OPC asks for more flexibility on info sharing with CRTC

telecom | 10/16/2018 4:38 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Canada’s federal privacy watchdog asked a Senate committee...

Bell, Rogers re-raise site-blocking request to MPs

Media | 10/16/2018 3:43 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. are asking the House heritage committee to amend parts of the copyright and telecommunications acts to compel a number of intermediaries to take down websites that make available...

Videotron losing its CEO as Brouillette announces departure

telecom | 10/16/2018 12:42 pm EDT

Manon Brouillette, who has been at the helm of Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron for the past five years, is leaving the company in what National Bank...

Over a quarter of businesses don’t use anti-malware protection: reports

telecom | 10/15/2018 5:14 pm EDT

Despite increasing cyber security risks, over a quarter of surveyed individuals at Canadian businesses over the past year and a half have not instituted anti-malware protection, while a sizeable chunk...

Bell retiring MTS brand for mobile customers

telecom | 10/15/2018 3:08 pm EDT

BCE Inc. is beginning to phase-out its Bell MTS wireless brand in Manitoba, according to a company spokesperson. Once a Bell MTS subscriber upgrades their device, they will be migrated over to a Bell Mobility plan, Bell communications director Marc Choma said in an email,...

ISED OKs North Bay spectrum transfer to Bell

telecom | 10/15/2018 2:18 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has approved the transfer of an AWS-1 licence in North Bay, Ont. from Bragg Communications Inc. to BCE Inc. Though Bragg's Eastlink began rolling out service in other...

Data gaps a connectivity issue for indigenous communities

telecom | 10/12/2018 6:05 pm EDT

Organizations working on mapping internet connectivity issues in rural and remote communities are being encouraged to take their work further to bridge a gap that some indigenous community...

Canada waiting on other countries for new digital tax rules: Morneau

Media | 10/12/2018 5:23 pm EDT

Canada has been “pushing hard” to speed up development of a plan for...

Iristel buys wireless operator specializing in remote areas

telecom | 10/12/2018 2:06 pm EDT

Iristel Inc. has acquired Télécommunications de l’Est (TDE), a small Quebec telecom that provides service to industries operating in remote areas with limited cellular service, such as forestry...

U.S. senators warn Trudeau against Huawei involvement in 5G

telecom | 10/12/2018 1:02 pm EDT

Members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee are prodding the Canadian government to block Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd from Canada’s next generation network infrastructure, warning it might...

Bandwidth pressures a concern for indigenous ISPs

telecom | 10/11/2018 5:43 pm EDT

Internet service providers (ISPs) in rural and remote communities are trying to keep up with the appetite...

TeraGo to start GTA 5G fixed wireless trial

telecom | 10/11/2018 3:10 pm EDT

TeraGo Inc. will repurpose spectrum it bought nearly a decade ago for a 5G fixed wireless trial in the Greater Toronto Area, the company said Thursday. It bought the 24 GHz spectrum in 2010, aiming to use it for a backhaul...

Lawyers warn of ‘notice fatigue’ from OPC breach guidelines

telecom | 10/10/2018 5:55 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner’s (OPC) draft reporting guidance...

OPC inquiring about Google+ leak

Media | 10/10/2018 2:34 pm EDT

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) said it is gathering more information about whether the personal information of Canadians was implicated in a leak involving an Alphabet Inc. social network. “Google has contacted us regarding the incident and we will be following up to gather more information about this incident, including whether it affected any Canadian users,” OPC spokesman Corey Larocque confirmed in an email to The Wire Report. On Monday, a Wall Street Journal report revealed that the search engine behemoth had a software bug that possibly gave third-party developers access to the private data of up to 500,000 Google+ accounts via 438 applications. It’s unclear if Canadians were implicated in the leak. On the same day the Journal report was published, Google said in a blog post the bug gave third-party apps...

Freedom deploys 700 MHz spectrum

telecom | 10/09/2018 1:50 pm EDT

Shaw Communications Inc.’s Freedom Mobile has begun deploying the 700 MHz spectrum it bought last year,...

