On Friday, CRTC chair JP Blais wrote to Rogers, because he was “dismayed” following the NFL playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

It wasn’t that the 49ers lost.

He didn’t like the exchange he read on Twitter:

There was a point in the game where the main broadcaster (Fox) thought that the clock went down to the 2-minute warning, a point in the game where broadcasters can usually pack a few commercials back-to-back. So CTV went ahead and inserted its commercials into the CTV version of the game. But the referee put a second back onto the clock allowing one more play. Fox broke away from their commercial quicker than CTV.

I was upset at that point as well:

In his letter, the CRTC wrote:

As you are aware, there are a number of misconceptions and a certain frustration among Canadian television viewers regarding simultaneous substitution. These are often expressed at this time of year—specifically, during the NFL playoffs and following the broadcast of the Super Bowl game.

In fact, the CRTC has a special website just because of regular complaints about Canadians not being able to access Super Bowl commercials.

The CRTC sent a reply tweet a day later, on Monday, to the annoyed user, copying Rogers and CTV:

The customer replied, “Thank you, I’m informed & appreciate the responses.” Twitter worked!

But apparently, the Chairman didn’t think that the Commission should be taking the heat for its regulations. In his letter to Rogers, the chairman’s letter goes on to state:

Broadcasters have indicated that they benefit tremendously from simultaneous substitution. They have earned many millions of dollars in ad revenues since 1972, when the CRTC first allowed broadcasters to replace American signals with their own. In addition, many television distributors in Canada are now part of the same corporate family as those very broadcasters. As such, members of the broadcasting industry—both broadcasters and distributors—must share in the duty of ensuring that simultaneous substitution is done correctly. They must also share in the responsibility of explaining to Canadians the policy’s benefits and in correcting misinformation in the public sphere.

He goes on to admonish the response from the Rogers social media team:

it would be appreciated if you could remind your customer service representatives that broadcasters choose whether to substitute signals and that both the broadcaster and the distributor are responsible for the quality of the substitution.

Here is the rub. While CTV is part of the corporate family of a TV distributor (Bell), it is not related in any way to Rogers. Rogers involvement in the interaction with the frustrated customer was as a broadcast distributor, obligated by CRTC regulations to insert the CTV feed on top of the Fox channels.

As the first tweet from Rogers said, it wasn’t up to Rogers to make that choice. The customer wanted clarification and the Rogers person correctly stated that it was due to CRTC rules. This had nothing to do with vertical integration and the fact that Rogers also owns broadcast assets. All BDUs in Canada are subject to the same CRTC rules. If the game broadcaster asks for substitution, the BDU has to ignore the fact that its customers may want to see the US feed; as a condition of license, the CRTC requires that the BDU swaps the feed.

Back in 2008, before Bell owned CTV, Bell TV didn’t substitute the CTV feed on the US High Definition broadcast of the 2008 Super Bowl. The CRTC responded harshly:

The Commission expects Bell TV to perform simultaneous substitution of future Super Bowl and similar broadcasts in compliance with the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations, and in the same manner that it regularly performs such substitutions. The Commission also directs Bell TV to confirm in writing, with both the Commission and CTV, within two weeks of the present decision, that it will perform such substitution.

Why did the CRTC target Rogers, the distributor, but not CTV, the broadcaster? Why did the CRTC chair ask Rogers for a “report outlining the training your customer service representatives receive on this issue, as well as copies of fact sheets or other materials at their disposal.”

The tweets from the Rogers social media team appear to be accurate and responsive, considering the 140 character limitations of the medium.

At the end of the day, the CRTC is responsible for its own regulations.

The schedule is starting to get in shape and the first major email blast is going out today for The 2014 Canadian Telecom Summit, which will take place June 16-18 at the Toronto Congress Centre.

For three full days, The 2014 Canadian Telecom Summit will again deliver thought-provoking insights from the prime movers of the industry. The Canadian Telecom Summit gives you the chance to hear from and talk with them in both a structured atmosphere of frank discussion and high-octane idea exchange and schmooze in a more relaxed social setting of genial conversation over espresso or cocktails.

Join your colleagues in listening to and participating in executive presentations from those who have the greatest influence on the direction of Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology. Hear from global leaders and local trend-setters. Meet with your suppliers, customers and partners. Challenge your competition.

Attracting the senior-most professionals from around the globe, The Canadian Telecom Summit is the forum for the broad cross-section of stakeholders to meet, exchange views, share ideas, challenge assumptions and plan for the future.

If you haven’t received our email blast, check your spam folders and be sure to include “gstconferences.com” on your email white list. Sign up for our conference mailing list here.

Early bird rates are in effect until the end of February. Register now for the best savings. You can view (or download) the brochure at Scribd.

This year, Tuesday January 28 is Bell’s “Let’s Talk Day“.

On January 28, Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health programs for every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers.

People who aren’t Bell customers can participate by Tweeting with #BellLetsTalk or sharing the Bell Let’s Talk image on Facebook.

The 2013 campaign generated $4.8M, nearly 25% more than the year before. Bell has now committed $62,043,289.30 to Canadian mental health based on its
original $50-million donation plus the results of the last 3 years of Bell Let’s Talk Day: $3,303,961.80 in 2011; $3,926,014.20 in 2012; and $4,813,313.30 in 2013.

Yesterday, a $2.5M donation was announced by Bell to mark the 25th anniversary of Kid’s Help Phone, to support the mental health and well-being of young people across Canada.

But this is about so much more than the money being donated and distributed.

Bell Let’s Talk Day is about talking. It is a day for talking about something that makes many people uncomfortable.

