CSPR’s own Gregory Taylor was a guest on BNN providing some analysis on Canada’s just completed AWS-3 spectrum auction.

Gregory Taylor, the principal investigator at the Canadian Spectrum Policy Research at Ryerson University says the Canadian market is nowhere close to Ottawa’s vision for a viable fourth player at the national scale, but strong regional players are filling that void.

“The spectrum in Saskatchewan and Manitoba wasn’t even sold today because they have a fourth carrier in those markets that were seen as too large to be seen as new carriers,” he said.

To watch the video, please see here.

CSPR’s Gregory Taylor comments for the Globe and Mail regarding potential impacts of the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV initiative for pick-and-pay TV and over-the-air (OTA) TV.

Rogers and Shaw both disagree, saying it is too soon to abandon these free signals. Gregory Taylor, a researcher at Ryerson University and author of Shut Off: the Canadian Digital Television Transition, agrees the number of households that rely on it is still high.

“To discontinue over-the-air distribution would be to further remove a substantial sector of the population from the broadcasting system that has been, in theory and in law, designed to serve the wider public interest,“ he said in a submission.

CSPR’s principal investigator, Gregory Taylor, was a guest on BNN’s Business Day PM segment (June 30, 2014) discussing how Canada’s TV landscape could change in a pick-and-pay model, and potential impacts on the Canadian media industry.

To watch the video, please see here.

Dr. Taylor weighs in for the National Post on the announcement that Quebecor’s (parent company of wireless provider Vidéotron) Pierre Karl Péladeau will run for office in Quebec.

“If [Mr. Péladeau] is going to be really pushing for sovereignty, it has real implications for spectrum that [Quebecor] holds across the country,” Mr. Taylor said. “I don’t think anybody in the government thought this was coming a month ago when they were declaring the spectrum auction was a great victory.”

CSPR’s principal investigator, Gregory Taylor, was a guest on BNN’s Headline news segment (January 10, 2014) discussing the 2500 MHz spectrum auction announcement, and next week’s 700 MHz auction. 

To watch the video, please see here.

CBC’s The National ran a segment August 30th, 2013 regarding Verizon’s possible entrance into the Canadian mobile telecom space, featuring an appearance by CSPR’s own Greg Taylor.

The National  |  Anti-Verizon campaign
Newly united unions campaign against U.S. wireless firm entering Canada, Ron Charles reports

To watch the video, please see here.

Dr. Taylor was recently quoted in this Financial Post article:

Gregory Taylor, principal investigator for Canadian Spectrum Policy Research, a research team at Toronto’s Ryerson University, says with 20-year licence terms at stake, decisions on spectrum policy being made now will shape Canada’s digital infrastructure for a long time to come.

“A key point has got to be that this is a public resource and we often forget about that,” he says.

…

“The average Canadian tends to look at this from how it will affect their monthly bill – so a big company with deep pockets like Verizon can come in and not just participate in the auction but possibly dominate it and become instantly a large carrier across the country,” spectrum researcher Mr. Taylor says.

But he adds that there are real concerns about the U.S. carrier’s long-term commitment to Canada and whether it would build in rural areas.

Plus, while it has huge buying power due to its 100 million wireless subscribers and could provoke price competition in Canada, financial analysts note that Verizon is a premium carrier in the United States and not likely to bring a discount model north of the border.

“I think that to look upon the arrival of Verizon as some sort of saviour of the Canadian system is a bit naïve,” Mr. Taylor says. “On the other hand, most Canadians have no great love for the domestic incumbents either.”

Dr. Taylor was recently quoted in this Financial Post article:

The Conservative Party of Canada used the Telus decision as an opportunity to highlight its achievements on cellphone bills in an email to supporters, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper addressed the issue on his Facebook page last month.

“Stephen Harper doesn’t say a thing without it being well calculated. He’s well aware that this is a winner for the government,” said Gregory Taylor, principal investigator for Canadian Spectrum Policy Research, a research team at Toronto’s Ryerson University.

“If they can score political points while knocking around Rogers and Bell while still allowing Rogers and Bell to reap record profits, it’s a great win for the government.”

Dr. Taylor’s below article served as a source for this news article published in Canada’s Globe & Mail.