Blais flagged gov’t non-compliance with payment card security standard

telecom | 10/05/2018 5:07 pm EDT

Seventeen of 34 government departments are “non-compliant” with private sector payment card industry standards they are required to follow to prevent data breaches and fraud, according to a June...

Canada joins allies in calling out Russian cyberattacks

telecom | 10/04/2018 5:11 pm EDT

The Canadian government took part in a coordinated international effort...

Google Canada asks MPs for Copyright Board reform

Media | 10/04/2018 3:29 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Alphabet Inc.’s Google wants to see the Copyright Board of Canada tariff setting process...

Bibic named Bell COO

telecom | 10/04/2018 2:35 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s head of regulatory, Mirko Bibic, has been named its new chief operating officer. Bell said in a press release Thursday that in his new role, Bibic will “lead the company's largest customer-facing business units,” while continuing to be in charge of its legal and regulatory strategy. Prior to Bibic’s promotion, Bell didn’t have a COO in place, Bell spokesman Marc Choma said in an email. CEO George Cope served as chief operating officer before he was named to his current role a decade ago. The...

Senators criticize makeup of comms acts review expert panel

Media | 10/04/2018 12:55 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Two senators on the Senate transport and communications...

Another round of public wireless alert tests coming: CRTC

telecom | 10/03/2018 6:16 pm EDT

The CRTC is directing wireless phone service providers to conduct additional “visible” tests of the emergency alert system, after the first tests were plagued with compatibility problems that...

Federal Court orders ban on ‘Mr. Blamo’ Kodi add-on software

Media | 10/03/2018 6:04 pm EDT

Nearly a dozen content producers have obtained a court order banning set-top box software developed by an individual in Canada that allows users to watch their content for free, according to court...

CRTC should have oversight over utility poles: telecoms

telecom | 10/03/2018 5:35 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc. are both asking the...

CRTC reviewing ISPs’ differential pricing practices

telecom | 10/03/2018 1:39 pm EDT

The CRTC is reviewing Canadian ISPs’ traffic management and differential pricing practices for compliance with its net neutrality framework, according to a letter sent out by the commission requesting specific information from...

More than half of internet traffic is encrypted: Sandvine

Media | 10/02/2018 6:49 pm EDT

Internet traffic is “more encrypted than ever,” with a “conservative estimate” suggesting more than half of all internet traffic is encrypted, according to Sandvine Corp.’s 2018 Global...

Barclays predicts ‘smooth sailing’ at Telus after VP exit

telecom | 10/02/2018 6:03 pm EDT

The upcoming departure of Telus Corp.’s president of consumer and small...

‘Narrow window’ to make new comms laws with USMCA: Nordicity

Media | 10/02/2018 3:28 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- There is an “urgent need” for Canadian lawmakers to set out a new communications framework now that Canada has hammered out a new trilateral agreement on trade to replace the North...

As CRTC rejects FairPlay, proposal could move to legislative reviews

Media | 10/02/2018 11:20 am EDT

The CRTC has no jurisdiction to implement a system to block websites allegedly engaging in piracy, it said in a highly-anticipated decision Tuesday, cracking open another...

Allow ISPs to apply notice-forwarding costs to deter abuse: Telus

Media | 10/02/2018 8:21 am EDT

OTTAWA -- Fraudulent copyright infringement claims made through Canada’s...

New NAFTA allows Super Bowl simsub ahead of SCC review

Media | 10/01/2018 7:18 pm EDT

The new trade pact forged by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to replace the...

Government formally launches cybersecurity centre

telecom | 10/01/2018 3:47 pm EDT

The federal government launched the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, the governing body intended to...

Facebook warns of massive security breach, affecting 50M accounts

telecom | 09/28/2018 5:10 pm EDT

Almost 50 million Facebook user accounts have been affected after hackers...

