Telus said it could have connected thousands of BC homes with Videotron 5G licenses The company is in court challenging the western Canadian licenses awarded to Videotron. April 11, 2022April 11, 2022
B.C. broadband projects struggling with supply chain, fire, community support issues Supply chain, wildfire and even landlord and community support problems have plagued some broadband projects in the province. March 18, 2022March 18, 2022
Ahead of meeting with Telus, Health Canada officials were concerned about virtual care ‘inequities’ Health Canada was also concerned with whether Telus's health IT systems, the largest in Canada, would be interoperable with other non-Telus systems for patient info sharing. February 18, 2022February 18, 2022
B.C. regional districts concerned province falling behind peers on broadband funding, policy Regional districts have pointed to Ontario and Quebec as provinces that seem well ahead on cash and policy for access to poles. December 17, 2021December 25, 2021
ISED experiencing workload burden from Universal Broadband Fund applications The department managing telecommunications grants recommended offloading financial approvals and, in cases of political conflicts of interest, project selection to subordinates. November 26, 2021November 26, 2021
Shaw urging BC government to share cost of replacing poles Issue of third-party carriers paying for refurbishment or replacement of poles to place equipment has been an underreported friction point for years. September 3, 2021September 3, 2021
Telus blamed for delay on Shaw/Bell Cache Creek fibre project BC Hydro said it wants to be more proactively involved on broadband projects after a miscommunication with Telus on a Shaw project. July 2, 2021July 6, 2021
BC Hydro anticipates constitutional challenge if CRTC given domain over utility structures BC Hydro expects a possible legal challenge on constitutional grounds if CRTC gets jurisdiction over its poles. June 18, 2021June 18, 2021
Shaw is fighting a BC Hydro proposal to charge for wireless equipment on utility wires Shaw is fighting a proposal that would allow BC Hydro to charge telecoms to use its wires to mount wireless equipment. June 11, 2021June 20, 2021
Innovation stressed importance of wholesale rates for “competitive options” in December roundtable Federal officials said correctly setting wholesale rates would be critical for competition, affordability and network investment. June 1, 2021June 1, 2021
Feds thought site blocking order would “reduce pressure” for online piracy tools in copyright review The federal government found the website-blocking order to ease the burden of having to implement piracy measures in the Copyright Act. May 21, 2021May 21, 2021
Deputy Minister of Finance, and former Board Chair of Infrastructure Bank, divested telecom shares in blind trust The former Chair of the Board of the Infrastructure Bank was forced to divest his holdings in a number of companies, including Rogers and Shaw. May 14, 2021May 14, 2021
SpaceX’s journey to Canada: two years of meetings, Privy Council involvement, pestering ISED for regular updates The journey to Canada was years in the making for SpaceX -- a hard-charging approach to lobbying. How will Canada's Telesat fare with an aggressive and rich competitor? May 11, 2021May 14, 2021
Rogers and Telus want $1.1B of pre-budget UBF funds The two telecom giants are requesting nearly $1.15 billion from the Universal Broadband Fund, which has attracted 1,900 applications worth $10.5 billion. April 20, 2021May 14, 2021
Before Netflix reported Covid cases in B.C., film industry reps wanted reprieve from 14-day quarantine Film industry interests wanted relaxed quarantine rules. Then Netflix reported a number of positive cases. March 26, 2021May 14, 2021
B.C. prepared to blunt any impact of $10 internet on smaller providers The British Columbia government is prepared to step-in if smaller providers are impacted by the larger ISP's $10 internet offerings. March 23, 2021May 14, 2021
The Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link brings NWT $1.6M annually — at a cost of $900k monthly The NWT government has been hounded by an MLA in debates about the cost of running a fibre link that is delivering just $1.6 million in revenue annually. March 22, 2021May 14, 2021
“Really?” ISED analyst unhappy with small carrier price hike after fed wholesale rate decision Emails show ISED analyst bothered by small carrier reaction to the minister's statement that CRTC's wholesale rate decision hurts large carrier investment. March 16, 2021May 14, 2021
Rogers’ stab at Shaw illustrates its thirst for western influence Rogers has for years sought to raise its profile in Western Canada, and now seeks to add pressure on telco giant Telus by buying out its rival Shaw. March 15, 2021March 28, 2021
5G networks susceptible to foreign supply risks, warns internal government report Surveillance and security risks related to supply chain components and undersea fibre cables are among concerns outlined in a report produced by Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Electricity Association this summer. February 26, 2021May 14, 2021
As infrastructure minister, Champagne increased share of federal cost to incent telecom broadband deployment Before becoming innovation minister last month, François-Philippe Champagne incented private broadband builds by increasing federal subsidies, a model currently used during the pandemic. February 17, 2021March 18, 2021
Shaw says it made “deliberate” decision not to take CEWS money As the Big 3 telecoms come under fire for taking nearly $250 million in Covid wage subsidies, Shaw said it deliberately didn't participate -- but won't say why. February 2, 2021March 18, 2021
Bell received $122M in wage subsidies, bringing big 3 telecom total to nearly quarter billion Bell filed its first fresh provincial lobby registration in months and, as the downUP previously reported, it would inevitably reveal the amount the company obtained in wage subsidy money. January 21, 2021March 18, 2021
Nunavut “reassessing” Greenland route for $203M fibre project Nunavut's fibre line came under fire for the proposed cost, but it was also uncertainty about striking a deal with the island's largest telecom provider that is driving it to reassess the whole route entirely. January 7, 2021March 18, 2021
Citing competition, Rogers asks B.C. officials for same infrastructure access as Telus Rogers formalized in a letter to B.C. officials its concern that Telus allegedly has a major advantage when it comes to attaching equipment to structures. December 24, 2020March 18, 2021
Big telecoms received over $100m in emergency wage subsidy money, records show Rogers and Telus received at least $100 million from the emergency wage subsidy program, but layoffs continue. December 8, 2020March 17, 2021
Telus proposed B.C. lobby feds to support projects that didn’t immediately meet speed target Telus proposed B.C. push feds to expand funding for Indigenous projects, even if they didn't immediately meet speed objectives. November 27, 2020March 17, 2021