Columnist likens the troubles facing U.S. broadcasters to the plight of the Big Three automakers.
Canada's private broadcasters have the right to appear at the Supreme Court of Canada to argue they are being charged what they feel to be an illegal tax.
Columnist says that Internet regulation, an ISP tax and net neutrality are likely to be the battleground issues at the CRTC new media hearings in February, 2009.
Shaw Communications has responded to a CRTC ruling that found it discriminates against the gay and lesbian channel OUTtv by agreeing to market it as equitably as it does all other channels.
When asked about his favorite television programs, the CRTC vice-chairman in charge of broadcasting said "I'm not that interested in televised fiction or even feature films".
Columnist says the move to put TV online is sparking big questions about how the change could affect Canadian broadcasting.
The CRTC has issued a decision ordering Canada's big phone companies to offer the same internet speeds to smaller wholesale customers as they themselves sell on a retail basis.
The CRTC have given its blessing to The Sports Network for turning its alternate feed into TSN2, a permanent, 24-hour digital channel.
The CRTC has approved a Rogers Communications bid for a Toronto-focused specialty channel with local news, traffic, weather, business, sports and entertainment information.
The internet search giant and owner of video-sharing site YouTube says exempting new media from regulation will keep the Internet 'awesome'.
Telecommunications company sees no justification for Cancon regulation of the Internet or to impose taxes to finance Canadian content production.
FRIENDS recommends that the CRTC extend the same public policy and Broadcasting Act support for Canadian content to all media, including new media.
New reports suggests that the best way to ensure Internet "net neutrality" would be to allow home owners to purchase high-speed connections rather than rent them from service providers.
Industry sources say Canada's national television networks will ask federal regulators for leniency on their local programming requirements as a way to cut costs.
The CRTC says the regulator will hold public hearings on the issue of Internet traffic shaping next summer.
Canada's telecom regulator has denied a complaint brought forth by a consortium of independent Internet service companies over how Bell Canada manages Web traffic.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union says recently announced layoffs should prompt the CRTC to reconsider the terms of license for CTV.
Canwest CEO says that changes in the media world and the slumping economy means that his company has only just begun the fight for regulatory changes.
In an internal memo, Canwest Broadcasting president Kathy Dore says "The current regulatory environment makes it very difficult for us to be successful."
Request for public intervention in a CRTC hearing on the sale of Campbell River Community Television to Shaw Cablesystems.
Columnist says that instead of implementing CanCon standards for the Internet, the CRTC should provide Canadian new media creators equal access to online audiences by mandating network neutrality.
The CRTC has ruled that Shaw Cable has not been marketing its gay-and-lesbian TV service nearly as well as do other cable systems.
Rogers is asking the CRTC for approval to carry Fox Business News.
Columnist says new federal broadcasting regulations should help the Canadian Olympic Committee in its bid to launch an amateur sports channel.
Over the objections of television broadcasters and other groups, U.S. federal regulators have set aside a slice of radio spectrum for public use hoping it would lead to low-cost, high-speed Internet access and new wireless devices.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has voted to open up unused, unlicensed portions of the television airwaves known as "white spaces" to deliver wireless broadband service.
Industry participants question how much of an impact the Local Improvement Fund will have, given there are over 70 television stations expected to draw from it.
The chair of the CRTC says that broadcasters did not adequately explain how the fee-for-carriage revenues they sought would help further the aims of the federal Broadcasting Act.
Cable and satellite companies are on the verge of being given the right to sell TV commercials on certain channels and services – a move that puts them in direct competition with broadcasters for advertising dollars.
The CRTC has urged the federal government to speed up the country's transition to digital TV, which already lags behind the U.S. switchover in 2009.
Financial analyst says the CRTC will need to revisit the current financial model for conventional television broadcasters in Canada, given the magnitude of the pressures they are facing.
Phil Lind, vice-chairman of Rogers Communications, says that since Canada's conventional broadcasters can't charge cable companies for their television signal they will "stick it to us somehow."
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein answers questions about the broadcast regulator's new set of rules for the television industry.
A decision in Fox v. FCC could sharply cut back - maybe even eliminate - the U.S. broadcast regulator's authority to police the airwaves for indecent content, experts say.
Editorial says the poor financial health of CTV and Canwest will likely mean less Canadian programming and more recycled American shows on our television screens.
FRIENDS says the CRTC has balanced the competing interests of the broadcasting industry.
Under new rules TSN will be able to air as much regional content as it wishes and Sportsnet can carry an unlimited amount of national programming.
Columnist says Canada's television networks will be forced to take a hard look at their business models after the CRTC blocked a proposal to collect millions in new fees.
The CRTC says there is 'No economic rationale' for allowing broadcasters to charge cable, satellite companies for signal use.
The CRTC will allow conventional broadcasters to negotiate payments for the retransmission of their signals to other provinces, also known as time-shifting.
Video of FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, saying that Canadian citizens, as "shareholders" of the broadcasting system, were well served by a CRTC decision on the cable industry.
In a radio report, FRIENDS says that the global financial crisis has shown that appropriate regulation can play an important role in Canada's economy.
FRIENDS says if the CRTC bows to cable industry deregulation it may mean more American stations and less funding of Canadian-made television.
FRIENDS spokesperson Ian Morrison says cable companies such as Shaw Communications may not be happy with having to put more money into local television programming.
FRIENDS says the CRTC has listened to advice that the cable monopolies and satellite companies are too powerful to be allowed even more discretion to control what's on TV.
CBC/Radio-Canada says the CRTC's decision not to grant broadcasters access to subscription revenues will result in the continued erosion of quality original Canadian television programming.
