I was corresponding with a few colleagues over the holiday weekend.

Most of the other folks with whom I work are like my style – which is probably why we work so well together.

Himal Mathew runs Fathom Strategies and he (or perhaps better, one of his clients) describes himself as an ‘un-consultant’. His client writes:

We think of you as the un-consultant. You work the way we work. You add value on our terms and feel like part of our team. Consider yourself part of our (corporate) family.

That’s the way we like to work. We’re key advisors and we know that we work at will for our clients. We want to feel like part of the family, take ownership of problems and help our clients succeed.

Himal’s client writes:

Wanted to loop back and let you know that we very much appreciated the candor of your reactions to our work. It was very helpful to get that objective voice in the room with us and one with such solid business and marketing skills. . . we will likely be calling on you again in the not too distant future. . . really felt the input was worthwhile from our standpoint.

Job satisfaction in our kind of un-consulting comes from statements such as these: ‘we will be calling on you again in the not too distant future.’

We know you have a choice. Fathom Strategies one of the associated firms that we enjoy working with.

Well, 3 months ago, when the CRTC issued its Decision about Mobile TV, I suggested that XM and Sirius should be nervous about the new, unregulated competition.

Sure enough, TELUS and XM Canada announced TELUS Mobile Radio yesterday, Canada’s first streaming mobile radio service, “including 100 per cent commercial-free music and the best in comedy, talk and entertainment – all from their mobile phones.”

According to Stephen Tapp (President and COO of XM Canada):

This is another fantastic ‘first’ for XM Canada. The launch today represents the first time that satellite radio will be distributed in partnership with a wireless provider in Canada

As we noted in April, this service should fall under the CRTC’s blanket exemption for New Media.

Rogers has applied to put Sirius onto its cable network. It must go through a regulatory process to get permission to make these changes (and counter opposition from groups such as the Canadian Independent Record Producers).

For mobile services using IP delivery of the content, the CRTC has already ruled that these are new media, exempt from its oversight. Content could be available from all over the world and be targetting micro-markets.

Will Virgin tie in a suite of services to go with its Virgin Fest concert in September?

Update: A blog-shy colleague of mine writes that he does not think Rogers or Bell will need CRTC approval to include XM or Sirius services bundled with their high speed internet services, despite the need to apply for permission to carry the same services over conventional broadcast distribution technology.

One might ask what this means for technical neutrality and why voice over broadband is treated differently.

Alex, my research associate discovered an interesting site based out of China called TVU Networks that promises to be releasing a broadband video distribution service in the near future.

Current offerings include HBO Asia and the Hollywood film channel from Taiwan as well as a number of Chinese stations.

TVU? It is a peer-to-peer application with a specialized streaming video player, delivering live channels over the internet.

This is the kind of application that should help our understanding of a number of issues for new media. Look back at our comments on the CRTC’s Mobile TV Decision.

Implications on broadband access networks and broadcasters?

This may also increase sensitivities in respect of net non-neutrality behaviour by cable companies acting as broadband internet service providers. Already under fire for consumers believing that there is cable company interference with VoIP service, what will happen when there is traffic sculpting on a more bandwidth-intensive direct competitor for TV program distribution.

I want to know if the service will be live in time to let us watch the American commercials during the 2007 Superbowl.

Jeff Pulver says he was caught off-guard when the FCC ruled that VoIP should make payments to the Universal Service Fund (USF) in the US.

He comments:

Our only saving grace is that other governments from around the world DO NOT follow the lead of this FCC and mirror their disruptive policies towards VoIP in their respective countries.