NL Short Takes

Federal government to provide $155M for remote broadbandIndustry Canada, Infrastructure Canada and the Canadian Space Agency have earmarked $155 million for a national satellite initiative. The funding will provide high-speed Internet in northern and remote communities. The majority of the 400 communities targeted for this program are First Nations areas. Syria frees Arar as MPs ask for inquiry into arrestOttawa telecom engineer Maher Arar has been freed from a Syrian jail after 375 days in captivity. Members of Parliament are demanding an inquiry to discover why the United States deported the Syrian-born man to his native country when he also has Canadian citizenship. Arar was arrested in New York on Sept. 26, 2002 and sent to Syria in early October of that year (NL, Oct. 21/02). Bell Canada and Microsoft testing Internet TVBell Canada has joined with Microsoft Corp. to test Internet Protocol television that will carry Bell ExpressVu programming. The deal had been hinted at previously (NL Update, Oct. 6/03). MTS improvement plan approved by CRTCIn Telecom Decision 2003-68, the CRTC approved the service improvement plan of MTS Communications Inc. The decision completes a process begun last year following the price cap ruling (NL Update, Oct. 15/02). Allstream rolls out global connectivityAllstream Corp. is introducing an international data network portfolio. The initial offerings will be ATM, frame relay and ATM-frame relay service interworking. Other services will be added in the future. FCI protests Bell Canada MDU advertisingFCI Broadband has filed a Part VII application with the CRTC complaining about Bell Canada’s advertising practices at Toronto’s N.Y. Towers. FCI asserts that Bell’s wording on pricing could violate tariff regulations on bundling. Call-Net complains of DSL delays by Bell Canada and TelusCall-Net Enterprises Inc. has filed a Part VII application with the CRTC protesting the delays in marketing DSL as set out in Telecom Decision 2003-49. Call-Net has been in talks with the major ILECs, but Bell Canada says it cannot implement the ruling until next August and Telus is holding out until January 2005. Teleglobe expands network in Europe with five new POPsTeleglobe International Holdings Ltd. has increased its international network by moving into five European cities. Teleglobe service will now be available in Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Amsterdam, and Oslo. The firm already has POPs in London, Madrid, Barcelona and Warsaw. Nortel introduces network product to business clientsNortel Networks Corp. has unveiled new networking products for small- and medium-sized businesses. The new system extends IP telephony to all segments of the enterprise market. BCI’s Canbras Communications sells Brazilian broadbandCanbras Communications Corp., a division of Bell Canada International Inc., has sold its broadband operation in Brazil to Horizon Cablevision do Brasil S.A. Canbras will receive $22.2 million in cash and $10.4 million in a one-year note bearing 10% interest. P.E.I. looking at reverse 911 service for disaster alertsThe Emergency Measures Organization in Prince Edward Island is planning to launch a "reverse 911" system. A small box similar to an answering machine will receive messages sent from the 911 service warning of hurricanes and other natural disasters. AT&T rolls out unlimited Canadian plan in United StatesAT&T Corp. has added a Canadian dimension to its unlimited calling plan in the United States. For an extra US$5 per month, subscribers can add Canada to their plan. The new deal applies to the AT&T Unlimited and the AT&T Unlimited Plus plans. CrimeStoppers stops in Winnipeg over staffing woesThe Winnipeg office of CrimeStoppers has been temporarily closed, the Winnipeg Sun reports. Because of staff attrition and illness, the police were not able to maintain the service for at least one week. CrimeStoppers should be operating later again this week. U.S. court lifts Do Not Call ban as FCC reports popularity of listThe 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has lifted a stay on the Federal Trade Commission’s Do Not Call registry. The Federal Communications Commission reports it received 2,379 complaints about violations of the rules in the first eight days that the list was in operation. Court strikes down FCC rules on Internet accessThe Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Federal Communications Commission erred when it said cablecos did not have to open up their Internet networks to third-party access. The FCC says it will appeal the case. EC proceeds against eight countries over competitionThe European Commission is moving against eight member states it says are not implementing rules that would aid competition in telecom. The nations are France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal and Luxembourg. FCC approves Global Crossing transfer to GC AcquisitionThe Federal Communications Commission has approved the transfer of control of properties owned by Global Crossing. The various licences will be moved to GC Acquisition Ltd. VoIP operators not subject to state regulation, court findsA federal judge in Minnesota has thrown out proposed legislation that would have permitted state regulators to place VoIP operators under standard telecom rules. This is seen as a test case for other states that want to regulate VoIP (NL Update, Oct. 6/03). Broadband penetration grows by 1.09% in AugustThe monthly broadband report by WebSiteOptimization.com reports that broadband connectivity grew by 1.09% in August. Iceland led all nations in Internet users, with a rate of 60.76 per 100 users. Canada placed 10th with 48.39 per 100 users. Globally, there were 63 million broadband users at the start of this year. VeriSign settles site finder service disputeVeriSign Inc. has agreed to suspend its service that redirected misspelled web searches to its own page. The company was responding to criticism from the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (NL, Sept. 29/03). The service, which could have cost the company its right to license domain names, was in operation from September 15 until October 4. He obviously never heard of Internet pornThe former director of IT for Leesburg VA charged US$15,211 on a town credit card for "dating and escort services" since April 2002. Michel Agujia has been arrested on charges of forging a public document, uttering and larceny. He has been released on a personal recognizance bond of US$50,000.

NL Short Takes

News | October 15, 2003

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