FRIENDS says the CRTC has started to realize how the lack of money in the over-the-air television system has the potential for a broadcast equivalent of a market disaster.
FRIENDS says the CRTC has rejected most of the cable industry's demands for greater powers to decide what's on TV in a decision that protects viewers and Canadian programming
Friends of Canadian Broadcasting spokesperson Ian Morrison will be available to comment immediately following the release of a CRTC decision on the possible de-regulation of the cable industry.
FRIENDS says the motivation behind a CRTC review of new media is to ensure that the audiovisual Internet - the equivalent of radio and television online - has some shelf space for Canadian content.
A CRTC decision will allow journalists to join the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, an industry body that referees public complaints about radio and TV shows aired by private broadcasters.
Editorial says the CRTC should not regulate Canadian content requirements for the Internet.
Columnist calls for the end of Canada's broadcast regulator and its powers transferred to "the secretarial pool in some corner of the Department of Canadian Heritage".
The CRTC will hold a public hearing on broadcasting services offered to French and English language communities in a minority situation.
The CRTC is expected to revise the rules pertaining to mandatory carriage, genre protection and restrictions on the entry of foreign channels later this month.
The CRTC has launched a proceeding to examine the role of broadcasting in the current new media environment, and what role this environment can be expected to play in the Canadian broadcasting system in the future.
An Australian public interest advocate has requested NDP Leader Jack Layton address allegations of illegal activities involving the Canada's federal broadcast regulator and media companies.
Industry watcher says the CRTC should establish clear rules for how Internet Service Providers manage network traffic.
Columnist says the U.K.'s new broadcasting minister is expected to take a more commercial attitude to the role.
Columnist says a proposed ISP levy to support Canadian content on the web will force regulators to show whether they believe that new Internet regulation is needed.
According to Telus, hundreds of millions in excess money collected on home phone bills would be better spent connecting rural communities to Internet services than refunding small amounts to individual customers.
Industry analyst says much work needs to be done to prepare Canadians for the digital TV conversion in 2011.
APTN CEO says the recent CRTC decision to penalize Shaw Cablesystems with a two-year licence renewal will do little to solve his channel's long-running issues with the cableco.
The National Coordinator of the Campaign For Democratic Media says with online media taking an increasingly important role, we are on the brink of a major restructuring of our media and communications system.
Telus has reversed course in demanding that Bell Canada pay all the costs of the CRTC's investigation into that company's internet throttling practice.
THE CRTC has given the go-ahead for Corus Entertainment to launch YTV OneWorld, a digital channel that offers international kids and family programming.
Prime Minister Harper tells supporters the head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will alternate between French-Canadians and English-Canadians.
The CRTC has approved an application for P.E.I.'s first Christian radio station.
A CRTC study calls for a hands-off approach to regulating television on the web, but for companies that provide Internet access to fund the creation of online Canadian television content.
Former CBC News chief says it is time for the CRTC to give the control of federal election debates to an independent, non-partisan 'commission' similar to that used in the U.S.
A background report commissioned by the federal broadcast regulator concludes that new media broadcasting should have the same regulatory treatment as television broadcasting.
The federal government has accepted the CRTC's decision to permit the TQS television network in Quebec to replace traditional newscasts with current-events programming.
Comcast is appealing a ruling by the U.S. broadcast regulator that says the company is improperly blocking customers' web traffic, triggering a legal battle that could determine the extent of the government's authority to regulate the Internet.
The CRTC has rejected two applications for Christian radio stations in the Ottawa area.
Canada's broadcast regulator is seeking feedback on a proposal to amend the benefits policy so that a percentage of future television benefits would be directed to the Canadian Television Fund.
The Green Party says that if a consortium of broadcasters does not allow Elizabeth May into the leaders debates it will take its concerns to the CRTC and, if necessary, the courts.
The CRTC has placed Canada's second-largest cable company on probation for flouting federal rules.
The head of ITV television has accused the U.K. broadcast regulator of demanding programmes that are only of interest to "niche, marginal and worthy" audiences.
A faith-based conservative family group wants the Harper government to intervene to block a broadcasting licence issued to a new Canadian porn channel.
The CRTC has approved a new CBC sports specialty channel, but set strict content rules that will limit its ability to carry popular sports such as professional hockey, basketball and football.
The CRTC approves Baseball TV, the Rural Channel, eScapes and Northern Peaks - described as a Canadian adult programming.
Article examines the roles of organizations associated with broadcasting in Canada and Quebec such as the CRTC, Industry Canada and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
A new Canadian pay-television pornography channel — to be called Northern Peaks — had been approved by federal broadcast regulators.
'Hinterland Who's Who' is set to call attention to the critical need for Canadian young people to get off the couch, off-line and outdoors.
A new poll says almost one in four U.S. seniors is not aware of the digital-TV transition in February 2009.
The executive chairman of Britain's ITV says the broadcaster's programming budget could be reduced unless regulatory burdens including its public service commitments are removed.
The president and CEO of VisionTV says with more Canadians watching TV programming on their PCs and mobile phones, it's fair to ask whether the CRTC needs to set some policy guidelines.
CRTC report says private conventional broadcasters spent $616 million on Canadian programming in 2007, down from $623.7 million in 2006.
Reports says on average Canadian adults watch more than four hours of TV a day while youth watch about 2.5 hours per day.
The CRTC releases the first comprehensive look at the state of the overall communications industry in Canada.
Canada's telecom regulator has acknowledged it is virtually powerless to deal with companies it believes are not following the rules – and will now push Ottawa for the power to fine them.