One in five Canadians will suffer from a mental illness at some point in their lives, yet still, mental health is an issue that most of us avoid talking about.

With its advertising campaign leading up to January 28, Bell Let’s Talk is about ending the stigma associated with mental health issues, or as I wrote in 2010, getting people talking about un-mentionables.

There are very few national brands that are powerful enough to take the lead in being an anchor supporter of mental health research and treatment; Bell’s approach – getting people to talk about it – aligns with communications, which is what the company does for a living.

Anti-stigma is one of the four pillars of the program. Overcoming the stigma is one of the biggest hurdles for anyone suffering from mental illness. Bell Let’s Talk Day is driving a national conversation, helping to reduce the stigma, promoting awareness and understanding as a first step toward lasting change.

I’d like you to support this initiative. Visit Bell’s website for more information or check out the press release.

On Tuesday, January 28 – Let’s talk.

Deloitte is releasing its “Technology, Media & Telecommunications Predictions 2014” this morning and it is 80 pages of solid reading. The main report provides a global perspective, but there are predictions that provide a focus on trends in Canada.

Among the highlights of the report are Canada’s top 10 predictions:

1. Phablet are not a Phad
   • Deloitte predicts that in 2014 shipments of phablets, smartphones with 5.0-6.9 inch screens, will represent a quarter of smartphones sold
2. Wearables: the eyes have it
   • Deloitte predicts that smart glasses, fitness bands and watches, should sell about 10 million units in 2014
3. Doubling up on pay TV
   • Deloitte predicts that by the end of 2014 up to 50 million homes around the world will have two or more separate pay-television subscriptions
4. Narrowing the gap: seniors embrace the smartphone
   • Deloitte predicts that in 2014, the over-55s will be the age group experiencing the fastest year-on-year rises in smartphone penetration across developed markets
5. eVisits: the 21st century housecall
   • Deloitte predicts that in 2014, there will be 100 million eVisits globally, potentially saving over $5 billion when compared to the cost of in-person doctor visits and representing growth of 400 percent from 2012 levels
6. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): not disruptive yet, but the future looks bright
   • Deloitte predicts that by 2014, student registrations in MOOCs will be up 100 percent compared to 2012 to over 10 million courses, but the low completion rates mean that less than 0.2 percent of all courses completed in 2014 will be MOOCs
7. Death of the voice call – but only for some
   • Deloitte predicts that in 2014 that about 10-20% of Canadian cellular customers will spend only 3-4 minutes per day talking on their phones
8. Those who like TV like it a lot
   • Deloitte predicts that by the end of 2014, the 20 percent of English-speaking Canadians who watch the fewest minutes of traditional TV (both live and playback ) will fall to just over 30 minutes per day, down from nearly 60 minutes in 2004
9. The Converged Living Room: a plateau approaches
   • Deloitte predicts that global sales of smartphones, tablets, PCs, TV sets and videogame consoles will exceed $750 billion in 2014, up $50 billion from 2013 and almost double the 2010 total
10. TV sports rights: extra premium
    • Deloitte predicts that in 2014 the value of premium sports broadcast rights worldwide will increase to $24.2 billion, a 14 percent rise, or $2.9 billion over 2013

The list above provides just the opening teaser for each of Deloitte’s predictions. Many of the items have interesting, but not necessarily intuitive twists associated with them. For example, the decline in TV viewing by the bottom quintile of viewers will have virtually no effect on the average English Canadian TV viewing of 3.8 hours per day, expected to change by less than 10 minutes (up or down) versus the same period in 2013. And, French-speaking Quebecers who watch the least TV are predicted to watch about 70 minutes daily, unchanged from 2004 levels, attributed to the lower availability of over-the-top content.

What are the implications and opportunities that arise from these trends?

The full report is packed with data, references and colour commentary. Try to attend one of the Deloitte briefing sessions taking place across the country this month, starting today in Toronto. Be sure to follow Duncan Stewart, Director of Research for Deloitte Canada, on Twitter.

The news that Wind Mobile withdrew from the 700 MHz auction on the eve of its start was a deeply disturbing signal that Canada’s telecom policy framework is broken.

Rita Trichur, in the Globe and Mail, wrote “VimpelCom decided not to fund Wind’s purchase of 700-megahertz spectrum because of ongoing conflict over Ottawa’s foreign investment rules that, to date, have prevented it from taking formal control of the small Canadian carrier.”

For months I have been suggesting that it is time for a reset. As I said to IT World Canada, “Unfortunately Canadians are paying the price for … rules that are simply too unstable, inconsistent and at times incomprehensible.” For too long, our telecom policy framework has looked like the Calvinball rulebook.

As I told Business In Vancouver: “Wind’s withdrawal should be ‘a wakeup call’ that Canada’s telecom policies aren’t working.”

He added it calls into question the Harper government’s telecom policies, including its rules around foreign investment in the Canadian wireless space.

As he points out, Vimpelcom-Wind was the only new entrant in the Canadian wireless space that already has spectrum and the financial wherewithal to acquire more.

“These guys have spectrum, they have an opportunity to be the only new entrant bidder in Canada’s three most prosperous provinces and yet they can’t make the business plan work to continue investing in Canada.”

I told Mobile Syrup this situation is “an unfortunate outcome of a wireless policy where the rules are changing too frequently and are leading to an unstable investment climate.”

We are long overdue for the 5-year review of our telecom policy, recommended by the Telecom Policy Review Panel. We need to understand the market landscape, take stock of the conditions that have inhibited the build out of competitive networks, and develop policies that work for Canadians, encouraging investment in new technologies, products and services.

I get no pleasure from saying “I told you so.”