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High spectrum costs are the villain in cellular prices, Big 3 tell INDU

telecom | 03/18/2024 3:52 pm EDT

The presidents of the Big Three telecoms told the House of Commons Industry Committee that it is the government which is one of the biggest offenders in wireless prices....

CRTC looking to add a new radio station in Calgary, Alta.

Media | 03/15/2024 1:14 pm EDT

The CRTC is issuing a call for applications from interested parties wishing to obtain a radio licence to serve Calgary, Alta., having found that the market can sustain at least one additional radio station. “The market may best be served by proposals for ethnic and...

CRTC adopts interim basic 911 features for remote regions, pushes NG911 deadlines 

telecom | 03/14/2024 5:42 pm EDT

The CRTC is delaying transition of next-generation 911 (NG911) services in...

CRTC kicks off Online News Act consultation

Internet and Governance | 03/13/2024 4:46 pm EDT

The CRTC launched its first public consultation on the Online News Act’s regulatory framework to gain...

CRTC rejects Bell’s challenge against wireless attachment jurisdiction

telecom | 03/12/2024 5:06 pm EDT

The CRTC has dismissed BCE Inc.’s application challenging the...

Ontario disability advocate seeks better service from Bell

Media | 03/08/2024 5:39 pm EST

BCE Inc. is the subject of a Part 1 application before the CRTC over access...

Class action suit granted over Rogers’ 2021 service outage

telecom | 03/06/2024 1:09 pm EST

A trio of Quebecers has been granted leave to launch a class action suit against Rogers Communications Inc. and two subsidiaries over a service disruption in April 2021. The filing was submitted last month in Montreal. The plaintiffs are Kelly Amram and Jonathan Amar, who are partners, and Jaclyn Rabin. They want all nationwide Rogers, Rogers for Business, Fido and Chatr clients as of April 19, 2021 to be added to the class action. On that date Rogers experienced...

Court authorizes class action lawsuit for phone unlocking fees

telecom | 03/05/2024 6:40 pm EST

The Superior Court of Quebec has authorized a class action lawsuit against...

Accessible Media seeks to increase rates for mandatory carriage

Media | 03/05/2024 5:49 pm EST

Accessible Media Inc. (AMI) submitted an application to the CRTC for an...

The Wire Report is hiring an editor

Internet and Governance | 03/05/2024 10:36 am EST

The Wire Report, the leading news source covering telecom, digital communications and broadcast media in Canada, is searching for an editor to join our Ottawa office. The Wire Report is part of The Hill Times Canada’s leading...

Court rejects station’s request for Rogers to disclose subscriber info

Media | 03/04/2024 3:32 pm EST

The Superior Court of Quebec has dismissed a request from RNC Media Inc. to...

Neighbourhood Connect escalates dispute with Bethlehem Housing over MDU access

Media | 02/29/2024 4:35 pm EST

Neighbourhood Connect (NHC), operating under 2621159 Ontario Inc. DBA...

INDU committee passes motion to call on Big 3 telecom CEOs to testify

telecom | 02/29/2024 4:26 pm EST

The House of Commons committee on Industry met Wednesday to discuss...

Updated: CRTC issues consult on mandatory call traceback process for TSPs

telecom | 02/28/2024 5:46 pm EST

This story has been updated to reflect changes to deadlines made by the CRTC on Monday. The CRTC is issuing a consultation on its proposal to make its voluntary call traceback process mandatory for...

UPDATED: Quebecor files complaints to Comp. Bureau against Bell’s alleged abuse of dominance in internet market

telecom | 02/28/2024 4:22 pm EST

Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron and its subsidiary VMedia have lodged two formal complaints with the Competition Bureau, urging an investigation into BCE Inc.'s alleged abuse of dominant position in the high-speed internet access (HSA) services market and with its telecommunications transport service contracts. The complaint, issued Tuesday, accuses Bell of engaging in...

Building owner ordered to give Execulink access to western Ontario MDUs

telecom | 02/28/2024 4:16 pm EST

The CRTC has approved Execulink Telecom Inc.’s request for access to three multi-dwelling units (MDUs) owned by JLC Homes Ltd. in western Ontario.  The buildings, located in Tillsonburg, Ont. at...

Witnesses at Heritage committee support media forum, disagree on who should pay for it

Media | 02/28/2024 4:15 pm EST

Witnesses before the House of Commons committee on Canadian Heritage all agreed Tuesday that a forum on the future of the media is required. Whether government has a role was...