Nearly six in 10 employees of the CRTC say they're thinking of quitting their jobs within five years - one in seven say discrimination has adversely affected their career.
The BBC has been fined £400,000 by Britain's broadcasting regulator for faking competition winners and deceiving viewers on radio and television programmes.
Article addresses the confusion over the conversion from analog television signals to digital starting in February 2009.
The CRTC wants XM Canada and Sirius Canada to immediately explain any merger plans and how those plans will affect their broadcasts.
The broadcast regulator has revoked the licence of campus instructional station CJWV-FM Winnipeg for failure to comply with a number of mandatory orders.
CRTC reports show that commercial private radio stations recorded solid revenue growth in 2007 but that revenues for over-the-air television stations declined for the first time in a decade last year.
Sources say a tentative deal has been struck by a majority of commissioners at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to approve the merger of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio.
CRTC data show total revenues for Canada's AM and FM radio stations increased by 6.2% going from $1.4 billion in 2006 to $1.5 billion in 2007.
A U.S. court has ruled the government cannot fine CBS $550,000 for airing a Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 in which Janet Jackson briefly bared her right breast.
CRTC is looking to alter its benefits policy for ownership transactions so that a percentage is directed to the Canadian Television Fund – and that the buyer could request the money be used on new media.
Law firm opinion to Rogers Communications concludes Internet Service Providers do not engage in broadcasting and therefore may not be regulated by the CRTC under the Broadcasting Act.
The CRTC has realigned its organizational structure so that activities that are common to both broadcasting and telecommunications will be grouped in the Policy Development and Research sector.
Columnist says the issue of net neutrality has been elevated in the public policy debate by Bell Canada's traffic throttling practices.
Columnist says a decision by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could ensure the Internet remains open to all and that companies such as Bell Canada have no right to restrict the flow of traffic on their networks.
CBC encourages the broadcast regulator to recognize the importance of traditional media as the source of professional broadcast content for all new platforms.
CBC/Radio-Canada tells the CRTC new media is neither displacing traditional media, nor will it solve the financial difficulties facing conventional broadcasters.
The president and CEO of VisionTV says there should be Internet oversight urging Canadian content on the Web.
FRIENDS submission to the CRTC stresses the importance of ensuring the presence of thriving and dynamic Canadian content in the new media audio/visual environment.
Internet heavyweight Google has waded into a fight with Bell Canada, saying the company should be "prohibited" from the practice of curtailing peer-to-peer Internet use to manage capacity on its network.
Google says Bell is breaking Canadian telecommunications law by slowing certain internet traffic, and is urging the CRTC to take action against the company.
Bell critics say the company is throttling Internet traffic so that it can give priority to its own paid online content.
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has announced Suzanne Lamarre, Steve Simpson and Louise Poirier as full-time members of the CRTC.
CBC's bid to launch an all-sports television channel is under attack from media companies that assert the application is misleading and contradicts guidelines established by the CRTC.
The CRTC has ruled that the new owners of the struggling Quebec broadcaster can drastically reduce news coverage for three years until they return to financial health.
Canada's largest media union says the CRTC's decision to allow TQS to slash local news demonstrates that the CRTC is eroding its mandate to serve the public interest.
The chairman of the CRTC accuses Canada's biggest television networks of dragging their feet on millions of dollars of investment needed by 2011 to broadcast in high definition.
Speech by the chairman of the CRTC focuses on the transition to digital TV, over-the-air transmission, media convergence and accessibility to content for people with disabilities.
The head of Canada's Competition Bureau says that as converging communications change consumer expectations and behaviour, policy makers will need to address the question of regulating the Internet.
FRIENDS says record profits for Canada's cable and satellite companies demonstrate the existing TV distribution system works well.
CRTC head says that the fight between Bell and independent Web service providers over how traffic is allowed to flow over the Internet is "only the tip of the iceberg," for an industry that could find itself in more disputes.
CRTC says Canadian Cable companies' total revenues exceeded $7 billion for the first time ever in 2007.
The Canadian Media Guild has renewed a call to the CRTC to protect local newsrooms in the wake of layoffs at a Montreal radio station.
Columnist says the sport channel bids from the Canadian Olympic Committee and the CBC are significantly different and should both be approved by the CRTC.
The UK government has indicated it will reject proposals from the European Union that would allow broadcasters to raise money from product placements in television.
Columnist says there is growing support among political parties in Quebec for provincial control over the licensing of broadcasters.
Columnist says newcomer to Canada might not be able to tell the difference between the private broadcasters and CBC by looking at the TV schedules.
A CRTC proposal would split the Canadian Television Fund into separate commercial and cultural streams.
The CRTC recommends that the fund created to subsidize the production of Canadian television should support more shows based on popularity alone.
CBC says changes to the Canadian Television Fund would result in a $150M decline in funding to Canadian public sector television programming over the next 5 years.
FRIENDS agrees with CRTC recommendation to keep the status quo on Canadian content rules for the CTF.
The head of the CRTC says he is concerned about a Remstar Broadcasting proposal to drastically curtail the news coverage at Quebec private television network TQS.
The prospective new owners of TQS say they only want to revive the network's TV operation, not the news service.
CTVglobemedia executive says a recent attack on the fee-for-carriage issue by Rogers Communications shows carriers are desperate and have resorted to fear-mongering.
The CRTC has denied an application by the CBC to re-transmit its AM radio signal directly to Nanaimo from Gabriola Island.
FRIENDS says recommendations on the reform of the Canadian Television Fund will reveal whether the CRTC has the courage to stand up to the cable companies.