Small ISPs ‘optimistic’ about CRTC broadband fund

telecom | 09/28/2018 4:58 pm EDT

A CRTC decision outlining how its $750 million fund for rural broadband will be administered “looks quite encouraging,” according to the president of the Canadian Network Operators’ Consortium (CNOC). Matt Stein said in a phone interview the “process they’ve laid out stands out to introduce a lot of great options for some Canadians who don’t have a lot of options today.” The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) was more critical, with executive director John Lawford saying that the “comparative selection” approach the CRTC opted for isn’t necessarily simpler than...

ITPA asks CRTC to reconsider ending voice subsidy

telecom | 09/28/2018 3:34 pm EDT

The Independent Telecommunications Providers Association (ITPA) has filed a review-and-vary application with the CRTC, asking the regulator to bring back its landline subsidy. When the commission announced its $750 million...

Netflix expects to ‘exceed’ planned investment in Canadian content

Media | 09/28/2018 3:24 pm EDT

Netflix Inc. says it’s “on track to exceed” its $500 million pledge...

CRTC rural broadband fund speed targets draw criticism

telecom | 09/27/2018 5:51 pm EDT

The CRTC revealed Thursday the details of the $750 million rural broadband fund that’s been in the works for nearly two years, prompting criticism from some groups concerned about what they say are...

OPC to seek court reference on search engine delisting

telecom | 09/27/2018 5:39 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Federal privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien says he plans to...

Big telecoms ask MPs for beefed up anti-piracy measures

Media | 09/27/2018 12:37 pm EDT

Some of the battles taking place before the CRTC related to site-blocking...

Telecom execs praise ‘healthier,’ ‘balanced’ regulatory environment

telecom | 09/26/2018 5:51 pm EDT

Representatives from BCE Inc. and Rogers Communications Inc. described a favourable relationship with regulators at a CIBC investors conference Wednesday, where they also addressed competition between...

Competition Bureau warns streaming services to review marketing practices

Media | 09/25/2018 5:35 pm EDT

The Competition Bureau is calling for online video streaming services to review their marketing practices, terms and conditions after it found they’re sometimes unclear and hard to understand....

Broadcast, telecom acts review panel kicks off consultation

telecom | 09/25/2018 5:31 pm EDT

OTTAWA — The expert panel in charge of reviewing Canada’s...

Fewer phones than expected emergency alert compatible: official

telecom | 09/24/2018 5:48 pm EDT

OTTAWA — Those in charge of the wireless emergency alert system overestimated how many Canadians had compatible phones that allow them to receive the alerts, Patrick Tanguy, assistant deputy minister of emergency management and programs at Public Safety Canada said...

Traffic management company Martello to get $2M in NRC funding

telecom | 09/24/2018 12:02 pm EDT

The network performance-management company Martello Technologies Group Inc. announced Monday it’s getting up to $2 million in funding from the National Research Council of Canada through the Canada...

Feds paid $190,000 in late-fees to telecoms: documents

telecom | 09/21/2018 6:31 pm EDT

The federal government spent at least $190,600 on late-payment fees and...

Repurpose spectrum used for plane connectivity for mobile: Rogers

telecom | 09/21/2018 5:41 pm EDT

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) should change...

Canadian Heritage gets new deputy minister

Media | 09/21/2018 4:00 pm EDT

Hélène Laurendeau will be the new deputy minister at Canadian Heritage, the Prime Minister’s Office announced Friday afternoon. Laurendeau is currently deputy minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, a...

CSE cybersecurity centre to launch within two weeks

telecom | 09/21/2018 2:48 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- Canada’s cyber spy agency is set to soon announce details on its new centralized cybersecurity centre, according to Communications Security Establishment (CSE) officials. The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, announced in the 2018 budget, “stands up in about 10 days from now,” the CSE’s deputy chief of IT security, told MPs Thursday night. The centre has been in the works to consolidate the government’s expertise and response operations to cybersecurity threats under one roof. Jones, who will be leading the centre in Ottawa, said that the CSE has been doing...

Amazon introduces Fire TV DVR for over-the-air-channels

telecom | 09/21/2018 2:12 pm EDT

Amazon.com Inc. is launching a DVR that will work with a digital antenna to...