Bell challenges CRTC’s jurisdictional authority in wireless deployment consultation

telecom | 02/27/2024 5:30 pm EST

The front entrance of the Bell Canada building on Albert Street in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2021 (photo by Andrew Meade)BCE Inc. is disputing the CRTC’s preliminary...

Telecommunications sector sees strong revenue growth in 2022: CRTC report

telecom | 02/27/2024 4:51 pm EST

Revenues were robust in the telecommunications sector, a new CRTC study has...

Canada’s Bill C-63 takes aim at online hate crimes and child exploitation

Internet and Governance | 02/26/2024 9:32 pm EST

The government of Canada has unveiled its long-awaited Online Harms Act aimed at addressing child exploitation and hateful content online.  Introduced in the House of...

INDU wants to force Big 3 CEOs to appear before committee 

telecom | 02/26/2024 5:19 pm EST

With the heads of Canada’s big three telecoms threatening to boycott a...

Beyond tractors: Farmers navigating the digital transition, and broadband barriers

telecom | 02/23/2024 2:35 pm EST

By Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca  Technology is changing the family...

Quebecor reports revenue increase in Q4

Media | 02/22/2024 5:52 pm EST

Quebecor Inc. reported a successful fourth-quarter as it closed out the 2023 fiscal year, which it said...

Aggregated access to FTTP needed for independent ISPs, CRTC told

telecom | 02/20/2024 10:24 am EST

The crisis in competition when it comes to internet connectivity is...

Rogers, Cogeco, Quebecor challenge ILECs at CRTC hearings

telecom | 02/16/2024 3:02 pm EST

Representatives from Cogeco Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. told the...

Reseller market is healthy, incumbents tell CRTC internet hearing

telecom | 02/15/2024 1:39 pm EST

Two large incumbent telecoms told the CRTC that broadband resellers are not...

Providers debate wholesale fibre access in rural areas at CRTC hearing

telecom | 02/14/2024 4:24 pm EST

To bring affordable internet and consumer choice to rural communities, the...

Cogeco defends infrastructure upgrade amid TekSavvy dispute

telecom | 02/13/2024 4:58 pm EST

Cogeco Inc. is adamantly defending its right to upgrade infrastructure for the benefit of its customers in response to TekSavvy Solutions Inc.'s recent Part 1 application regarding decommissioning its coaxial facilities. Cogeco argued that transitioning from coaxial to...

Fibre needed for viable third-party access framework, CRTC hears

telecom | 02/13/2024 2:42 pm EST

If Canada is to have a viable wholesale market, high speed access needs to...

Creative orgs call for copyright protections to be added to AI bill

Internet and Governance | 02/13/2024 11:13 am EST

Organizations representing Canada’s creative industries are calling on...

Court denies stay in Bell vs CRTC case

telecom | 02/12/2024 4:40 pm EST

The front entrance of the Bell Canada building on Albert Street in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2021 (photo by Andrew Meade)The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed BCE Inc.’s motion for a stay against the CRTC’s decision to...

Trudeau says Bell decision to cut jobs is “garbage”; CNOC not surprised

telecom | 02/09/2024 5:07 pm EST

Reaction has been swift and condemnatory to the announcement Thursday by BCE Inc. that it is laying off 4,800 workers, selling 45 radio stations and slashing news programming...

CRTC uses forensic tools sparingly, ETHI committee told

Internet and Governance | 02/08/2024 5:37 pm EST

The CRTC has forensic investigative tools but deploys them rarely, the...

CRTC accepts Quebecor application for arbitration over MVNO with Telus

telecom | 02/07/2024 2:14 pm EST

Quebecor Inc.'s Videotron and Freedom Mobile divisions have been granted a...

Bell asks cabinet to overturn CRTC decision on fibre network access

telecom | 02/06/2024 5:48 pm EST

BCE Inc., filed a petition to cabinet Friday urging it to reverse a ruling...

ETHI committee hears departments don’t use tools to spy on Canadians

Internet and Governance | 02/06/2024 5:14 pm EST

Federal departments have forensic diagnostic tools that can be used for...

“Godfather” of AI says Canada must start regulating now

Internet and Governance | 02/06/2024 3:53 pm EST

AI "godfather" Yoshua Bengio, University of Montreal professor and scientific Director of Mila.The government must regulate artificial intelligence (AI) quickly to...

CRTC releases consult over its jurisdiction on small cell pole attachments

telecom | 02/05/2024 5:54 pm EST

The CRTC has issued a call for comments on the attachment of wireless...

Don’t fear the advent of artificial intelligence: Prime Time panelists

Media | 02/05/2024 4:40 pm EST

OTTAWA–While artificial intelligence (AI) may seem daunting to people in the creative industries, they should embrace it. To that end, the Canadian Media Producers...

