This week Videotron revealed that it will be launching a new IPTV service this fall that will compete with Bell's Fibe TV. While this new service may provide competition that has a beneficial impact on content and programming, we continue to have concerns about the nature of IPTV.

Substantial upgrades to internet and cell phone service in rural BC are in the works thanks to a new deal between the BC government and Telus. Over the next 10 years the government will contribute $1 billion towards upgrades of broadband internet and wireless networks in rural communities in BC. The letter of intent reveals plans to improve broadband access for government services and public sector partners, including upgrading internet access to nearly 450 schools.

Launched September 2010, Bell's Fibe TV service now has 800,000 subscribers in Ontario and Quebec. This Internet protocol television (IPTV) service delivers HD and on-demand content as well as interactive features via fibre, allowing the service to be faster and clearer than competing television services.

What kinds of private information do you share online? When a student at Yale University volunteered to be a guinea pig, his Control, Privacy, and Technology class found out. "Gavin" surrendered control of his smartphone, Facebook and Gmail accounts to help them find out which would be the most revealing.

A recent post at Seeking Alpha provides a good overview of the challenges that telecoms and ISPs face in Canada from an investor perspective. The picture it paints doesn't look very positive.

The CRTC has officially dropped plans to amend provisions against spreading false and misleading news. Current broadcast regulations in Canada prohibit television and radio broadcasters from spreading information that is false or misleading. In January this year an amendment was proposed to water down the law and prohibit the broadcast of false and misleading news only when it is likely to cause harm to the health and safety of the public.

Will anonymity and hyperlinks be illegal in Canada? A new crime bill proposed by the Conservative government suggests that it could. The bill, one of several that is scheduled to be read in Parliament, would place new limits on creating hyperlinks to content considered to be illegal or to using a pseudonym online.

App developers will now have access to the Canadian Number Portability Administration Centre Service Management System. The system contains information about consumers' number portability and ensures that they can keep the same phone number when switching providers.

A CRTC decision this week requires Bell TV and Shaw Direct to carry more local television stations by September 1, 2011. The new rules state that satellite distributors must offer: an affiliate of each national television network five English- and five French-language CBC stations; or as many CBC stations as are distributed from a private broadcasting group in either official language one television station per province from each major Canadian broadcasting ownership group, and

Yesterday, the CRTC announced new targets and minimum speeds for broadband access across Canada. The CRTC aims for everyone to have broadband access by the end of 2015 with download speeds of at least 5 mbps.