In a submission to the CRTC, the Canadian Association of Internet Providers has outlined how Bell Canada's Internet throttling has slowed down usage of voice-over-Internet-protocol calls, encrypted traffic, peer-to-peer file sharing and virtual-private networks.
Phil Lind, vice-chairman of Rogers Communications Inc., says there are "disturbing signals emanating from Ottawa that the regulators are toying with the idea of taking a far more hands-on approach to local news programming."
Shaw-owned Star Choice tells the CRTC that the company shouldn't be forced to return a local Toronto TV station to the airwaves just because "a few people complained".
Rogers Communications vice-chairman says the CRTC has recently demonstrated an appetite for micro-management that may have implications for how television news stories are chosen and focused.
Columnist says the CRTC has launched a wide-ranging review of Internet broadcasting because conventional media companies, advertisers, talent and audiences are fast making the web a main-stream distribution method.
Shaw calls CBC's demand to reinstate its Regina feed "completely unrealistic and a total waste of scarce satellite capacity."
Senator Barack Obama is urging the U.S. Congress to pass a resolution invalidating a decision to allow TV stations, radio stations and newspapers to be co-owned in the top 20 markets.
Federal broadcast regulators have ordered Bell Canada to provide tangible evidence that its broadband networks are congested to justify the company's Internet "traffic-shaping" policies.
A CRTC report says conventional broadcasters are increasingly worried about the growing share of advertising revenue that is migrating to the Internet.
CRTC chairman Konrad von Finckenstein, says "Our intention is not to regulate new media, but rather to gain a better understanding of this environment".
The Minister of Canadian Heritage has appointed Timothy Denton, a specialist in legal and policy issues related to the Internet and communications, as a full-time member of the CRTC.
The CRTC has released a letter addressed to Bell Canada and the Canadian Association of Internet Providers requesting comments on a dispute over traffic shaping between the two parties.
The CRTC has launched a consultation on broadcasting in the new media environment for a public hearing to be held in early 2009.
The CBC has filed an official complaint with the CRTC, demanding that Shaw's satellite TV distributor immediately reinstate the public broadcaster's Saskatchewan channel.
CBC says Shaw is breaking a CRTC rule that requires satellite companies to carry just as many CBC-owned stations as those run by other broadcasters.
Columnist says that while both the broadcasters and cable companies cite the need to support Canadian TV programming, what they are invariably after is the profits from foreign content.
Peterborough, Ontario is getting a new Corus Entertainment-owned FM radio station.
Cable and satellite companies say the CRTC has no place telling them which TV channels to carry, even after Shaw sparked an industry-wide dispute by dropping a number of local stations from its satellite service.
Canada's biggest cable firm tells the CRTC the company is not out to dismantle the television broadcasting system in favour of a "free-for-all driven purely by market forces".
FRIENDS advises the CRTC against rule changes for Canada's cable and satellite companies that could reduce the exhibition of and expenditure on Canadian programming.
Rogers reiterates its opposition to fee-for-carriage for over the air broadcasters in final comments to the CRTC.
The UK media watchdog has fined Britain's biggest commercial broadcaster 5.68 million pounds for cheating viewers over phone-in competitions.
The CRTC has told Shaw Communications it may require the company to file monthly reports to prove its community channels are not violating advertising rules.
A Bloc private member's bill says foreign television stations should be permitted on Quebec airwaves to the extent they don't jeopardize the predominance of Quebec culture and the French language.
Ted Rogers, chairman of Rogers Communications says the recent CRTC hearings may have gone smoother for his company if he had not attended.
Columnist says that if the CRTC allows the struggling Quebec TV network TQS to collect carriage fees in exchange for maintaining
Ted Rogers says there is a "better way" to get relaxed rules for cable companies than cable baron Jim Shaw's approach of writing a letter to the Prime Minister denouncing the CRTC.
The text of a letter sent to Shaw Communications in response to an earlier Jim Shaw letter concerning the CRTC broadcast distribution hearings and the Canadian Television Fund.
Residents of Quebec's Eastern Townships have filed a compliant with the CRTC over a Corus Entertainment proposal that could block the signal for Vermont Public Radio.
Executives for Canwest and CTVglobemedia make a joint presentation to the CRTC asking for a fee-for-carriage of their television signals.
Columnist says that if new TV regulations make conventional broadcasters weaker they will probably be forced to cut Canadian services, especially expensive local news.
Simon Fraser University professor says the CRTC's policy on ethnic broadcasting has inadvertently introduced classes of services where some thrive an others struggle.
The president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters says Canada has the best broadcasting system in the world and shifting to a model of unchecked market forces could put it at risk.
Columnist says Canada's specialty television and pay-TV broadcasters are seeing steady increases in revenue at a time when growth at the country's biggest commercial television networks is stagnating.
Editorial says Canadian want their TV channel lineups to stay the same, as much choice as possible and "good" Canadian programming.
FRIENDS mentioned in an article about the reasons why Toronto actors, such as RH Thomson, have challenges finding work in their home community.
Columnist says that CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein seems less interested in loosening restrictions than some might expect from a Tory appointee.
CRTC data show that industry revenues climbed to $2.7 billion in 2007, an increase of 9.1% over the previous year.
Columnist examines the ways network TV and cable industries could be reshaped following recent regulatory hearings.
Editorial says Quebec politicians should not peruse proposals to gain more control or a veto over telecommunications policy decisions.
FRIENDS says plans to shut down TQS news outlets across Quebec likely won't happen because it goes against CRTC rules and could hamper Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chances of winning seats in Quebec.
FRIENDS says the Canadian broadcasting system is an ecosystem where each of the components is inextricably linked so that a change in one will affect the others.