Foreign streamers a problem for all Canadian broadcasters, CMPA hears

Media | 02/05/2024 4:39 pm EST

OTTAWA–Foreign streamers will be a prickly problem for mainstream...

CRTC implements thousand-block pooling to address telephone number exhaustion

telecom | 02/05/2024 12:32 pm EST

The CRTC is implementing thousand-block pooling (TBP) as a proactive...

Bloc continues fight to counteract CBC job cuts

Media | 02/02/2024 4:25 pm EST

The Bloc Québécois is continuing to protest the job cuts at CBC/Radio-Canada announced last year. For...

Rogers announces Q4 results and completion of network slicing trial

telecom | 02/01/2024 3:49 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc., in partnership with Ericsson AB, announced it has successfully tested 5G network slicing technology, marking the first nationwide live test....

Canadians won’t get consulted on new CBC mandate, St-Onge tells Prime Time conference

Media | 02/01/2024 2:50 pm EST

Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge said...

Attacks on CBC are concerning, says CMPA president at Prime Time conference

Media | 02/01/2024 12:35 pm EST

OTTAWA, Ont. – No public institution, including Canada’s public...

Tait won’t rule out bonus pay for CBC’s top brass despite job cuts

Media | 01/30/2024 6:42 pm EST

CBC-Radio Canada CEO Catherine Tait won’t say if she, or the public...

CRTC receives final replies on service to Far North

telecom | 01/25/2024 3:26 pm EST

Stakeholders have sent their final replies on telecom service in the Far North to the CRTC. The incumbent telecoms are at odds with most other applicants when it comes to the remedy for competition in the region. BCE Inc....

CRTC to investigate lack of French 911 service

telecom | 01/23/2024 5:30 pm EST

The CRTC has sent letters on Jan. 22 to interested parties to try to get to the bottom of two incidents...

Advocacy groups call on CRTC to share schedule for upcoming Online Streaming Act proceedings

Media | 01/23/2024 5:08 pm EST

A coalition of nine advocacy groups and community associations are calling on the CRTC to clarify the timing of this year’s upcoming proceedings regarding the Online...

Rogers sisters leave board of directors in private settlement

telecom | 01/17/2024 3:07 pm EST

Melinda and Edward Rogers (photos via Rogers).Melinda Rogers-Hixon and Martha Rogers are retiring from the telecom...

CCTS: Rogers received the most complaints about telecom services last year

telecom | 01/17/2024 11:13 am EST

Rogers Communications Inc. has become Canada’s most complained-about service provider, according to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services’ (CCTS) annual report released on...

INDU debates study of mobile plan price hikes

telecom | 01/15/2024 5:46 pm EST

After almost two hours of deliberation last Thursday, the House industry and technology committee failed...

Bell seeks CRTC clarity amid class action alleging unreasonable prison call rates

telecom | 01/15/2024 4:56 pm EST

BCE Inc. filed a Part 1 application with the CRTC seeking clarity on three key areas of uncertainty identified by the Ontario Court of Appeal, in response to a proposed class...

Numbers down as Corus Entertainment release Q1 figures

telecom | 01/12/2024 4:52 pm EST

The lingering effects of the pandemic and the labour disputes in Hollywood...

Kitchener MDU pushes for upgrades to Bell’s legacy facilities in access dispute

telecom | 01/12/2024 1:17 pm EST

The front entrance of the Bell Canada building on Albert Street in Ottawa on Nov. 2, 2021 (photo by Andrew Meade)The owner of a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) in Kitchener, Ontario denies BCE...

Revenue and profit down for Cogeco Q1 as guidance continues

telecom | 01/11/2024 4:42 pm EST

Revenue and profits declined at Cogeco  Inc. as the Quebec firm released...

TekSavvy challenges Cogeco’s network changes 

telecom | 01/10/2024 4:57 pm EST

TekSavvy Solutions Inc. lodged a formal Part 1 complaint with the CRTC against Cogeco Inc., to address...

Nuisance calls still plaguing 911 system, fining abusers proposed

telecom | 01/10/2024 4:46 pm EST

Misuse of 911 continues to be a problem for emergency service providers...

Consortium seeks contingency for NG911 rollout in B.C. amid tight timelines

telecom | 01/09/2024 5:46 pm EST

A consortium working toward the successful implementation of...

UPDATED: Quebecor alleges Bell breaching agreement on MVNO wholesale access

telecom | 12/21/2023 2:20 pm EST

This story has been updated with comment from BCE Inc. Quebecor Inc., representing Videotron and Freedom Mobile, has lodged a formal complaint with the CRTC against BCE Inc., alleging...

