On March 4, CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein addressed the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage about the commission’s views on Bill C-327, or namely its role in "solving the problem of violence in society by reducing violence in the programming offered to the public, including children." The crux of the chair’s message was that "the CRTC does not mandate or dictate programming, but rather ensures that it conforms to the objectives of the Broadcasting Act." To read the entire speech, click here.

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An official delegation of 20 Canadian new media companies is heading to Austin TX for the South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) festival, running from March 7 to 16. Activities for the official Canadian delegation include pre-arranged B2B meetings; a trade show booth; a ‘Blame Canada’ panel extolling our country’s advantages and history as a centre of interactive media; a pancake breakfast (featuring real maple syrup and Tim Hortons coffee), and; a networking lunch with many of Texas’ key decision-makers in media, investment and more. The contingency includes five companies from BC (Elastic Entertainment, Donat Group Enterprises Ltd., Hop Studios, LeftRight Minds and Prospero Media Group), two from Alberta (Cambrian House/GWABS and  LeaLea Design), five from Ontario (Filemobile, FreshBooks, Radiant Core, Xenophile Media and Zinc Roe) and eight from Quebec (Karabunga Inc., Open Source Cinema, Praized Media Inc., Station C, Taste of Blue, Urbania, Toxa and Vinismo). The organizers and funding partners for the Canadian delegation are Canadian Heritage, Foreign Affairs and International Trade and the Canadian Interactive Alliance/Alliance interactive canadienne.

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MTS Allstream Inc. has officially filed an appeal of the recently released CRTC decision deregulating Centrex services. The telecom firm also sought a stay in the implementation of the forbearance decision. As previously reported in Network Letter, Chris Peirce, chief regulatory officer at the company, stated unequivocally that the company would launch an appeal of that decision. He told NL that MTS Allstream would also appeal an earlier decision on Centrex. Both appeals are now posted on the CRTC website.

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Digital Dispatch Systems Inc. has changed its name to DDS Wireless International Inc., effective today. The company’s new website is http://www.ddswireless.com/. To coincide with the name change, DDS has reorganized its business into four operating units with the goal of maintaining a focused, yet diversified growth strategy.

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Mitec Telecom Inc. has received a second order for its VSAT equipment from a major cellular network operator in Africa. In January, Mitec started delivering gear to this operator, but this second order reinforces the company’s position as a leading provider of 2-way satellite communications for growth markets. The Montreal-based firm has now kicked off discussions with the customer about selling it traditional mobile wireless infrastructure equipment.

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