The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Decima Reports.

FCC issues citations over Do Not Call registry
The Federal Communications Commission has cited CPM Funding Inc. of California for disobeying the national Do Not Call rules. It has also asked Time-Life Inc. to explain complaints made about its telemarketing practices violating the regulations.

Christian Trudeau, who was at BCE Emergis Inc. since its founding, is stepping down as president/COO. CEO Tony Gaffney will assume the president's duties; there will be no COO. Sue Ernst has been appointed executive VP service delivery operations at the BCE Inc. subsidiary.

Final contribution charges unveiled by CRTC
The CRTC has ruled, in Telecom Decision 2003-84, that the final 2003 contribution charges and the 2003 subsidy per network access service for the five major ILECs will be 1.1%. It also granted interim approval to revised subsidy requirements for Télébec and Telus Québec.

The Internet worked fairly well during last summer’s blackout in Ontario and the American northeast but connectivity was more seriously affected than initially thought, according to a report from Renesys Corp. of Hanover NH. Authors of the Impact of the 2003 Blackouts on Internet Communications report conclude that greater investment is needed in the Internet before it can be considered a replacement for traditional telephone infrastructure.

People who use various electronic devices are likely to embrace high-speed Internet services, a new survey has found. Users of cell phones, laptop computers and PDAs also show a greater likelihood of having a high-speed Internet connection at home and/or at work compared to those who do not.

The various government departments and agencies that affect the workings of the telecommunications sector should work towards improving the situation for the industry without being too intrusive, a recent conference was told. That was the message from three communications industry executives at a session of the Canadian chapter of the International Institute of Communications meeting in Ottawa earlier this month.