Industry advocates are divided but the head of a newly announced initiative to review Canadian content rules says it’s unlikely the subject can be broached for TV and film without taking into consideration new media. François Macerola tells Canadian NEW MEDIA that he’s limited by mandate to reporting on how CanCon rules for TV and film might be improved, but that won’t stop him from hearing interventions by new media players – something he’s actually looking forward to.
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FCC to refund money from spectrum auction The Federal Communications Commission has decided to refund a "substantial portion" of down payments made by winning bidders in a spectrum auction of licences previously awarded to NextWave Personal Communications Inc., NextWave Power Partners Inc. and Urban Comm-North Carolina Inc. The decision follows a petition made in January by a coalition of winning bidders. The FCC will return approximately US$2.8 billion or 85 per cent of the down payments currently held. Despite returning the down payments, the commission will maintain the status of the applications and preserve the results and integrity of the auction. In auction No. 35, the FCC had net bids totalling US$16.3 billion and collected down payments of approximately US$3.3 billion. It its decision the FCC writes: "The commission found that petitioners, many of whom are small businesses, may require access to their funds to continue to operate their business." In other FCC news, the commission will soon vote on a Verizon Wireless petition asking the FCC to drop wireless local number portability (LNP) entirely. However, proponents of wireless LNP say that ensuring number portability for wireless consumers may actually slow down the shrinking supply of 10-digit numbers. New U.S. government reports estimate that the United States, Canada, Guam, Bermuda and Trinidad will run out of 10-digit numbers by 2025.
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Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. has made some executive announcements. John Boynton has been appointed VP, consumer marketing, and Bruce Burgetz has been named senior VP and CIO of the Toronto-based company. In his new role, Boynton will lead the development and execution of all marketing strategies and plans for the consumer segment. He will also be responsible for managing all existing product offerings to meet the changing market and competitive conditions. Additionally, he will also lead various initiatives to increase market share, sales volumes and the overall profitability of the business. Boynton has more than 17 years of marketing experience having most recently served as VP marketing and business development at Inquent Technologies. Prior to joining Inquent, he held VP marketing positions at Eyak, Sprint Canada, AT&T Canada, and other firms. Burgetz comes to Rogers from Shoppers Drug Mart where as senior VP, information technology and CIO, he was responsible for all IT-related projects. He spent 10 years at Shoppers. Prior to joining the large retail drug store chain, he was a partner at Gellman, Hayward & Partners, an information technology consulting firm.
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Shaw Communications sued over LMCS technology CellularVision Technology & Telecommunications L.P. has sued a successor entity to WIC Western International Communications Ltd., which was taken over by Shaw Communications in 1999. CellularVision alleges breach of contract related to certain LMCS technology. It is claiming damages ranging from $10 to $50 million. Shaw has assumed responsibility for the defence, and believes that the action has no merit.
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Microcell Telecommunications Inc. is consolidating its wholesale and retail PCS operations under the Microcell PCS banner, a move company executives say will allow the wireless operator to more effectively and efficiently compete in the marketplace against its bigger rivals. The move marks the final nail in the coffin for Microcell’s ill-fated foray into separate wholesale and retail operations.
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Pre-paid wireless services could be on the chopping block if new anti-terrorism legislation, rumoured to be in the works, is passed. Speculation is circulating that the federal government will introduce another security bill, nicknamed "Omni 3" in Ottawa, which could place stringent restrictions on wireless telecommunications services. Some have even suggested that the new legislation could call for the abolition of pre-paid service.
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The development of a coherent public protection disaster relief (PPDR) policy is proving to be a much more daunting task than previously anticipated as both the federal government and public safety groups call on each other to take the lead. At a conference on public safety radiocommunications in Ottawa last week, Industry Canada officials said they wanted greater input from law enforcement and public safety agencies on their particular systems requirements, while those same groups have looked to the government for direction on what those requirements should be.
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Vidéotron Télécom ltée finalized the acquisition of Stream Intelligent Networks Corp.’s assets last week, including the Toronto company’s spectrum licences. As expected, there was no opposition to the acquisition, but the affiliate of Quebec-based cable operator Vidéotron ltée still needs regulatory approval from Industry Canada to gain control of the vault of 38 GHz spectrum licences.
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Vidéotron Télécom ltée finalized the acquisition of Stream Intelligent Networks Corp.’s assets last week, including the Toronto company’s spectrum licences. As expected, there was no opposition to the acquisition, but the affiliate of Quebec-based cable operator Vidéotron ltée still needs regulatory approval from Industry Canada to gain control of the vault of 38 GHz spectrum licences.
This content is available to wirereport.ca subscribers