CSE defends network security as Tories press on Huawei concerns

telecom | 09/20/2018 8:51 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- Officials from Canada’s cyber-spy agency defended the security of Canada’s telecommunications systems and allowing Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd equipment to operate on them, as MPs...

Rogers setting up 5G hub with UBC

Media | 09/20/2018 4:19 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. and the University of British Columbia are joining forces on a multi-million dollar venture to build out a 5G hub on the university’s campus over the next three years. The telecom said in a...

Cultural sector reaches out to Rodriguez

Media | 09/19/2018 6:12 pm EDT

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has met with creative groups in his first registered lobby...

CRTC lets CCTS-avoiding telecoms off with a warning

telecom | 09/19/2018 12:32 pm EDT

The CRTC won’t take any punitive actions against six small telecoms for not joining the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS), since they have now become participants. The decision follows a...

Senators asked to champion net neutrality in comms laws review

Media | 09/18/2018 6:38 pm EDT

OTTAWA -- Lawmakers need to make net neutrality a major priority and...

Northwestel boosting speeds threefold in October

telecom | 09/17/2018 5:00 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Northwestel says it will begin providing internet service at speeds three times as fast as...

Class action filed against Facebook over Android metadata collection

Media | 09/17/2018 12:35 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. is facing another class action suit in Ontario over how it...

New party, fresh faces on Heritage could shake up Parliament

Media | 09/14/2018 5:16 pm EDT

As politicians file back into Parliament Hill’s Centre Block for the start of the fall sitting Monday, some new faces will be working on files affecting Canadian media and telecom, as long-awaited legislative reviews that could have seismic effects on those sectors get...

Rogers can recover some costs to disclose customer info, SCC rules

Media | 09/14/2018 10:37 am EDT

OTTAWA --- In a decision that could serve as a deterrent to copyright...

Videotron launching flanker brand ‘Fizz’ in Quebec

telecom | 09/13/2018 2:21 pm EDT

A new no-frills mobile service provider called Fizz has emerged in Quebec...

Bell standing by Huawei amidst security concerns

telecom | 09/12/2018 5:07 pm EDT

BCE Inc. head George Cope said Wednesday that his company is aware of concerns involving Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., though he didn’t indicate Bell has any plans to alter its use of technology from the Chinese telecom...

Rogers claims Iristel inflated its call traffic by over 295%

telecom | 09/12/2018 3:41 pm EDT

Rogers Communications Inc. is backing Telus Corp. in its traffic...

EU copyright directive passes

Media | 09/12/2018 2:24 pm EDT

The European Parliament passed its copyright directive Wednesday, with some amendments to the controversial articles 11 and 13. The directive includes measures proposing that internet platforms, like Facebook Inc. or Alphabet Inc.’s Google, pay news companies to link to their content, as well as copyright protections that would see the implementation of systems to detect and block copyrighted material before it appears online. In a press release Wednesday, the legislative body said it included some amendments in...

Big 3 offer twice the data in new low-cost plan proposals

telecom | 09/11/2018 5:41 pm EDT

BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. have each proposed a set of new-and-improved low-cost wireless data plans to the CRTC that would be available through their flanker brands and...

CRTC requiring next-day status of service reports to TPIA subscribers

telecom | 09/10/2018 5:43 pm EDT

Five months after ushering the internet into the quality of service regime, the CRTC said Friday it is directing cable incumbents to provide status of service reports to customers of wholesale clients...

CCTS refers Allcore to CRTC after ending its membership

telecom | 09/10/2018 1:36 pm EDT

In a rare move, the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications...

Andrew Scheer shuffles Heritage, Industry critics

Media | 09/07/2018 4:36 pm EDT

Opposition Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has shuffled his caucus's shadow cabinet in the lead up to...

Ottawa conducting security tests on Huawei equipment: report

Media | 09/07/2018 4:04 pm EDT

The federal government has quietly been testing the security of communications equipment used by Chinese-owned telecommunications company Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., The Globe and Mail reported...

