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IoT growing in agriculture, despite rural broadband challenges
telecom | 08/24/2017 4:44 pm EDT
Internet of things (IoT) technology is transforming how many Canadian farms operate — connecting, monitoring and analyzing data on everything from cows to soil to tractors.
The technology is making inroads despite the lack of broadband connectivity in many rural areas...
Rogers program raises pre-hearing questions about affordability
telecom | 04/07/2016 9:33 pm EDT
OTTAWA — Other major Internet service providers may be compelled to follow in the footsteps of Rogers Communications Inc. and offer cheap Internet packages for low-income earners, according to experts looking ahead to next week’s CRTC basic telecom services hearing. On Thursday, Rogers announced the expansion of its Connected for Success program, which makes a $9.99-per-month Internet service available for those living in rent-geared-to-income housing in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. During a launch event in Ottawa, Rogers chief customer officer Deepak...
Post budget, Liberal telecom policy remains unclear
telecom | 03/23/2016 11:03 pm EDT
The budget didn't offer many clues about the Liberals' telecommunications strategy, but that might in itself be a hint as to where the new government will go, according to experts. Unlike budgets from the previous...
Tax changes, rural investment should be in new budget: committee
telecom | 03/14/2016 9:13 pm EDT
The federal government should incorporate an industry suggestion to spur telecom investment by making changes to the tax system into the upcoming 2016 budget, according to the House of Commons...
With no network infrastructure, towns opting to build their own
telecom | 03/02/2016 9:19 pm EST
Among the arguments from BCE Inc. and those supporting its appeal to federal cabinet of the CRTC decision mandating wholesale access to fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) networks is that the ruling will slow...
Gig speeds mainly about marketing for now: analyst
Media | 07/30/2015 8:37 pm EDT
Canadian companies’ recent embrace of gigabit Internet isn’t meeting a need that exists in the market, but it is setting telecoms up for the day customers start demanding such speeds, according to Greg MacDonald,...
CRTC to consider whether broadband should be basic service
telecom | 04/09/2015 9:22 pm EDT
The CRTC announced Thursday that it will re-examine the definition and role of so-called basic services, paving the way for potential changes to the offerings telecom companies are mandated to make available to every Canadian. The regulator said it will examine several issues in the proceeding, including which services Canadians find necessary to participate in the digital economy, acceptable Internet upload and download speeds, the need for funding mechanisms to support the provision of modern telecom services, and the proper role of the CRTC, the government and industry players in the...
Super WiFi ‘exciting new area’ for wireless: spectrum expert
Media | 02/10/2015 7:47 pm EST
Industry Canada’s announcement last week that it is opening up TV white space for the use of "super WiFi" technology could improve broadband availability in rural areas and has the...
OTT expected to cause Internet capacity crunch
Media | 11/06/2014 7:30 pm EST
Netflix isn’t the only game in town anymore. In recent weeks, Canadian and American TV giants have made a number of announcements about new over-the-top (OTT) video services — HBO and CBS revealing new streaming...
Has the time come to make broadband a basic service?
telecom | 06/18/2014 7:27 pm EDT
As the CRTC is set to reconsider what constitutes a basic telecommunications service, some voices are saying that it’s about time to include broadband Internet in that definition. Under current rules, basic service includes...
Dial-up Internet surviving despite broadband access
telecom | 05/07/2014 8:50 pm EDT
The continuing use of dial-up Internet access by more than 100,000 Canadians, despite the CRTC’s assertion that broadband is now available to almost every household in the country, shows the limits of access targets,...