The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit opens on June 4 in Toronto.

Here’s what you get:

• Topical Presentations;
• First-rate Keynote Speeches;
• Lively Discussion;
• Stimulating Sharing of Ideas;
• Many Networking Opportunities; and
• So Much More.

The Canadian Telecom Summit is where representatives of all constituencies of Canada’s dynamic Telecom, Broadcasting and IT Industries gather to learn, exchange viewpoints, conduct business and offer & receive opinion.

These are 3 days well-spent, where services (current & future), technology (current & future), competitive issues, enunciation of broad visions, identification of major trends and establishment of policy are all on the table to be discussed and debated.

Decision makers and key influencers will be there. You need to be as well!

The Canadian Telecom Summit gives you the opportunity not only to hear from leading ICT executives but also to interact with them, not only to listen but also to influence.

Save almost $300 by registering before May 13.

Register today for The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit.

The parliamentary INDU committee released its report on e-commerce yesterday.

Officially, “e-Commerce in Canada: Pursuing the Promise” is a Report of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology – a Parliamentary committee.

Despite weighing in at roughly 50 pages, the report is disappointingly light in substantive analysis. Indeed, the NDP provided a supplementary opinion that appeared more thoughtful in its brief 5 pages. The report looks at inhibitors to e-commerce adoption in Canada and it recommends ways to reduce “red tape” while simultaneously calling for bringing the Canada’s anti-spam bill into force, all the while not recognizing the impact that the legislation will have on communications from small businesses.

The Appendix A of the Report provides a summary of reports and programs that could impact e-commerce in Canada. Among the 10 items was the long overdue National Digital Strategy. The section starts with a description:

Based on the priorities identified in the 2010 Speech from the Throne and Budget 2010, the Government of Canada began a national consultation in May 2010 to solicit input on how to return Canada to a position of global leadership in the digital economy. The findings of the consultation were presented in Improving Canada’s Digital Advantage: Strategies for Sustainable Prosperity

On reading this, I thought I had missed the release of the consultation’s findings. The link to the document in the INDU report was broken, so perhaps that is why the Committee didn’t realize that this wasn’t a release of findings. That report can be found in the archives as the original consultation document. It seems to me that an official report from a Parliamentary Committee shouldn’t have such obvious errors in it.

Leading off the list of reports in the Appendix was “Innovation Canada: A Call to Action” which is better known as the Jenkins Report. Tom Jenkins, the chair of the expert panel on innovation, will be the closing speaker for The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit. You should be there.

Have you registered yet?

The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit opens June 4, one month from today.

There is no other event quite like it. For 3 days, the leading stakeholders in Canada’s communications and IT sectors get together to review where we have been and discuss directions for the future.

Now in its 11th year, The Canadian Telecom Summit has grown to become Canada’s most important annual telecommunications & IT event, attracting hundreds of attendees from around the world. No other event presents a complete picture of current and expected trends & developments. No other event matches The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit for the depth and breadth of topics covered and issues debated.

Alone, any of our 18 keynoters would be worth taking the time to listen to. The Canadian Telecom Summit brings you all them – and more than 50 panelists – over 3 unmatched days of presentations, discussions, idea sharing, relationship forming and deal making. With so many leaders gathered together in one place, a lot of business deals get done. Issues get reviewed in formal discussions in our business centre (sponsored by PwC), or over an espresso (sponsored by Allstream).

Come see why The Canadian Telecom Summit has become a must-attend conference. With more opportunities than ever to learn, network and do business, if you are involved with or impacted by Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting or information technology, you need to be at The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Verizon’s Shared Success initiative sets a new standard for corporate social responsibility. Its 2011 Annual Report, “A truer connection” <pdf, 3.6MB> examines Financial and Corporate Responsibility Performance.

For Verizon, our most exciting growth opportunities occur where business and social interests intersect. You will read about both in this report, which for the first time combines our annual report with highlights of our corporate responsibility initiatives. Under the rubric of “shared success,” we are using our technological and philanthropic resources to address the world’s unmet social and environmental needs. In the process, we’re fueling the social innovation that will open new markets, drive our growth and reinforce Verizon’s vital role in the digital world.

I have written about corporate social responsibility in the past, such as this piece six years ago at the launch of the TELUS Toronto Community Board.

More recently, I challenged the preoccupation we seem to have with a rural-urban digital divide in the hope of getting attention placed on introduction of programs targeting low income households with school aged children. We don’t need to look far to find opportunities for fueling social innovation to open new markets. There are too many Canadians in urban centres who can’t afford a computer, let alone the monthly price of being connected.

Take some time to read about Verizon’s approach to Shared Success. According to foundation consulting group FSG, Verizon plans to measure the economic and social benefits of these new initiatives.

Doing well by doing good.

It was fitting for the Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union to call for more open lines of communication in exploring important issues. Hamadoun I. Touré was in Ottawa on Tuesday, addressing the CWTA Wireless Antenna Siting Forum.

Everyone wants mobile broadband and the benefits it will bring. But few seem willing to pay for it – including both the over-the-top players, who are generating vast new demand through their applications, and consumers, who have become accustomed to unlimited packages.

This is putting tremendous pressure on mobile operators, who need to invest in high-capacity broadband networks in order to maintain quality of service as demand rises.

At the same time, as broadband becomes increasingly viewed as basic infrastructure for social and economic development, operators are being asked to extend the reach of their networks to under-served populations.

These are strategic, bottom-line issues, and we need to be talking about them.

The Canadian Telecom Summit is where Canadians talk about issues such as these, in formal sessions like our Regulatory Blockbuster or in other panels, as well as informally over coffee or cocktails. From June 4-6, just a month from now, the leadership of all stakeholders will gather in Toronto for the 2012 edition of Canada’s leading information and communications industry event: The 2012 Canadian Telecom Summit.

Have you registered yet?