Columnist says a fight between Canada's cable industry and two national television networks is now being waged in the Prime Minister's office.
Shaw asks the CRTC to tear down regulations, allow more U.S. programs, and give distributors the power to pull the plug on unpopular Canadian stations.
An anticipated showdown between CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein and cable mogul Jim Shaw didn't materialize because the Shaw Communications CEO didn't turn up for his company's appearance before the broadcast regulator.
The CRTC has acknowledged that overhauling the rules protecting specialty channels from competition in Canada could lead to several of them being forced out of business.
S-VOX President and CEO Bill Roberts warns against allowing the pursuit of mass-market success to destroy the spirit of Canada's Broadcasting Act.
Ontario's minister of culture says entertainment and cultural industries will suffer if the federal broadcast regulator relaxes the rules requiring pay and specialty television services to fund Canadian content.
In response to Jim Shaw writing to the Prime Minister to complain about the CRTC, columnist writes his own letter poking fun at programming on Shaw's video-on-demand service.
Specialty/pay television broadcaster Astral says it does not object to fee-for-carriage for conventional broadcast signals.
Astral wants the CRTC to consider a new model that would ensure that any new specialty TV service, which had already won CRTC license approval, would have guaranteed access to a distributor's lineup of channels.
Canadian actors make a passionate plea to CRTC commissioners to maintain protective regulations while urging them to go further in providing incentives for more Canadian dramatic production.
CTVglobemedia, CanWest join forces to oppose cable/satellite deregulation proposals, argue for retention of simultaneous substitution, but suggest additional spending on local programming should not be a condition of adopting fee-for-carriage.
Star of Trailer Park Boys condemns dearth of Canadian drama on television, traces to level of regulatory obligations placed on industry.
Two largest conventional broadcasters make joint presentation to CRTC, say fee-for-carriage would right historic wrong, ensure continued spending on local programming.
Editorial backs cable/satellite industry call for deregulation of broadcast distribution.
Star of hit Canadian television production Trailer Park Boys joins panel at CRTC hearings warning against cable/satellite deregulation, calling for more Canadian content on TV.
Conventional broadcasters discuss reduced per-subscriber amount in fee-for-carriage proposal.
Media unions call on the CRTC for more support and an increase in spending on homegrown programming.
Broadcasters argue for fee-for-carriage, but resist suggestions that funds be tied to more Canadian programs and local news.
Shaw asks Conservative government to intervene in CRTC broadcast distribution hearings.
Shaw Communications CEO calls on Stephen Harper to "refocus" the CRTC, saying current review of satellite and broadcast regulations is undermining the Conservative government's policy objectives.
Telus says broadcasters' ownership of specialty channels should foreclose their right to fee-for-carriage for conventional channels.
CTV and Global deliver joint presentation to CRTC advocating fee-for-carriage, citing cable and satellite companies as too-powerful gatekeepers of programming available to Canadians.
Interview series on ichannel's @iSSUE, one episode of which features FRIENDS' Ian Morrison, addresses issues arising from CRTC broadcast distribution hearings.
FRIENDS says cable desire to change simultaneous substitution rules would significantly impact Canadian broadcasters' revenues.
Columnist says that Rita Cugini's original three-year term as a CRTC commissioner was renewed by the Conservative government only hours before it was set to expire.
Article says Canada is well behind the US in making television shows legally available online.
Bell says its traffic shaping initiatives do not result in undue preference, since it applies the same controls to its own customers as those of Internet service providers that resell its service.
Bloc proposal for Quebec-specific communications regulator that would sidestep CRTC said to develop out of 2006 Conservative government motion to recognize the Québécois as a nation.
Internet scholar analyzes Bell response to Internet service provider complaint filed with CRTC concerning traffic shaping practices.
Rival private broadcasters combine efforts to oppose regulatory changes proposed by cable and satellite distributors.
Bell Canada defends shaping of Internet traffic on its network as being in the public interest.
Conventional broadcasters criticize cable and satellite providers for advocating deregulation while profiting from protection from foreign competition.
The Bloc Québécois is poised to table potentially controversial legislation, giving Quebec the power to opt out of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and set up its own telecommunications regulator.
The CEOs of Canwest and CTVglobemedia warn the CRTC that cable and satellite companies will destroy the country's broadcasting system if the federal regulator fails to step in.
Stornoway Productions president Paul Kemp wants other Canadian broadcasters to air a documentary that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the battle between BDUs and broadcasters currently playing out at the CRTC hearings.
Rogers argues deregulation of broadcast distribution is not about eliminating Canadian content.
Canadian Association of Internet Providers files CRTC complaint against Bell Canada's Internet traffic shaping practices.
Bloc Quebecois readies legislative proposals to set up Quebec provincial communications regulator, opt out of national regulation by the CRTC.
Text of letter from Shaw Communications CEO to the Prime Minister concerning CRTC broadcast distribution hearings.
Quebecor calls for relaxation of distribution rules, contends they were designed for a world that no longer exists.
Quebecor says CRTC rules constrain industry's ability to offer better products such as video-on-demand.
Small independent broadcasters call on CRTC to enforce rules, resolve imbalance of bargaining power with cable and satellite providers.
The Canadian Association of Internet Providers has asked the CRTC to issue an immediate cease and desist order to stop Bell Canada from "throttling" the web traffic on its networks.
Quebecor tells CRTC to loosen regulation of broadcast distributors, says it would not pass on fee-for-carriage charges to cable subscribers.
Quebecor head says broadcast distribution rules apply to a world that no longer exists, must be relaxed.
