Monday, December 22, 2025
ADVT 
National

Telecom giant says U.S. channels need to be included in smaller basic cable

Darpan News Desk Canadian Press, 11 Sep, 2014 12:54 PM

    One of Canada's biggest cable service providers is rejecting the idea of allowing Canadians to pick TV channels one at a time.

    Rogers Communications has told the country's broadcast regulator it agrees with a proposal to offer its customers a smaller basic service.

    But it says the price for that service should not be capped, and it should include channels from the major American TV networks.

    The company has also strongly rejected a proposal to ban the simultaneous substitution of Canadian advertising over American ads.

    The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is holding two weeks of public hearings on how Canadians receive TV programming and how they pay for it.

    One proposal on the table, which is being promoted by the federal government, would see a so-called pick-and-pay system established.

    The proposal, if enacted, would allow Canadians the ability of picking individual channels, on top of a smaller basic service made up of Canadian channels.

    The CRTC is also debating the notion of capping the cost of basic service at between $20 and $30 per month.

    Rogers also slammed a proposal to include the online revenues of broadcasters in the definition of broadcasting revenue.

    Rogers executive Keith Pelley said that would put Canadian online services at a competitive disadvantage to non-tradition online broadcasters, such as Netflix.

    The Ontario and Quebec governments, along with the CBC and cultural organizations, have suggested that the CRTC regulate Netflix and other online video services to force them to contribute to Canada's television content production system.

    But the Harper government has warned the CRTC that it will reject any attempt to created what it has dubbed a "Netflix tax."

    Rogers executive Phil Lind, who has been with the company for decades, told the commission that the current set of hearings are the most important for Canada's television industry that he's seen in his career.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Johnson scores 4 as Six Nations beats Coquitlam to even Minto Cup series 2-2

    Johnson scores 4 as Six Nations beats Coquitlam to even Minto Cup series 2-2
    Josh Johnson scored four goals and assisted on two more as the Six Nations Arrows downed the Coquitlam Adanacs 10-7 in Game 4 of the Minto Cup on Wednesday.

    Johnson scores 4 as Six Nations beats Coquitlam to even Minto Cup series 2-2

    B.C. mining boom, recent tailings pond bust prompt environmental fears in Alaska

    B.C. mining boom, recent tailings pond bust prompt environmental fears in Alaska
    Heather Hardcastle has spent her life fishing for salmon at the mouth of the Taku River, which starts in a remote corner of northwestern British Columbia before dumping into the ocean near her home in Juneau, Alaska.

    B.C. mining boom, recent tailings pond bust prompt environmental fears in Alaska

    Rookie cop didn't look for signs of alcohol smell after fatal B.C. crash: trial

    Rookie cop didn't look for signs of alcohol smell after fatal B.C. crash: trial
    A Mountie who responded to a crash that killed two people says she didn't smell any alcohol on the breath of the alleged driver but that she didn't look for such signs as an inexperienced officer.

    Rookie cop didn't look for signs of alcohol smell after fatal B.C. crash: trial

    Migrating salmon more likely to die if forced to power-swim past dams

    Migrating salmon more likely to die if forced to power-swim past dams
    Reaching spawning grounds is hard work for salmon and researchers from the University of British Columbia say fish forced to "sprint" through fast-moving water or other obstacles can suffer heart attacks.

    Migrating salmon more likely to die if forced to power-swim past dams

    Syphilis rates soar in Vancouver as testing urged for men who have sex with men

    Syphilis rates soar in Vancouver as testing urged for men who have sex with men
    Syphilis rates continue to soar in Vancouver, prompting the latest warning for gay and bisexual men to get tested for the sexually transmitted disease.

    Syphilis rates soar in Vancouver as testing urged for men who have sex with men

    Quebec and Ontario want increase in federal infrastructure funds

    Quebec and Ontario want increase in federal infrastructure funds
    Ontario and Quebec are calling on the federal government to increase infrastructure funding because of the slower rate of economic recovery and job creation in Eastern Canada.

    Quebec and Ontario want increase in federal infrastructure funds