Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news concerning cellphone and wireless carriers, ISPs, satellite communications, broadband access, 5G, remote communities, and CRTC spectrum licences. Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to track other GR news in adjacent industries? Don’t miss this week’s updates in ICT & Cybersecurity and Utilities & Power.

Dates: 2025-12-14 to 2025-12-20

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal Government News
• 💬 Government Consultations
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal Government News

CRTC Implements Accessibility Measures for Broadcast Programming

On December 17, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced new regulatory changes directed at improving programming accessibility for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted, pursuant to the modernized Broadcasting Act. Following consultations that included input from Canadians, advocacy groups, online streaming services, and traditional broadcasters, the CRTC confirmed requirements for described video on new original scripted shows as well as audio description on news and information programming for both television and online platforms. The changes will be phased in over the next two years, a period intended to allow broadcast platforms to adjust their operations. This decision follows a succession of measures aimed at creating a barrier-free broadcasting system. Industry stakeholders will need to integrate described video and audio description functionality during program development and distribution. The CRTC's regulatory plan details the compliance framework and the transition timeline for affected broadcasters and online streaming services.

Sources: www.canada.ca

Federal Investment in French-language Broadcasting and Public Service Media

On December 18, Canadian Heritage affirmed a $6 million investment over three years beginning in 2026–2027 to purchase French-language Canadian works for TV5MONDEplus, bolstering the digital availability and international reach of Canadian Francophone content. Minister Marc Miller outlined additional temporary financial support exceeding $1 million for TV5 Québec Canada in 2025–2026, backed by public service media funding extended to $8 million over two years starting in 2026–2027. This support is designed to offset public service media losses in subscription revenue until the CRTC clarifies the financial viability of these entities under the authorities granted by the Online Streaming Act. Details of future funding mechanisms and eligibility will be outlined by the government in 2026. The program’s scope includes Canadian creators, broadcasters, and associated service providers in the digital media sector whose operations rely in part on French-language content distribution and discoverability.

Sources: www.canada.ca

Statistics Canada Releases Q3 Telecommunication Services Producer Price Indexes

Telecommunications services producer price indexes data for the third quarter of 2025, with 2020 as the base year, are now available from Statistics Canada as of December 17. These indexes offer aggregated price trends across telecommunication service categories and provide industry metrics suitable for benchmarking. Stakeholders can request detailed datasets for application in cost modeling and strategic planning. The publication notes no explicit changes in collection methodology, though access to the data is on request only.

Sources: www.statcan.gc.ca

Government Consultations

ISED Consultation on Rural Development Action Plan

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada launched a consultation on December 15 for the Rural Development Action Plan to gather stakeholder input into rural-inclusive initiatives. The public consultation runs until February 6, 2026.

Sources: ised-isde.canada.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• Federal Contracts Now Demand Quantum Resilience as Data Harvest Accelerates: Federal procurement is increasingly specifying quantum-resilient security for new data contracts.
• More TV, radio stations could shutter if Online Streaming Act is scrapped, industry leaders warn: Industry representatives express concern over sector viability contingent on regulatory protections.
• How resilience, not just compliance, defines cybersecurity success: Analysis discusses the operational benefits of robust network resilience for telecoms.
• U.S. halts implementation of $40-billion tech deal with Britain over digital, food regulation: U.S. suspends a major tech agreement with Britain impacting cross-border digital services.
• U.S. targeting dairy, Online Streaming Act in USMCA negotiations, top Trump trade official says: The Online Streaming Act enters USMCA policy negotiations alongside agricultural trade concerns.
• Mitel Positioned for Continued Global UC Momentum in 2026: Mitel signals expectations for growth across unified communications markets.
• S3NS Announces SecNumCloud Qualification for PREMI3NS, its Trusted Cloud Offering: Cloud provider S3NS secures certification for its infrastructure.
• StatsCan: Telecommunications services producer price indexes, third quarter 2025: StatsCan released updated Q3 indexes showing telecoms producer price movements.
• Canada invests in the purchase of French-language Canadian works for the TV5MONDEplus platform: Federal funding to boost French-language content digital discoverability and global reach.
• CRTC improves accessibility of programming for Canadians who are blind or partially sighted: New CRTC guidelines set phased accessibility requirements for broadcast platforms.

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