Industry Canada lobbied AT&T, too

telecom | 03/17/2014 2:50 pm EDT

It will go down in history as the great telecom lobby of 2013. BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. lobbied Industry Canada to change the spectrum auction rules favouring a foreign entrant, while Industry Canada lobbied for U.S. telecom giants to come into Canada. Lobbying works two ways. Usually it’s the companies doing the bidding, while the government twiddles its thumbs, thinking, “What have you done for me lately?” In other circumstances, the government will meet with a company and say, “So, what can we do for you?”   Verizon...

Digital economy strategy finalized and ready for release, sources say

Media | 01/30/2014 9:52 pm EST

The federal government has finalized its long-awaited digital economy strategy and could release the policy as early as next month, sources familiar with the government’s plans said. Three people contacted by The Wire Report this month confirmed a formal digital economy plan has been finalized after more than four years of preparation. They said the plan is ready for release, most likely by this spring, if not sooner. Though the sources could not confirm the contents of the finalized strategy, they said it would likely tie together a number of digital issues the government has focused on in recent years — such as copyright reform, intellectual property reform and increased...