[Gucci Mane]

The showdown between the CRTC and streaming services like Netflix and YouTube intensified Monday when the regulatory agency issued an ultimatum and a deadline.

If Netflix and Google, which owns YouTube, don't hand over information about their Canadian subscribers by Thursday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission warns it will shut them out of the policy process altogether.

During CRTC hearings on the future of Canadian television regulation, both companies argued they shouldn't be subject to CRTC regulation, which would force them to be licensed, host a quota of Canadian content and subsidize Canadian television production.

Google and Netflix argued they stream and produce plenty of Canadian content without the CRTC looking over their shoulders.

Both refused to hand over their Canadian content and subscriber information to the CTRC to back up those claims.

"The Commission cannot carry out its duties based on mere anecdotal evidence," the CRTC wrote. "As a result, the hearing panel will reach its conclusions based on the remaining evidence on the record."

CRTC issues ultimatum to Netflix, Google | Canada | News | Toronto Sun (http://www.torontosun.com/2014/09/29/crtc-issues-ultimatum-to-netflix-google)

a little more from globe and mail,
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/crtc-to-decide-tv-outcome-without-netflix-google-evidence/article20836870/

i had no idea this was even going on.. wtf?

[Mr.HappySilp]

lol what about other streaming service apps such as Viki, PPS, Letv, youku and luvTV etc etc.... these apps also stream media as well so how much only Netflix and Youtube have to pay the price.

Also there are various media boxes that comes pre loaded with tons of streaming content. CRTC is pretty useless.

[multicartual]

https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/3/5/1394062959544/New-dinosaur-species-disc-012.jpg

CRTC

[Nlkko]

Here comes Canadian Netflix double the price with a quarter of the content. Thanks Robellus.

[Lomac]

CRTC... :2finger:

While Netflix and Youtube technically fall under the broadcasting definition, I don't think they should be restricted by the CRTC's conditions.

There's still good Canadian content being produced all over, but being force fed it is frustrating. If a TV show/movie/song/whatever is good, I'll watch it regardless of where it was produced. But don't require 25% (or whatever it's currently at) of my viewing options be Canadian. Chances are they're going to be crap and I'm just going to ignore it anyway.

[Soundy]

CANCON as a general concept needs to just die already.

[Lomac]

I think what Netflix should do is have a couple dozen shows that is nothing more than a shot of the Canadian flag waving and then air it as Canadian produced content. Can't get any more CANCON than that.

[6o4__boi]

godddamn,

is there anything we can do to shut these fuckers up, piece of shit, moronic, imbecilic asshat CRTC...i'm not ashamed to say it, Canadian content is garbage.

the crtc need to be ousted somehow lol

[tool001]

crtc has done some good stuff (ie. 2 year contracts max/paper bill issue) ,,
however CANCON is old concept and needs to go...

[GLOW]

don't they have dragon's den on there? isn't that good enough? :lol
better put on a few more cbc shows. what else is there, murdoc mysteries and republic of doyle?

[Lomac]

crtc has done some good stuff (ie. 2 year contracts max/paper bill issue)

I still fail to see why the CRTC forcing a max 2 year contract on cell phones was a good idea.

[murd0c]

CRTC is a fucken joke, other then Trailer Park Boys(which Netflix picked up) and old school kids in the hall but I find the shows old and outdated and not worth my time to watch. It's like the CRTC is still stuck in the 80's and it will never get out.

[Purely]

crtc has done some good stuff (ie. 2 year contracts max/paper bill issue) ,,
however CANCON is old concept and needs to go...

Can you please explain why 2 year contracts are good?

[twixxer]

We should get a change.org petition started, i think over 80% of Canadians would be for dismantling the CRTC.

[murd0c]

crtc has done some good stuff (ie. 2 year contracts max/paper bill issue) ,,
however CANCON is old concept and needs to go...

Do you enjoy spending more for your cell bill? That's exactly what the CRTC did to us for making the 2 year contract the max we can sign.

[van_city23]

Just heard on news 1130 radio that crtc just backed off and dropped the demand.