Shaw-supported production fund calls on CRTC to protect Canadian children's programming, but says not at odds with Shaw demands that CRTC open up the market to large American channels.
Quebecor joins chorus of cable/satellite industry players in calling for industry deregulation, says it would support conventional broadcaster fee-for-carriage, just not for CBC.
Shaw calls for reduced CRTC regulation of broadcast distribution on the same day the Canadian Association of Broadcasters credits regulatory intervention with creating the best broadcasting system in the world.
New TV distribution player calls on CRTC to eliminate requirement to carry "basic" channels.
US switch to digital will affect communities like Windsor that receive US-origin programming signals over-the-air.
CEO of Shaw Communications says distributors need less regulation to keep viewers from migrating to the Internet or illegal satellite services.
Canadian Association of Broadcasters tells CRTC that subscription video-on-demand could allow cable distributors to subvert rules preventing direct broadcasts by US networks in Canada.
Satellite distributor defends free access to over-the-air signals for distribution, calls fee-for-carriage proposals "looking for a handout".
Shaw Communications CEO says cable and satellite distribution rules should be less restrictive, complains that CRTC hearings focused on "old rules and taxes".
Bell ExpressVu promises free basic services after analogue to digital changeover, if CRTC rejects fee-for-carriage.
Distributors tell CRTC that broadcasters should find additional revenues elsewhere than through fee-for-carriage.
Shaw Communications begins campaign against fee-for-carriage proposals weeks prior to formal appearance before CRTC.
Despite having been granted national "must-carry" status by the CRTC, six-month-old Canadian pay television service Super Channel says it has struggled to receive carriage from cable and satellite distributors.
Future of local grassroots community television hangs in balance at CRTC broadcast distribution hearings.
Editorial criticizes decision to reformulate CBC Radio 2 to easy listening, relegate classical music to off-hours.
Rogers CEO disagrees with own executives in presentations before CRTC hearings on broadcast distribution regulation.
Columnist claims cable and satellite subscribers will cancel or downgrade their subscriptions and pursue Internet and illegal grey market broadcasting services if fee-for-carriage proposal is adopted.
Bell Canada takes negative view of fee-for-carriage despite its ownership stake in CTV.
Despite opposition to fee-for-carriage as a cable distributor, Rogers says its own broadcasting operations will not opt out if fee-for-carriage is adopted by the CRTC.
FRIENDS presentation to the CRTC on possible regulation changes for Canada's cable and satellite industry.
FRIENDS says Canadians will pay more for less choice in Canadian TV if cable monopoly demands for all out de-regulation of TV distribution are granted.
Op-ed by Rogers vice-chairman outlines arguments against fee-for-carriage proposal.
Poll co-sponsored by FRIENDS finds two-thirds of Canadians trust the CRTC and expect the federal government to preserve Canadian identity and culture on television.
CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein questions Rogers assertion that fee-for-carriage would cause a consumer revolt, noting that annual fee increases have not decreased subscribers.
CTV television news quotes spokespersons from Rogers, CTV and FRIENDS on CRTC broadcast distribution hearings.
FRIENDS co-sponsored survey finds Canadians place a public trust on the federal government and its agencies to ensure Canadian identity and values are reflected on television.
FRIENDS releases joint poll showing Canadian subscribers believe reduction in regulatory "burden" sought by cable industry is likely to reduce choice in Canadian programs available on TV.
CRTC broadcast distribution hearings are exposing divisions within integrated companies and unusual corporate alliances.
New survey shows Canadians regard the CRTC and the federal government as guardians of Canadian culture on TV, but don't trust that de-regulated cable and satellite companies would promote and deliver Canadian content on the small screen.
Rogers says it stands ready to challenge the decision if CRTC agrees to grant fee-for-carriage for conventional broadcasters.
More than half of Canadians believe Canada's TV production industry would not survive if cable and satellite industry were deregulated, says FRIENDS co-sponsored poll.
FRIENDS says CRTC television distribution rules give Canadians among the greatest choice of television programming in the world.
Pollara survey co-sponsored by FRIENDS shows three-quarters of Canadians believe less cable and satellite regulation would reduce Canadian program choice on TV.
FRIENDS is sceptical of big cable's prediction that fee-for-carriage would result in a loss of subscribers any more than the fee increases cable companies routinely levy.
Video of FRIENDS spokesperson, Ian Morrison, talking about upcoming CRTC hearings on possible rule changes for cable monopolies.
FRIENDS says that if the upcoming hearings on cable deregulation go in the industry's favour Canadians could find that they have "less a Canadian broadcast system, and more an American system".
FRIENDS says Rogers, Shaw, Cogeco and Videotron operate as "territorial monopolies," making their push for more deregulation troubling.
Media reform network is disappointed in the CRTC's recent decision to deny an application for the creation of a community television channel to serve fourteen communities in British Columbia and Alberta.
In rejecting HDTV Networks' bid to launch a new television network, the CRTC said that the promised two hours of local programming would not be in keeping with policies on network television.
The CRTC has turned down John Bitove's application to start a high-definition television network because it would provide little regional programming.
Article outlines the arguments on both sides of the fee-for-carriage debate that will soon be before CRTC commissioners.
S-VOX has been cleared to purchase CHNU-TV in Vancouver and CIIT-TV in Winnipeg from Rogers Media.
Columnist says a private members' bill that seeks to reduce the amount of violence shown on television before 9 p.m. is not likely to pass.
The President and CEO of S-VOX says Canada's broadcasting industry needs effective and efficient regulation to ensure that a diversity of Canadian broadcasters, both large and small, enjoy access to distribution.
Executives for Rogers and CTVglobemedia offer competing opinions on the debate over "fee-for-carriage" of local TV stations.
