The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada's telecom regulator has ruled against a
billing practice by cellphone providers that
exempts certain television content streamed on
wireless devices from customers' monthly data
caps.
The Globe's Christine Dobby writes that the decision applies specifically to mobile
television applications offered by BCE's Bell Mobility
and Quebecor's Videotron. It sets a new limit on how companies
that own both media and communications
businesses can use television and sports content to
bolster their wireless or Internet divisions.
The apps attracted controversy because, for a fee
of about $5 a month, the wireless data they use
to stream up to 10 hours of TV programming do not
count against a user's monthly data cap, while
watching similar content on sites such as Netflix or
YouTube does.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission concluded Bell and Videotron
were giving unlawful preference to their own
mobile TV services by excluding the data usage
from standard monthly caps.
The CRTC says: "This decision isn't so much about Bell
or Videotron. It's about all of us and our ability to
access content equally and fairly."
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