[saveth]

crtc has done some good stuff (ie. 2 year contracts max/paper bill issue) ,,
however CANCON is old concept and needs to go...

I actually lol'ed when I read this. If you like paying more for less service, then the 2 year contracts make sense.

[6o4__boi]

Just heard on news 1130 radio that crtc just backed off and dropped the demand.

good, now if only they'd just drop off completely

lol who wants to get that change.org started? i'm down sign it and spread the word...the CRTC needs to be replaced by something that isn't stuck in the '80s and actually have an idea of what they're doing

[hchang]

Can you please explain why 2 year contracts are good?

Interesting.

I actually never thought about it this way.

Serious.

[RRxtar]

I bet it's less the crtc behind this, and more cbc/shaw/bell lobying

[Bouncing Bettys]

I'm all for preserving a Canadian identity through media but the CRTC was bowing to its cable masters with that threat rather than doing a service to canadians.

[AWDTurboLuvr]

Can you please explain why 2 year contracts are good?

They aren't.

However, people petitioned the CRTC for US style mobile contracts since they didn't want to be locked into a carrier for so long and the ability to change phones more often. So the CRTC mandated 3 year contract lengths to be abolished.

Oops.

[tool001]

its max 2 years as oppose to 3 years that companies were pushing for,, did everybody forget 3 year contracts ???!!

also unlocking of cell phones , that was crtc doing, where as before bell/telus/rogers didnt have to unlock phones, now post contracts,, they do.

below are a few points put forth by crtc...
to cancel your contract at no cost after a maximum of two years
to cancel your contract and return your phone at no cost, within 15 days and specific usage limits, if you are unhappy with your service
to have your phone unlocked after 90 days, or immediately if you paid in full for your phone, at the rate specified by the service provider, upon request
to have your service suspended at no cost if your phone is lost or stolen
to receive a Critical Information Summary, which explains your contract in under two pages
to receive a notification when you are roaming in a different country, telling you what the rates are for voice services, text messages, and data usage
to limit your data overage charges to $50 a month and your data roaming charges to $100 a month
to pay no extra charges for a service described as “unlimited”
to refuse a change to the key terms and conditions of your contract, including the services in your contract, the price for those services, and the duration of your contract

[murd0c]

its max 2 years as oppose to 3 years that companies were pushing for,, did everybody forget 3 year contracts ???!!

also unlocking of cell phones , that was crtc doing, where as before bell/telus/rogers didnt have to unlock phones, now post contracts,, they do.

and since they are now 2 year contracts our cell bills are higher to make up the cost of the phone...

[tool001]

^ my phone bill didn't go up.... i guess u should re negotiate ur contract?! ;)

im still paying same i did before

the problem is ,,the big 3, on a regularly meet together and agree upon what to charge customers etc for services. it is a monopoly cause prices are adjusted among them , we do need crtc to oversee this and keep them in check. its not so black and white .

i have worked for bell for 6 years. im saying from exp.

[murd0c]

once you renew your contract it will go up and now the big 3 have a min bill of $88 or so in order to get a new smart phone. Two of my best friends are Managers at Bell one on Robson street and Maple Ridge so I have heard all of the reasons ;)

[freakshow]

^ my phone bill didn't go up.... i guess u should re negotiate ur contract?! ;)

im still paying same i did before
Are you paying over $60? The previous 'minimum' contract price was $50/month for a smart phone. Now because of the two year contracts, the min. is $60/mo

I know there are ways to still get < $60/mo on a new contract with the discounted phone, but it's far from straight forward, and it's very time consuming.

[tool001]

^ no im paying 47 + tax . smartphone plan

[GLOW]

on a new 2 year contract?

[Manic!]

I'm paying $65 a month with 6 gigs data on rogers. I can't get a new phone unless I change to a new share plan that's over $80 a month that has less data.

[Grandmaster TSE]

min plan for full subsidy on a premium phone is 80 everywhere you go

[SoNaRWaVe]

^ no im paying 47 + tax . smartphone plan

:concentrate::suspicious:

i don't think this guy is getting it.

your current bill is 47 + tax, and like others have said, wait until you want to do a HUP. then you'll see how ridiculous it really gets.

if you just renew your contract without doing a HUP, then go on your merry way with 47 + tax

[murd0c]

Remember he also works for Bell so he gets a staff discount which he hasn't seemed to mention....

