battle for control of Rogers Communications Inc. (RCI) resumed Monday in the …
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Singh says he’ll oppose Rogers-Shaw merger
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 …
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Lower your prices or else, Trudeau tells big telecom at debate
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 …
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Conservatives would reject mergers impacting competition: O’Toole
Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole said during a press conference on cell phone and internet affordability Tuesday that his party would stand against mergers that could hurt consumer interests. Though he did not specifically name the proposed acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc. by Rogers Communications Inc. in his remarks, O’Toole said a major driver of …
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Broadband blues: the UBF and its discontents
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 …
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Bell seeks to block Quebecor set-aside 3,500 MHz purchases
BCE Inc. is going to court to stop Quebecor Inc. from purchasing valuable 5G-friendly spectrum in the 3,500 MHz band in British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba — spectrum that is a crucial part of Quebecor’s plan to take its wireless business national. In an application for judicial review filed with the Federal Court Thursday, Bell …
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The Wire Report’s guide to the 2021 federal election
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 …
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BREAKING: 3500 MHz auction nets $8.9B, $7.3B from incumbents
Canadian telecom companies — and wireless service hopefuls — have spent some $8.91 billion on the 3,500 MHz band of spectrum, according to preliminary results released Thursday afternoon by the Department of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development (ISED). The 3,500 MHz band is widely seen as crucial to the roll out of 5G networks. Rogers …
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Bell, Rogers, and Quebecor seek first-ever ‘dynamic’ site-blocking order
Nearly six weeks after a Federal Court of Appeal upheld Canada’s first-ever site-blocking order against an anonymous so-called pirate IPTV service, the same trio of rights holders is now asking for a new, broader blocking order from the Federal Court. In a fresh notice of motion filed Wednesday, BCE Inc, Rogers Communications Inc., and Quebecor …
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TekSavvy adds evidence of ‘bias’ to its petition to cabinet
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 …
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Wholesale rates decision signals shift at CRTC: wholesale ISPs, analysts
As reaction continues to pour in following the CRTC’s Thursday decision to finalize wholesale internet access rates at 2016 levels and effectively reverse a 2019 decision that dramatically lowered those rates, initial responses from both industry analysts and industry players (other than incumbents) has zeroed in on whether or not the decision represents a larger …
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UPDATED: CRTC reverts wholesale access rates to interim 2016 levels
The CRTC Thursday announced that it is setting permanent rates for third-party aggregated wholesale access to the level of interim rates established in 2016, before an August 2019 decision dramatically slashed the rates incumbent telecom companies were allowed to charge independent internet service providers (ISPs). The 2019 rates never came into effect because of a …
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GoldTV blocking order survives TekSavvy appeal
The Federal Court of Appeal has allowed Canada’s first-ever site-blocking court order to stand, dismissing an appeal of the order from TekSavvy Solutions Inc. In a Wednesday decision, Justice George Locke, writing on behalf of the three-judge panel, said that he was not swayed by TekSavvy’s argument — made during a two-day hearing in March …
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Telus appeals seamless roaming in CRTC’s wireless review decision
Telus Corp. is seeking permission to appeal two provisions of the CRTC’s April decision flowing from the commission’s wireless review. While Telus is not seeking to appeal the central decision of the regulator mandating wireless network access for a limited number of mobile virtual network operators, in a Friday afternoon filing with the Federal Court …
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Quebecor “pleased” with CRTC MVNO decision
Quebecor Inc. CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau added his voice to a chorus of telecom CEOs who have praised the CRTC’s April decision which mandated access for a limited number of facilities-based regional mobile virtual network operators. “We’re pleased with the CRTC decision allowing facilities-based MVNOs, as it confirms the importance of maintaining healthy competition in …
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Data on Tap asks Trudeau gov. to review MVNO decision
Data on Tap Inc., one of the country’s hopeful mobile virtual network operators, has filed a petition to the governor in council, asking the government of Justin Trudeau to review the April decision of the CRTC to only mandate access to incumbent mobile networks for a limited number of regional operators. In a Tuesday release, …
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Rogers finds MVNO decision “helpful”, reports slight increase in profits
For Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Joe Natale, last week’s CRTC decision on mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) will provide certainty for the industry “and Rogers can proceed with investments, knowing that the government is supportive of facilities-based competition and facilities-based approach to our market.” “We’ve been waiting for that decision for a while, and that …
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Efficiencies defense is a ‘serious’ exercise of discretion: competition comish
Allowing a merger to proceed on the basis of the so-called “efficiencies defense” is “a very, very serious exercise of enforcement discretion to approve an otherwise anticompetitive merger,” according to the man in charge of enforcing the Competition Act. Competition Bureau commissioner Matthew Boswell made his remarks Wednesday on the final day of the House …
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Without an MVNO mandate, Shaw must divest its spectrum: CNOC