CRTC to decide if mandated access to inside wire applies to fibre

telecom | 09/07/2018 3:31 pm EDT

A small internet service provider (ISP) is asking the CRTC to order BCE...

Big concessions on NAFTA cultural exemption unlikely, experts say

Media | 09/07/2018 2:40 pm EDT

As cultural protection emerges as a last-stretch NAFTA sticking point,...

Presidential banner caught emergency alert officials off-guard: emails

telecom | 09/06/2018 7:16 pm EDT

Public Safety officials working on Canada’s public alert systems were...

CRTC outlines potential moves on Harnessing Change suggestions

Media | 09/06/2018 5:41 pm EDT

The CRTC said Thursday it is considering taking action on potential changes it outlined in a May report looking at programming distribution models. The Harnessing Change report recommended a number of changes to the Canadian content system, including a new approach to funding content that would include contributions from telecom service providers and see online services make “equitable” contributions. In its forecast for 2019-2020, released Thursday, the CRTC confirmed it will consider implementing some of the changes identified in that report over that time frame. That includes...

Facebook sues BlackBerry for voice, security tech

telecom | 09/05/2018 5:38 pm EDT

Facebook Inc. filed a suit against BlackBerry Ltd. Tuesday accusing the device-maker of allegedly infringing on six of its patents, including voice messaging technology and security components, following BlackBerry’s suit...

Tim Barber registers to lobby for Rogers

Media | 09/05/2018 3:02 pm EDT

Long-time Liberal insider and Bluesky Strategy Group principal Tim Barber has registered formally to...

Don’t penalize industry over bad actors’ sales practices, CRTC hears

Media | 09/04/2018 6:18 pm EDT

The CRTC should focus its efforts on taking action against telecoms that have been directly accused of unethical sales practices instead of applying blanket rules on the entire industry, smaller...

90% of Quebecers to have 100 Mbps internet by 2020, PLQ pledges

telecom | 09/04/2018 5:38 pm EDT

Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) leader Philippe Couillard is promising more than...

Despite paper ballot, election hacking vulnerabilities exist

telecom | 09/04/2018 11:55 am EDT

To bolster Canada’s democratic defences before the next election, governmental departments, political organizations, research groups and private industry tasked with that goal need to contend with a menagerie of cyber threats, experts from security field tell the The Wire...

Cogeco gigabit service expands in Ontario

telecom | 08/31/2018 3:36 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. has staked out parts of Ontario for a gigabit expansion that features its DOCSIS 3.1 technology, it said in a Friday release. The Montreal-based cable company announced the high-speed offerings will now be...

N.B., N.L. to get new area codes in early 2020s

telecom | 08/31/2018 3:04 pm EDT

The provinces of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador will get new relief area codes as well as a switch to ten digit dialling, according to two CRTC decisions published on Thursday. For New Brunswick, a June 2018...

Facebook makes Watch video service available world-wide

Media | 08/30/2018 4:33 pm EDT

In a blog post on Wednesday, Facebook Inc. announced the global launch of...

Social media threats challenge gov’t, platforms ahead of election

Media | 08/30/2018 3:12 pm EDT

In the three years since the last Canadian federal election, emerging...

Canadians spent $8B on digital products last year: StatCan

Media | 08/29/2018 6:00 pm EDT

According to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada, 67 per cent of adult Canadians purchased a digital product, such as a subscription to a streaming service, ebooks or online newspapers, between...

CRTC seeks public opinion in telecom sales practises

Media | 08/27/2018 3:23 pm EDT

The CRTC outlined Monday the details of an online public opinion survey concerning the regulator’s efforts to look into the allegedly unethical sales practises of the country’s telecoms.  The information the Commission...

Broadcasters’ association, Corus, add new lobby registrations

Media | 08/24/2018 11:33 am EDT

The Canadian Association of Broadcasters registered to lobby the federal government on its review of the Copyright Act in July, which was otherwise a sleepy month in telecom and media government...