[cheeky_scrub]

While we are on the subject, the Competition Bureau has recommended the establishment of a fourth national carrier:
http://www.thestar.com/business/economy/2014/09/29/consumers_would_benefit_from_new_national_carrier_ competition_bureau.html

The telcos are not happy about this, of course.
Lower wireless prices lead to worse service, Telus tells CRTC - Business - CBC News (http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/lower-wireless-prices-lead-to-worse-service-telus-tells-crtc-1.2782870)

Of course, this all could have been solved if the feds made the big telcos allocate space to smaller carriers during the 700MHz auction...:pokerface:

[hchang]

I'm paying $65 a month with 6 gigs data on rogers. I can't get a new phone unless I change to a new share plan that's over $80 a month that has less data.

Only way is to buy a phone outright now

[RRxtar]

The funny thing about the whole 2 year contract thing, is you could always get a 2 year contract before, you just had to pay an extra $100-$200 upfront for the phone. But the stupid fucking Iphone generation (not hating on Iphones, im talking about the people who need a brand new device every year but cant afford it) cant afford anything up front, so like like the car they drive, the shit they buy on their CC, and everything about them, they prefer having it rolled into their monthly bill.

Im pretty certain that if you have a premier device, whether you have an old 2 year contract, an old 3 year contract, or a new 2 year contract, you end up paying about the same in the end. You either have more upfront phone cost, longer subsidy term, or higher subsidy over a shorter term. You still have to pay the cost of the phone, plus the cost of your plan.



But 2 things:

1: The CRTC isnt to blame for that, it was the demand from consumers causing the max 2 year contract rule, which resulted in the carriers being forced to adjust their plan costs.

2: Somehow this thread went from the CRTC making a television/media content ruling (relating to Netflix/Youtube, Shaw, Bell TV, Rogers TV, CBC) to discussion about the other end of the CRTC with mobile rulings (Telus, Bell mobile, Rogers mobile). 2 Separate conversations.

[Ronin]

Maybe if Canadian content was any good, they wouldn't have to force it on us. Seriously, who watches those shows on CBC that look like they were shot by film school students?

And fuck them if they think they can bully Google into complying. All Google has to do is "Oh, okay, no Google in Canada then." and we're fucked.

[Mr.HappySilp]

min plan for full subsidy on a premium phone is 80 everywhere you go

Not really beginning of this year this I got a S4 renew with my current plan with fido.
$58 tax in
unlimited Canada calling
unlimited Texting Canada/US
2GB of data
Call Display with who call and VM

just depends on how you talk to them or handle the call.

[Bouncing Bettys]

Is this now a cellphone thread?

[Grandmaster TSE]

Not really beginning of this year this I got a S4 renew with my current plan with fido.
$58 tax in
unlimited Canada calling
unlimited Texting Canada/US
2GB of data
Call Display with who call and VM

just depends on how you talk to them or handle the call.

Fido is the only one where you can keep your plan, but pricing on the phone still depends on what tier your plan is.

all other carriers at the moment requires a plan change, but if you do call in you might be able to get some kind of retention/loyalty plan.

and you were also talking about beginning of the year, i'm talking about now, a lot has changed where companies are reinforcing plan changes now with upgrades

[murd0c]

Is this now a cellphone thread?

yes, haven't you noticed?

[StylinRed]

^ my phone bill didn't go up.... i guess u should re negotiate ur contract?! ;)

im still paying same i did before

i have worked for bell for 6 years. im saying from exp.

well no wonder it didn't go up...

[Eastwood]

The rates haven't gone up if you buy your phone outright. No one if forcing you to get a $600 phone with a contract.

[tool001]

well no wonder it didn't go up...

i worked for bell in the past,

my phone is with fido.

but thanks for assuming ..