Canada's largest media union is seeking a public hearing into Canwest Media's restructuring plans that will move control and production of local newscasts and lay off two hundred people.
Columnist says the viability of an important piece of the Canadian Internet connectivity puzzle has been put at risk due to Bell's plans to "throttle" its wholesale Internet services.
The National Union of Public and General Employees is asking the CRTC to investigate online "traffic shaping" by Internet service providers after an attempt by the CBC to offer programming via BitTorrent was hampered.
Columnist says a controversial plan that would let top-rated U.S. cable networks such as HBO, ESPN and Nickelodeon into the Canadian market will be considered by broadcast regulators.
A Rogers Communications executive says the company conditionally favours the CRTC allowing more foreign television into Canada, but that ESPN coming to Canada is unlikely.
Columnist says the CRTC is considering whether U.S. networks that broadcast in Canada should have to pay for the creation of Canadian programs.
A coalition of civil society organizations, academics and grassroots media activists, is calling for the federal government to adopt enforceable net neutrality legislation.
The senior vice-president of Canwest Media says her company provides a valuable community service and has to meet "costly Canadian programming obligations", therefore deserves fee-for-carriage of local TV signals.
The vice chairman of Rogers Communications says fee-for-carriage of local TV signals would force Canadians to feed exaggerated investor expectations, underwrite the cost of media acquisitions and reward inadequate business planning.
The internet search giant is pressing the U.S. government to open up airwave 'white space' for unlicensed use in hopes of enabling more widespread, affordable internet access.
The CRTC is calling for further "discussion and validation" on regulating Canadian content on the Internet.
Columnist says that conventional TV broadcasters face the same challenges as music companies, newspapers and magazine publishers and do not need a bailout from consumers.
FRIENDS research shows a widening gap between what private broadcasters are investing in Canadian television programing and what they are purchasing from foreign sources.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, which represents major private radio stations, is urging the CRTC to ease regulation limiting FM radio stations use of top 40 hits.
Columnist says it is likely Defense Minister Peter MacKay was responsible for choosing a former Conservative party candidate as a CRTC commissioner.
Some cultural and creator groups are advocating for the CRTC to establish a mandatory ISP contribution of 2.5 per cent of broadband revenue to help fund Canadian new media content creation.
Konrad von Finckenstein has called for increased enforcement powers for the CRTC that would allow it to fine broadcasters who break content rules.
In the latest sign of a government crackdown on excessive sex and violence in domestic films and TV shows, the CRTC has called for the first-ever fines for broadcast indecency.
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council says a bill that would require the CRTC to craft and enforce rules on television violence is unnecessary because private broadcasters are already tackling the issue through self-regulation.
Subject to CRTC approval, Corus Entertainment plans to buy the Canadian Learning Television specialty channel from CTVglobemedia for $73-million.
CRTC says Canadian private broadcasters spent $721.9 million on foreign programming in 2007; an increase of 4.9% over the $688.3 million spent in 2006.
CRTC data show profits at Canada's private conventional television stations improved to $112.9 -million in 2007 from $90.9-million a year earlier.
The CRTC will stop regulating rates that telephone giants charge smaller players to use phone and data networks.
Adbusters wants Canwest and CBC to allow citizens to buy advertising airtime under the same rules and conditions that corporations do.
Columnist argues market forces should dictate how much Canadian music and how many emerging artists are heard on domestic radio stations.
A CRTC report alleges radio stations have been padding their profits for years by milking tried-and-true hits and doing whatever they can to avoid taking chances on up-and-coming Canadian artists.
CRTC says a collaboration with StatsCan will reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry.
CRTC upholds media concentration rules and turns down billionaire Jimmy Pattison's bid for FM radio stations in Vernon and Penticton.
The head of the U.S. broadcast regulator says he is prepared to stop broadband providers that unreasonably interfere with subscribers' access to Internet content.
The proposed $52-billion takeover of BCE has come under scrutiny from the CRTC which has raised concerns that the deal may not meet Canadian ownership and control rules.
U.S. broadcast regulators are backing away from a plan that would have required TV stations to air as many as a dozen public service ads per day about the nation's transition to digital television.
Columnist says that a number of government appointments, including positions with the CBC and the CRTC, could mean the Conservatives are expecting an election call.
FRIENDS tells the CRTC that tinkering with TV regulations would most likely have long-term unintended and negative consequences that would undercut the stated objective of "ensuring a strong Canadian presence in the Canadian broadcasting system".
A presentation to a Canadian film, TV and new media producers conference offering recommendations on how the CRTC can ensure Canadian presence in new media broadcasting.
FRIENDS says the qualifications of a former Conservative party candidate are "more modest" than normal for the job of CRTC commissioner.
The CRTC chair says the broadcast regulator wants to "help smooth the way toward agreement" between broadcasters and producers over agreements and compensation for programs broadcast over the Internet.
Some media players say they expect the CRTC will endorse a proposal to require cable and satellite companies to pay subscriber fees to carry conventional television stations.
The CRTC has granted the owner of the Weather Network a licence to operate the Environment Network, which will focus on science and weather-related issues.
FRIENDS says the appointment of a former Conservative candidate as a CRTC commissioner "doesn't pass the smell test".
FRIENDS says that it is unlikely the Conservative government would cut off the CBC in any decisions made regarding the Canadian Television Fund.
The Conservative government has appointed a former party candidate to the CRTC, raising cries of patronage and hypocrisy.
Columnist says a two tiered CTF funding system has already been tried and caused confusion and frustration for everyone involved.
