openmedia

After the Competition Bureau on Monday officially petitioned the Competition Tribunal to prevent the Rogers-Shaw merger, consumer advocacy groups, members of political opposition parties, and industry experts have all propped up in support of the move — reports the National Post. "For consumers, it’s a strong message that their affordability concerns do matter right now,"...

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the Rogers-Shaw merger. In its decision, the CRTC wrote: The Commission approves, subject to a number of modifications and the fulfilment of specific conditions of approval, an application by Rogers Communications Inc. (Rogers), on behalf of Shaw Communications Inc. (Shaw), for authority to transfer the...

Last month, independent internet service provider TekSavvy shared an image showing CRTC Chair Ian Scott having beers with Bell’s CEO Mirko Bibic, a meeting in 2019 when the latter was chief operating officer at the time. Scott, a former Telus executive himself, was meeting one-on-one in a registered lobbyist meeting at pub Darcy McGee’s in...

Vancouver-based non-profit and internet advocate, OpenMedia, along with other civil groups, has launched a national ‘Day of Action’ on May 27, which it says is aimed at raising awareness for a federal government proposal, that would allow internet service providers (ISPs) to block websites. "Canada’s federal government is considering forcing ISPs and other online intermediaries...

In a press release published on Friday, OpenMedia, a civil advocate for cheaper cellular and internet in Canada, announced that it (and other civil society groups) has surpassed 61,000+ Canadians in its petition against the recently announced Rogers-Shaw buyout. https://twitter.com/OpenMediaOrg/status/1390687105362194432 Estimated to be worth around $26 billion CAD, Rogers' buyout of Shaw Communications will is...

Vancouver-based consumer advocate OpenMedia is asking Canadians to write to their local Members of Parliament to “stop Bill C-10”, the controversial amendment to the Broadcasting Act. OpenMedia has created a template for Canadians to fill out to send a letter to their MPs. "The CRTC is about to be put in charge of every video,...

[caption id="attachment_350257" align="aligncenter" width="965"] Image: OpenMedia[/caption] Earlier this week, Rogers announced it had signed a $26 billion deal to buy out Shaw, Canada's fourth-largest telecommunications provider. After speaking out about what the acquisition would do to cellular and internet prices in Canada, consumer advocacy group OpenMedia has now created a petition urging the Canadian government...

A new Canadian coalition is calling for a national virtual ‘Day of Action’ on March 16, to ask the federal government to lower wireless and internet prices. “During the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, reliable and affordable internet connectivity has become absolutely essential for every aspect of life,” explains the coalition’s press release on Thursday. “Yet, the […]

Vancouver-based non-profit and consumer advocate, OpenMedia, recently launched a new petition asking for Canada’s Big 3 wireless carriers to pay back COVID-19 federal wage subsidies. It recently came to light Rogers, Telus and Bell took in over $240 million from the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program, aimed at helping companies retain employees during the COVID-19...

[caption id="attachment_348464" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] Image: OpenMedia[/caption] Canadian non-profit organization and open-Internet proponent, OpenMedia, has publicly called out Bell, Telus, and Rogers in a series of tweets for misappropriating and abusing COVID-19 aid funds from the government. https://twitter.com/openmediaorg/status/1360408778596708352?s=21 OpenMedia is outraged that incumbent telcos collectively raked in $240,000,000 CAD from the federal government's Canada Emergency Wage...

The City of Toronto will consider the idea of building its own community fibre internet network, to fill gaps left by existing internet service providers. On February 2, 2021, City Council will debate the ConnectTO broadband proposal and OpenMedia has now created a campaign to easily contact Toronto councillors to support the idea. According to...

Last week, Vancouver-based non-profit and consumer advocate, OpenMedia, launched new mobile billboards to drive around Ottawa and Toronto, to share what it calls is ‘betrayal’ by the federal government when it comes to affordable internet. "Betrayed! The government just made internet more expensive” reads the digital billboard. https://twitter.com/OpenMediaOrg/status/1306748535308783619 Mobile billboard trucks have also been driving...