Post Tagged with: "crtc"

The [Fill in the Blank] Defence of Bell – Astral

After listening into the start of the CRTC hearing on the proposed Bell – Astral Media merger, it all seems strangely familiar… We thank the [CRTC/government] for its support of our industry. We think the industry has a bright future, providing more consumer choice and creating more great Canadian content. […]

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September 10, 2012 7 comments News

How To Address Canadian Media Convergence if Bell – Astral is Approved

Summer is rarely a time of heated broadcast policy battles, but the proposed Bell – Astral merger has generated considerable public attention and fostered a growing war of words between Bell and groups that have banded together under the “Say No to Bell” banner.

The anti-merger campaign, supported by consumer groups as well as several leading cable and telecom companies, has garnered tens of thousands of signatures on an online petition and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has received more than 1,700 submissions on the deal.

Despite the mounting public opposition, my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) argues that stopping the $3 billion merger remains a longshot as none of the big three – government, the CRTC, or the Competition Bureau – seems ready to call it off.

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August 29, 2012 8 comments Columns

How To Address Canadian Media Convergence if Bell – Astral is Approved

Appeared in the Toronto Star on August 26, 2012 as Remedies if Bell – Astral Merger Goes Through Summer is rarely a time of heated broadcast policy battles, but the proposed Bell – Astral merger has generated considerable public attention and fostered a growing war of words between Bell and […]

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August 29, 2012 1 comment Columns Archive

CRTC Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming to an End

Last week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced that it is terminating the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). The fund, which was established in 2008, funneled over $300 million to broadcasters to support the creation of local programming. The decision caught the industry by surprise with the CBC calling it “astonishing” and Bell Media saying it is a “major concern.”

Yet the end of the LPIF is only the latest in a series of moves that unravel recent regulatory efforts to provide broadcasters with increased financial support. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the courts and the Commission have sent a clear signal that broadcasters should focus on marketplace success, not manipulating the regulatory system.

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July 24, 2012 8 comments Columns

CRTC’s Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming To An End

Appeared in the Toronto Star on July 22, 2012 as CRTC’s Message to Broadcasters: Regulatory Games Coming to an End Last week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced that it is terminating the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF). The fund, which was established in 2008, funneled over $300 million […]

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July 24, 2012 1 comment Columns Archive