HDTV Networks is proposing to launch conventional television stations in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, but faces opposition from broadcasters who argue there is no room for an additional player in the conventional TV industry.
A Toronto businessman wants to launch Canada's first TV network that broadcasts over the air exclusively in high definition free of charge to viewers.
A new study says nearly six million Americans with digital receivers may lose TV signals when digital-only broadcasts begin in the U.S. next February.
Columnist says Canadian writers made a passionate plea for the Canadian Television Fund at the CRTC hearings.
Columnist says representatives of Shaw Communications, Quebecor and CanWest are acting childish at the CTF hearings.
CTVglobemedia calls a plan that would see Quebecor pull out of the Canadian Television Fund and set up its own program a "dangerous idea".
CRTC hearings on the Canadian Television Fund hear that Canadian consumers may be owed more than 1.2 billion dollars.
Shaw Communications and Quebecor tell the CRTC that $288 million Canadian Television Fund is fundamentally flawed.
CTVglobemedia told a three-member CRTC panel that Shaw, western Canada's biggest cable company, is misrepresenting the benefits it has reaped from the fund.
Shaw Communications wants to give the money distributors pay into the Canadian Television Fund back to TV subscribers because the "subsidy" model has failed to create a viable homegrown production industry.
FRIENDS tells the CRTC that financial disclosure is needed to ensure big media companies are living up to their Canadian content obligations.
Several cable channels are seeking mandatory designation from the CRTC in a bid for guaranteed revenue through monthly cable/satellite fees that TV viewers can't opt out of.
The Canadian Olympic Committee has unveiled plans for English and French-language digital TV channels focusing solely on broadcasting amateur sports.
Columnist says hundreds of millions of new dollars could pour into the Canadian television system under a new fee-for-carriage plan proposed by CTVglobemedia and Canwest.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters say reduced resources have necessitated a re-organization to focus on advocacy relating to broadcasting sector policies and copyright matters.
CTVglobemedia and Canwest Global say the Canadian TV industry is in "crisis" and they must be paid for the channels that are delivered to customers by cable and satellite companies.
CTVglobemedia and CanWest Global tell the CRTC that cable and satellite providers should have to pay local TV broadcasters for distribution of over-the-air signals in Canada.
FRIENDS recommends that the CRTC permit over-the-air television equitable access to subscriber cable/satellite fees in return for the expansion of local programming.
Canwest and CTVglobemedia say then need fee-for-carriage for their over-the-air local TV signals because of "Audience fragmentation, the rise of new media platforms, new commercial-skipping technologies, and ongoing illegal downloading of content."
Columnist says CTV and Global are expected to join forces in a bid to convince the CRTC to let them charge cable and satellite carriers for their signals.
FRIENDS recommends the CRTC ensure that granting CBC's applications to convert Radio One service in the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Eastern Vancouver Island from AM to FM
The president of VisionTV and S-VOX says ideas about how to re-regulate and restructure the Canadian broadcasting system deserve consideration.
The president and CEO of S-VOX says the CRTC has taken a step in the right direction by defining limits on cross-media ownership that will prevent any single company from exercising monopolistic power.
Columnist looks at the constantly evolving relationship between Canada's broadcast media and the federal government.
CanWest says that all the conditions of the CRTC's conditional approval for the acquisition of Alliance Atlantis by it and Goldman Sachs have been met.
The CRTC has ordered Canada's telephone companies to spend more than $300 million to provide broadband access to rural communities, and refund urban customers about the same amount.
A CRTC decision finds no evidence of abusive comments in a Little Mosque on the Prairie episode.
Analysts say mid-sized media companies and those hoping to sell shares to the public are likely to take the hardest hits from new regulations that limit media consolidation and cross-ownership of TV, radio and newspapers.
Columnist says that private media owners are better capable of preserving "diversity" than the CRTC.
Columnist says that if there is a dearth of competition and innovation in Canadian broadcasting, it has been largely promoted by the CRTC.
Columnist says large broadcasters looking to swallow a major rival will likely have to break it up in order to meet CRTC regulations.
Columnist says that a recent CRTC decision merely cements the status quo in media cross-ownership.
Analyst says new CRTC media concentration rules mean "Rogers can't buy Canwest; Canwest can't buy Corus."
Columnist says that neither national newspapers nor free daily newspapers were factored into the CRTC's Diversity of Voices analysis.
New CRTC guidelines say that if a company's TV assets attract more than 45 per cent of viewing hours across the country it will be blocked from buying more channels.
Some critics say that the CRTC's new cross-media ownership policy will have no impact on Canada's highly concentrated media industry.
The Canadian Media Guild says the CRTC is preserving the current unacceptable levels of media concentration and is not adopting meaningful measures to stop it from getting worse.
The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union says the CRTC decision on media ownership will do very little to limit media concentration in Canada.
FRIENDS says the CRTC is recognizing that as a result of media concentration, there are levels of concentration that could well pose a threat to diversity and, therefore, democracy.
FRIENDS welcomes the CRTC's decision to restrict a person or company to ownership of two different types of outlets in a single market.
A U.S. congressional committee has launched an investigation of the federal broadcast regulator over information that was leaking to lobbyists on modifying the ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership.
Columnist cites CRTC intervention into new media and copyright reform as technology law issues to watch in 2008.
Provocative ads for the CBC prime-time soap opera 'MVP' have led to a reprimand from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
Canada's broadcast regulator is considering overhauling a 30-year-old rule that prohibits FM radio stations from playing top-40 songs more than half the time.
Adbusters has launched a lawsuit against Global Television, the CBC, and the CRTC over not airing the media foundations public-service TV spots.