Libertarian telecom analyst joining Bernier’s new party effort

Media | 08/23/2018 7:47 pm EDT

Conservative MP Maxime Bernier announced Thursday that Montreal Economic...

Heritage seeking Que. CRTC commish for next year

Media | 08/23/2018 4:39 pm EDT

Canadian Heritage has posted the job application for the CRTC’s regional commissioner for Quebec, a year before the incumbent’s term is up. Yves Dupras, a Quebec lawyer, began a five-year term as the current commissioner in August 2014, which is coming to an end next August. The government is encouraging all applicants to get their applications in before the review process on September 25. After that date, the application will be held “and may be considered up until an appointment to the position is made,” it said in the job description, posted last week....

SaskTel now offers IPTV service

Media | 08/22/2018 5:58 pm EDT

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. (SaskTel) announced the launch of a new TV service using Ericsson AB’s MediaFirst-powered IPTV platform in a press release on Wednesday. Dubbed the maxTV Stream, according to the...

Fibre connections coming to Quebec’s far north

telecom | 08/22/2018 5:39 pm EDT

With $125.2 million in funds from the Connect to Innovate program and the Quebec government, the Kativik...

Canadians agreed to pay at least $200K to settle copyright suits in 2018

Media | 08/22/2018 5:08 pm EDT

More than a dozen movie studios have sued Canadians in recent months in a...

CRTC combines Telus, Iristel applications

telecom | 08/21/2018 5:26 pm EDT

The CRTC have merged two Part 1 applications filed by Iristel Inc. and Telus Corp. earlier this month...

Senate committee calls for study of online ad tax deductibility

Media | 08/21/2018 4:10 pm EDT

The Senate transport and communications committee said Tuesday the government should hold a full study into the issue of taxing advertising on foreign online platforms. “Witnesses representing various segments of Canada’s media industry told the committee that...

CMF to consult on changing regulations this fall

telecom | 08/20/2018 4:37 pm EDT

The Canada Media Fund (CMF) will hold focus group meetings with Canadian production industry stakeholders...

New basic service standards not ‘possible’ in the North: Northwestel

telecom | 08/17/2018 5:45 pm EDT

BCE Inc.’s Northwestel is claiming that due to long distances in its...

Household spending on telecom services up 2%: CRTC

Media | 08/16/2018 5:30 pm EDT

Canadian households spent an average of $222.83 a month on communications services in 2016, the CRTC said...

Viceland shows back to TV after deal with Bell

Media | 08/16/2018 1:35 pm EDT

BCE Inc. and Vice Media Inc. have reached a deal that will see new and previously produced content from...

Big Three average wireless speeds increase: OpenSignal

telecom | 08/15/2018 4:31 pm EDT

Telus Corp. had the fastest average wireless speeds in the latest measurements by OpenSignal, with an average of 51.05 Mbps. BCE Inc. came in second, with 42.41 Mbps, ahead of Rogers Communications...

Don’t set metrics for jitter, telecoms tell CRTC

Media | 08/15/2018 12:36 pm EDT

There is no need to set thresholds for jitter as part of the basic service standard, telecoms said in interventions to a CRTC consultation Monday. The regulator launched the consultation in July, when it issued...

Cogeco bucks the cableco X1 trend with MediaFirst pick

telecom | 08/14/2018 6:28 pm EDT

Cogeco Inc. is going with MediaFirst for its first IPTV platform, a move...

Gov’t announces cybersecurity, connected cars funding

telecom | 08/13/2018 5:12 pm EDT

The federal government announced over $2 million in funding for a number of cybersecurity and connected car initiatives in press releases Friday. Victoria-based Hyas Infosec Inc. will get $475,000...

Bell to overhaul Manitoba public safety comms

telecom | 08/13/2018 2:28 pm EDT

BCE Inc. has won the contract to replace Manitoba’s aging public safety communications service, a project that’s expected to cost $380 million and take three years, the provincial government said in a press release. The company will be responsible for replacing the...