Blogs

We at OpenMedia.ca have been working hard to ensure your voices are heard as the CRTC works to develop national rules to protect cell phone users.

If we’re successful this Code of Conduct could play a big role in increasing cell phone providers’ transparency, curbing certain price-gouging practices, and dialing back the all-too-common punitive long-term cell phone service contracts. As only three large companies continue to control 94% of Canada’s wireless market, the CRTC rules could help reduce Canadians’ frustrations and could also play a critical role in enabling more choice.

Many of you have been engaged in this proceeding from the start—thousands of you even called on the CRTC to develop these rules in the first place—and have informed the Wireless Code of Conduct proceeding by sending in your cell phone horror stories, which we also used to inform our report Time for an Upgrade and its recommendations. Read more »

Copyright affects us all – artists, musicians, journalists, and anyone who enjoys sharing Facebook posts or YouTube videos with their friends. That was the clear message from last night’s Remix This: A Copyright Cabaret event, which brought together people from all walks of life in an exciting attempt to reimagine the whole concept of copyright.

Over a hundred Vancouverites attended the FreshMedia event in person, and were joined by many more from around the world who followed the discussion live using hashtag #RemixThis on Twitter. Read more »

We're working hard to make sure your voices are heard on the proposed Telus takeover of Mobilicity, one of our largest independent cell phone providers, as demonstrated in this article. If the government allows this deal to go through, it will mean even less choice and even higher prices for Canadians.

It's time to stand together and send Industry Minister Paradis a clear message - add your name at http://DemandChoice.ca/

From the Techvibes Newsdesk:

Telecommunications giant Telus has agreed to acquire discount wireless carrier Mobilicity for $380 million. Read more »

Hello!

Here's Arielle with your update:

Watch Arielle's video update to hear this week's news. This week we discuss the 17th round of the TPP's secretive negotiations in Lima, Peru. Please head to StopTheTrap.net to demand that governments involved in the TPP make the process transparent, accountable, and open to public participation and to all interested stakeholders. Read more »

The CRTC held a public hearing last week in response to Bell—Canada’s largest telecom and media conglomerate—once again attempting to take over Astral Media. Last year, the telecom giant unveiled a $3.4B plan to take control of Astral, one of Canada's largest media companies. Canada already has one of the most highly concentrated media systems in the industrialized world, and this deal would only make this situation worse by giving Bell a monopolistic share of the media market.

After thousands of Canadians and public interest groups decried the original takeover attempt, the CRTC denied the deal, saying that Bell had not proven the takeover would benefit the broadcasting system or be in the public interest. So Bell came back with a slightly watered-down version of its original proposal to take over Astral, which included dividing some assets up with Shaw, another one of Canada’s largest media and telecom conglomerates. Read more »

OpenMedia.ca argues the takeover will encourage more mistreatment of Canadian cell phone customers

April 16, 2013 – Telus has formally announced plans to takeover Mobilicity, one of Canada’s largest independent cell phone providers. Grassroots group OpenMedia.ca believes, if allowed to go through, will stifle choice and fair treatment of customers in Canada’s already-broken wireless market.

Mobilicity is one of only three carriers in Canada independent of the “Big Three” cell phone companies - Bell, Rogers, and Telus - that already control roughly 94% of the market.

OpenMedia.ca says that the sale of Mobilicity to Telus will stifle choice in an already monopolistic wireless market. According to the group, the deal also gives big telecom conglomerates more room to raise prices, as the check on the market provided by new entrants diminishes. Read more »