Without a regime for mandated access for mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), the regulatory authorities in charge of reviewing the proposed merger between Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. should force the companies to spin off the Freedom Mobile wireless brand, its customers, and its spectrum. If such an MVNO regime were in place, …
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Quebecor would buy Freedom, but only with spectrum: PKP
Quebecor Inc. has indicated that, should the Competition Bureau force Rogers Communications Inc. to spin-off Shaw Communications Inc.‘s wireless assets as part of its regulatory approval of the Rogers-Shaw merger, Quebecor would be open to purchasing it, provided it came with associated spectrum and roaming agreements. Quebecor executives Pierre Karl Péladeau and Jean-François Pruneau made …
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Rogers, Shaw execs mum on spectrum at Industry committee
On the opening day Monday of hearings into Roger’s proposed acquisition of Shaw, MPs on the House of Commons Industry Committee sought answers from the companies’ executives on whether or not the two companies seek to hold on to Shaw’s discounted spectrum, and how the merger would affect wireless prices in Canada. On the spectrum …
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Regulatory approval of Rogers-Shaw deal will hinge on wireless: Execs, analysts
From the perspective of Rogers Communications Inc. CEO Joe Natale, regulatory approval of his company’s $26.2 billion acquisition of Shaw Communications Inc. will come down to the views of the various regulators on how the deal impacts the wireless market in western Canada. The wireless business, Natale pointed out on a Monday morning conference call …
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Focus turns back to CRTC as SCC rejects incumbent wholesale challenge
As the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an incumbent challenge to an 18-month old CRTC decision to slash wholesale access rates for independent internet service providers on Thursday morning, eyes are back on the CRTC, where an outstanding review and vary application is the last of the incumbents’ challenges to the lower rates. The court …
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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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Federal gov’t looking to expand emergency alerts to online platforms, devices
As Canadian emergency management authorities hold their regular test of the public emergency alerting system Wednesday, the federal government is exploring how to extend those alerts to online platforms and digital devices. The Department of National Defence is interested in expanding the emergency alerting system to computers, digital personal assistants, gaming platforms and IoT devices, …
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Incumbents appeal CRTC wholesale rates at Supreme Court
Both BCE Inc. and large cable companies have turned to the Supreme Court of Canada to fight the lower internet wholesale rates the CRTC established in 2019, The Wire Report has learned. Both Bell and the cablecos — Rogers Communications Inc., Quebecor Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Bragg Communications Inc. and Cogeco Inc.— filed separate appeals with …
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CRTC to have ‘roughly nine months’ to act on Broadcasting Act update
The Liberal government’s long-awaited update to the Broadcasting Act confirms that the CRTC is able to regulate online services such as streaming platforms and leaves it to the regulator to work out the details, under the guidance of an upcoming policy direction from the government. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told reporters Tuesday that once the …
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Liberals’ wireless price drop unlikely to achieve promised savings: gov’t docs
The Liberals’ election commitment to drop wireless prices 25 per cent will happen organically due to changes in the market, and it probably won’t save Canadians the average of $1,000 a year that the party platform promised, Innovation Canada told the Privy Council Office. That’s because while the Liberal promise targets plans with a specific, …
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CBC putting branded content initiative on ‘pause’
The branded content initiative launched by CBC/Radio-Canada last month has been put on hiatus while the public broadcaster reviews the project, a CBC spokesperson told The Wire Report. “We feel there are more insights to be gained on this initiative and to that end, we are taking a brief pause on booking any new branded …
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Federal Court dismisses incumbents’ wholesale rates appeal
The Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Thursday the large telecom companies’ appeal of the CRTC’s Aug. 2019 decision lowering wholesale rates. The appeal is part of a long-running dispute between incumbent telecoms including BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc., and smaller providers that buy wholesale service from them, like those …
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Bell applies for indefinite extension of AI call blocking scheme
BCE Inc. has applied to the CRTC for an interim extension of its “very encouraging” trial of Canada’s first artificial intelligence-based call blocking system, which has been the subject of concerns around transparency and privacy, until the regulator rules on a yet to be submitted Part 1 application to make the scheme permanent. In a …
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Cabinet says CRTC wholesale rates too low, may harm investment
The Liberal government has sided with Canada’s largest telecoms in their appeal of an August 2019 CRTC decision lowering wholesale rates, saying those rates may harm network investment, though it did not overturn the decision or send it back to the CRTC for reconsideration. “On the basis of its review, the Governor in Council considers …
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UPDATED: OPC now says it supports COVID-19 tracing app
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has cleared up uncertainty about whether it had approved the federal government launching its contact-tracing COVID-19 app Friday, issuing a statement saying it supports the use of the app. “The federal and Ontario regulators reviewed the app and provided recommendations to their respective governments based on key privacy principles …
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Even as Bell removes its gear, Bell, Telus say Huawei still in play for 5G