CRTC announces funds for Nunavut and rejects Bell’s bid to amend Broadband Fund contributions

telecom | 12/20/2023 4:47 pm EST

The CRTC has denied a BCE Inc. application to review and amend its 2018 Broadband Fund framework and its set contribution rates and interim funding for 2023 set last year....

Election overhaul must include AI advertising, politicos say

Internet and Governance | 12/18/2023 2:45 pm EST

Canada must revise its election rules and the use of artificial...

Government unveils final provisions of Online News Act

Internet and Governance | 12/15/2023 5:30 pm EST

The federal government released the details of the implementation of the...

Rogers completes Canada’s first satellite-to-mobile call

telecom | 12/14/2023 7:00 am EST

Rogers Communications Inc. and satellite-to-phone telecom provider Lynk Global Inc. have successfully completed Canada’s inaugural satellite-to-mobile phone call, utilizing everyday Samsung S22 smartphones.  According to Thursday’s press release, the historic call...

Tait attacked for taking trip to Australia as CBC cutbacks loom

Media | 12/13/2023 5:30 pm EST

CBC/Radio-Canada continued to come under fire in Parliament Tuesday with...

Blanchet says CBC cuts at worst possible time

Internet and Governance | 12/06/2023 1:48 pm EST

The Bloc Québécois is continuing its fight against cutbacks at CBC/Radio-Canada. Tuesday in Question...

Job cuts reason enough for access to online platform contributions: CBC tells CRTC

Internet and Governance | 12/06/2023 9:18 am EST

Gatineau, Que. - CBC/Radio-Canada's decision to slash 600 jobs and leave...

Rogers fires back at Competition Bureau over wireless plan investigation

telecom | 12/05/2023 5:47 pm EST

Rogers Communications Inc. is responding vehemently to the Competition Bureau’s investigation into the Toronto telecom’s Infinite wireless plan. The bureau announced...

CBC announces 600 jobs cut, decrease in programming

Media | 12/04/2023 6:48 pm EST

Canada's public broadcaster is cutting 10 per cent of its workforce and slashing some programming to deal...

Blue Ant says contribution regime should be flexible

Internet and Governance | 12/04/2023 3:32 pm EST

Foreign streamers must pay their fair share of contributions to the Canadian broadcasting system, but...

Netflix urges contribution limit be set at two per cent at CRTC hearings

Media | 12/01/2023 11:21 am EST

Netflix Services Canada ULC says it has invested large amounts of money...

3,800 MHz auction nets $2.2B in preliminary results

telecom | 11/30/2023 6:14 pm EST

Canada’s telecom industry have spent some $2.16 billion on the 3,800 MHz band of spectrum, according to...

Telecom workers union and NDP call for anti-scab legislation

telecom | 11/30/2023 6:00 pm EST

Members of the NDP and the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1944 union, representing over 225,000 Canadian workers, held a joint news conference on Wednesday urging the government to improve protections for workers in the telecom sector.  “We've seen telecommunications giants increase fees, cut costs, and throw Canadians out of work,” said union president Donna Hokiro. “This hurts the services Canadians rely on, the communities in which we live, and obviously, the...

Google and federal government reach deal over Online News Act

Internet and Governance | 11/29/2023 7:51 pm EST

Alphabet Inc.’s Google and the federal government have resolved their...

Only foreign streamers should be paying contribution, CRTC told

Internet and Governance | 11/29/2023 10:48 am EST

Major broadcasters think that there should be a flexible contribution...

Pending class action from prisoners’ families against Bell lands on CRTC desk

telecom | 11/28/2023 1:36 pm EST

On a day in July, 2016, a man received eight long-distance collect calls...

IATSE calls for variety of funds to promote Canadian broadcasting

Media | 11/28/2023 9:24 am EST

Renewal of the Canadian broadcasting system should not rely on one rigid...

APTN says funds needed to support public service broadcasters

Internet and Governance | 11/27/2023 4:56 pm EST

The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) on Friday called for the...

INDU hears Canada must not surpass European or Quebec privacy laws

Internet and Governance | 11/24/2023 5:06 pm EST

While the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and...

Community radio calls for new funding at CRTC

Internet and Governance | 11/24/2023 7:56 am EST

Representatives from several community radio stations emphasized their role as a third-pillar of the Canadian broadcasting system during the CRTC’s hearings on Thursday, urging the regulator to develop a new funding model that supports them.  As the regulator works out...