Tony Clement – rgbFilter

Usage based billing debates are wrong… and here’s why

February 3, 2011September 26, 2012 Doug Groves Bell, CRTC, Jean-François Mezei, legal, net neutrality, Primus, Tony Clement, UBB, Usage Based Billing8 Comments

[Ed Note: this article was updated with new information] The Canadian government has once again promised to overturn a CRTC decision if the CRTC doesn’t do so itself. This time around, it’s the the contentious Usage Based Billing ruling that would have crippled 3rd party ISPs from differentiating themselves in the marketplace. It’s rare for the government to step into CRTC affairs, but with the UBB issue growing in public awareness and a deadline looming less than a month away, they’ve pulled out the big guns. After all, it was…

New Canadian Copyright bill coming Thursday?

May 31, 2010May 31, 2010 Doug Groves Canadian DMCA, copyright, DRM, Tony Clement2 Comments

According to an article today by Michael Geist, one of Canada’s leading copyfighters, it looks like the replacement for the defunct bill C61 is going to be tabled by the Conservative government as early as Thursday. In Geist’s round up, he points out out that DMCA style anti-circumvention legislation, the most contentious part of C61, will remain intact, though there may be flexibility on time and format shifting. It also looks like the government is aiming to fast track the bill through Parliament. Geist also includes a quote from Industry…

Communications Union want to stop Wind Mobile

December 14, 2009 Doug Groves CEP, Globalive, Tony Clement, Wind Mobile0 comment

Last week, Industry Minister Tony Clement stayed the CRTC decision preventing Globalive from launching Wind Mobile in Canada. As a mobile consumer, this is a good thing, even though it does raise the question of foreign ownership rule in the Canadian telecommunications industry. By making a special case for Globalive, Tony Clement was definitely sneaking a peek into Pandora’s Box. Now, it appears that the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers’ union wants to close that lid again. “This decision is a sellout of Canadian national interests and a betrayal of Canadian…

CRTC overruled, Globalive given OK to launch Wind Mobile in Canada

December 11, 2009December 18, 2009 Doug Groves CRTC, Globalive, Industry Canada, Tony Clement, Wind Mobile3 Comments

It’s been a while coming, especially if you’re a Wind Mobile employee, but Industry Canada has overruled a CRTC decision that prevented the new wireless carrier from launching in the country. After spending millions on spectrum, you’d think that they’d be in the clear, but due to CRTC foreign ownership rules, Globalive’s actual launch was postponed. “The decision to vary the CRTC Globalive decision, let me emphasize, was based on the legal facts and not on the government’s position that there needs to be more competition in the marketplace,” Mr….

Tony Clement hints at overturn of CRTC – Wind Mobile decision

December 7, 2009 Doug Groves CRTC, Globalive, Industry Canada, Tony Clement, Wind Mobile0 comment

Late last week, Minister of Industry Tony Clement made some comments that could be considered disconcerting to the incumbent wireless carriers in Canada, regarding the CRTC’s recent decision to block Globalive’s Wind Mobile wireless from launching in Canada… “We do have the power through an order of council in cabinet to amend or vary the decision of the CRTC… The government’s policy is designed to increase competitiveness in the wireless space, and that is important for Canadian consumers because it increases choice, it increases quality and it reduces cost. [from…