Both Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. still won’t rule out partnering with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. for their 5G networks if the government grants permission to do so, despite Bell beginning to replace its ageing Huawei network equipment with that of 5G vendor Nokia Corp. Bell Mobility president Claire Gillies told The Wire Report in …
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Privacy commissioner hasn’t approved new gov’t contact tracing app
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that in developing the federal government’s new voluntary app to trace exposure to the COVID-19 virus, it consulted the Office of The Privacy Commissioner, but a statement from the OPC indicated the office has not approved the app Trudeau announced Thursday. “The privacy commissioner has been worked with on …
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Gov’t to introduce web giant, CanCon, news legislation in fall: Guilbeault
Legislation modernizing Canada’s Broadcasting Act is “pretty much ready” and will be tabled in Parliament in the fall, when the Liberal government also intends to introduce legislation requiring Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc. to compensate news organizations for using their content, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault told Tuesday’s Banff World Media Festival. Guilbeault had originally intended …
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Questions remain about Huawei gear as Bell, Telus pick Ericsson, Nokia
On Tuesday, BCE Inc. and Telus Corp. announced new partnerships with Ericsson AB and Nokia Corp. on 5G network rollouts, but what that means for their existing 4G network equipment from — and potential future collaboration with — Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. was still unclear. Because the Huawei gear that is currently in place is not …
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‘Public outreach’ needed for ‘progress’ on encryption backdoors: gov’t doc
In order to make “progress” on the issue of access to encrypted communications, the federal government will have to reach out to the public and try to bring stakeholders onside, according to briefing documents prepared for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. “One of the main difficulties that impedes governmental efforts to change lawful access policies, …
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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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Canadian authorities in talks about COVID-19 tracking apps
Several of Canada’s cities and provinces, as well as the federal government, are in discussions about launching apps that would use location data to track exposure to COVID-19, researchers behind two projects say. Various teams around the world have been working on developing apps to trace the potential spread of the virus — from the …
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Canada could track COVID-19 through cellphones: experts
As reports emerge of countries around the world using cellphone location data to help map out the spread of COVID-19, experts say there are a number of ways in which provinces or the federal government could do the same. There is nothing standing in the way of telecoms or tech companies handing over bulk data, …
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Gov’t 25% price reduction to target big three flanker brands
The federal government will focus on 2 GB to 6 GB post-paid plans from Rogers Communications Inc., Telus Corp. and BCE Inc. in its efforts to lower Canadian wireless prices, and set-aside 50 MHz of 3500 MHz spectrum for smaller and regional players in most licence areas in the upcoming Dec. 15 auction. Innovation Minister …
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CRTC chair, commish toured Rogers’ ‘piracy lab’
As part of their ongoing effort to fight content piracy, two of Canada’s largest media and telecom companies have, or are considering setting up, “piracy labs” to demonstrate to visitors including regulators and government officials what infringement looks like. Rogers Communications Inc. has established a piracy lab which CRTC chairman Ian Scott and commissioner Monique …
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CRTC should regulate foreign digital services, news sites: BTLR
The blue-ribbon panel tasked with modernizing Canada’s communications legislation is calling for “fundamental changes” to how the CRTC operates, including giving the regulator jurisdiction over online news and rules requiring large foreign digital audio and video platforms to contribute to and promote Canadian content. The long-awaited, 200-page report from the broadcasting and telecommunications legislative review …
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‘Clock ticking’ on new content rules for web giants, Guilbeault says
The Liberal government’s minority mandate means it will have to move fast on its promised new rules for Canadian content on foreign digital platforms, Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault says. “We’re in a minority government and we have to do in months what we probably would have done in years in another context,” he said in …
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Court docs detail expansion of Canadian website-blocking order
Fresh documents are shedding light on how Canada’s first piracy case involving court-ordered website-blocking is playing out — revealing methods used by BCE Inc. to keep up with an expanding list of sites, and that Bell, Rogers Communications Inc. and Quebecor Inc. sent a letter asking third-party ISPs to keep mum about their request for …
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Telus warned gov’t of Huawei ban’s ‘far-reaching impacts’: secret docs
Telus Corp. told the federal government that prohibiting Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.’s equipment from next-generation networks would significantly delay the deployment of 5G — a week before its CEO reassured investors that a ban would be manageable. The company urged the Liberal government not to put in place any additional bans on Huawei equipment for …
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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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Bell asked gov’t to ban some VPNs: documents
BCE Inc. urged the federal government to make virtual private networks (VPNs) used to circumvent copyright illegal, ahead of the renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). VPN services, normally offered at a monthly rate, mask users’ real IP address via encryption, allowing them to surf the internet without being traced. It is a tool used …
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