The challenge of getting modern telecommunications infrastructure to rural and remote regions is global. Many countries have programs to address this challenge. There is a World Rural Telecoms Congress and an association in the United States, NTCA—The...
Roland Renner
The Role of the CBC
Technological change is challenging traditional broadcasters, including the CBC. The status quo just will not fly. It is always difficult to start talking about changes to the CBC because of the political dynamic around the institution. In this case, technology is...
Technology Driving Change at CBC
Technological change is challenging traditional broadcasters, including the CBC. The status quo just will not fly. It is always difficult to start talking about changes to the CBC because of the political dynamics that surround the institution. In this case,...
Frontier Centre Releases The Role Of The CBC
A new study published today by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy shows that technology, not budget cuts or political interference, is driving change at CBC. Changing technology is affecting all broadcasters, not just CBC. Industry experts and...
Featured News
There’s Nothing Fair About Canadian Health Care
For the past 14 years, Vancouver surgeon Dr. Brian Day has led the charge for health-care reform, pushing for the right of patients to pay for private care if their health and well-being are threatened as a result of waiting in a stagnant and overburdened public...
Transformers: More than Meets the Eye
The path to net zero, based on the much disputed belief that carbon dioxide is a pollution, is more steep and impractical than most people realize. Replacing fossil fuels with clean electricity will require much more power generation and a greatly upgraded grid to...
Wireless Competition – Two New Studies
Two new studies on wireless competition in Canada were released last week. Also, Bell announced that it was cutting roaming rates to the U.S. “Wireless Competition in Canada: An Assessment” is by Jeffrey Church of the University of Calgary’s School of Public...
Wireless Ad Battles
The prospect of Verizon moving into the Canadian wireless market has resulted in an unprecedented ad campaign from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA). Not since the days of the proposed “cable tax” that would have required cable, satellite...
Big News in Wireless
How about merging Wind and Mobilicity and picking up SaskTel and MTS to provide a regional incumbent base?
BCE Acquisition of Astral Media Approved
The CRTC finally approved BCE’s acquisition of Astra Media, the second time that BCE presented a deal for approval. In this version of the deal BCE has sold interests and will divest itself of several other properties to fall under the thresholds for media...
The Wireless Industry Code
The CRTC released the Wireless Industry Code on Monday. The Code itself has 8 pages of rules and 2 pages of definitions and is accompanied by a 1-pager entitled “Your Rights as a Consumer” which has a handy checklist that anyone can use to see if their supplier is...
Mobile Wireless Competitors for Sale
It is clear that Industry Canada and the CRTC do not want a re-consolidation to occur. It is less clear if they can adjust the rules more in favour of competition.
BCE Acquisition of Astral Media Round 2 Part 3 – Telus Strategy vs BCE Strategy
Given BCE’s history in the content business, the Telus strategy has a lot going for it.
BCE Acquisition of Astral Media Round 2 Part 2
Last week participants filed their objections to the second BCE application to acquire Astral Media. There were 834 interventions in total, many of which are one-page letters of support or opposition. There are three different categories of organizations that filed...
BCE Buys Astral Media Round Two
The production sector fears a corporate culture clash with Bell and a buyer that is so big it does not have to negotiate.