[StylinRed]

i worked for bell in the past,

my phone is with fido.

but thanks for assuming ..

i've never been caught....


women go missing all the time


thanks for assuming


:P

[murd0c]

i worked for bell in the past,

my phone is with fido.

but thanks for assuming ..

have you had to renew your contact since the two year max contract has come into effect?

[freakshow]

^ it doesn't matter.. even if he did, there are always people with tales of how they magically got the right person on the right day on the phone after doing a rain dance, and they ended up with a < $60/mo fee on the new 2 year system.

The point is, that happening is rare, and not common place, and are lucky exceptions which do not invalidate any other argument about price.

wait.. why are we still talking about cell phones...

Maybe this is a long shot, but what avenues are there to contact the CRTC? They were pretty good about listening to consumers on the cell phone issue (even though it kinda backfired on consumers..)

[shenmecar]

In b4 fight club.

[Jmac]

I pay $40/month (+ tax) for unlimited Canada-wide calling, unlimited text, 3 GB shared data, voice mail, etc. with Telus on a new 2-year contract (3 months ago).

Working for VIHA has its perks

[RRxtar]

Maybe this is a long shot, but what avenues are there to contact the CRTC? They were pretty good about listening to consumers on the cell phone issue (even though it kinda backfired on consumers..)

Contact Us (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/contact.htm)

[Culverin]

I think what Netflix should do is have a couple dozen shows that is nothing more than a shot of the Canadian flag waving and then air it as Canadian produced content. Can't get any more CANCON than that.


I'd really only have the Canadian flag channel open on half of Canada day, if that. But the yule log would be much of the holidays.
I'd like that a lot more.

[iEatClams]

for all those bragging that they pay XX dollars because they are on some retention or because they know somebody or have corporate plans, good for you.

But not everyone wants to wait on the line and haggle and deal with retentions, nor do they work for certain companies. Most people on here have a point, when you walk into the store, plans have gone up in general since it's gone to 2 year contracts.

There needs to be more competition so Rogers, Bell, Telus can stop fcking us up the ass.

[Presto]

CRTC can't do shit about the Youtubes and Netflix. That would be a nightmare. Maybe they're just making a lot of noise to distract people from the crap the mobile providers are pulling.

Cell phone plans are out of control. $80/month is a lot of beer money. I spend $10/month on PAYG, and get my data from free wifi or ShawOpen APs. My maps are offline, if i ever need directions.

[Lomac]

Funny enough, the CRTC is back to targeting mobile providers right now as well. This time they're looking into capping roaming rates. Seems like they're just going after all fronts right now.

[nsx042003]

for all those bragging that they pay XX dollars because they are on some retention or because they know somebody or have corporate plans, good for you.

But not everyone wants to wait on the line and haggle and deal with retentions, nor do they work for certain companies. Most people on here have a point, when you walk into the store, plans have gone up in general since it's gone to 2 year contracts.

There needs to be more competition so Rogers, Bell, Telus can stop fcking us up the ass.

or just stop trying to get the latest phone with no money. Save up, buy phone, and stay with whatever plan you had. you really can't blame CRTC for doing what they did, in the end, cellphone providers are businesses, of course they do whatever there is to compensate for their losses. It is business.

I actually think CRTC is just trying to save the canadian television, just that...they don't really know how to do it correctly.

[willystyle]

Funny enough, the CRTC is back to targeting mobile providers right now as well. This time they're looking into capping roaming rates. Seems like they're just going after all fronts right now.
Well, if they don't work now, CRTC dismantlement may be an election issue next year. ;)

[multicartual]

I actually think CRTC is just trying to save the canadian television, just that...they don't really know how to do it correctly.


You can't force people to like art

[RRxtar]

but for some reason art thinks they can force people to subsidize it. (CBC)

[multicartual]

but for some reason art thinks they can force people to subsidize it. (CBC)


In defense of the CBC if no money is given to artists to create quality content the world will degenerate into either AAA Hollywood blockbusters with explosions everywhere OR YouTube prank videos mixed in with hardcore porn and World Star Hip Hop knockout compilations

[multicartual]

Many of the world's greatest artists will never turn a dime or be known at all without support from government