TELECOMMUNICATIONS FORUM

The transformation of Canada’s telecommunications landscape continues to offer significant challenges to both industry players and regulators as the structure of the market place continues to shift. Attend this event and learn:

• How the wireless market is shaping up with the launch of the new services
• What considerations should guide future spectrum licensing policy
• How the competitive landscape is evolving with the blurring of boundaries between telecommunications and broadcasting
• The latest thinking on how the issue of foreign ownership should be resolved
• What impact the BDU regulatory framework is likely to have going forward
• The discussion taking place regarding how should Canada move forward with its National Digital Strategy
• The latest on copyright reform and its impact on stakeholders in the communications sector

PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS

Hank Intven
Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Laurie Dunbar
Partner, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP

MEDIA PARTNER

• From wireless, wireline, satellite and cable telecommunications and broadcasting companies, including internet service providers and industry associations:

• CEOs
• CFOs
• Presidents
• Vice Presidents
• Directors of:
  • Technology
  • Operations
  • Corporate Strategy
  • Marketing
  • Consumer
  • Business Solutions
• Business and Legal Affairs
• Government
• Regulatory Affairs

• From legal and consulting firms, government organizations including the CRTC, Department of Industry and the Competition Bureau:

• Presidents
• Partners
• Directors of Research and Spectrum Management
• Policy Advisors and Analysts in Telecommunications Finance and Regulatory Affairs
• Economists

Dear Colleague:
The traditional boundaries between the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors have largely disappeared and a new communications industry encompassing a wider range of players offering a broader range of services has taken its place. As this transition proceeds, and as network technology continues to improve enabling increasingly advanced Internet and wireless applications, we witnessed significant shifts in the structure of the market place. This has raised the stakes for all industry players in Canada and has raised questions about the appropriateness of our regulatory institutions and legislative framework.
Concerns have also been raised as to Canada’s ability to keep pace with the rest of the world. Is our National Digital Strategy playing a ‘catch-up’ role to countries that already have one in place? Are we on the right track or are we falling behind our major trading partners?
The conversion from analogue to digital broadcasting, the pending implementation of the BDU Framework decision and the introduction of Internet TV will challenge traditional broadcasters, content providers and the BDUs. What impact will the vertical integration of the largest BDUs into the broadcasting sector, including Shaw’s recent acquisition of Canwest, have on other programming services? What role will equipment manufacturers like Apple, or Internet giants such as Google play in this new environment? What will smaller players have to do to survive?
In the wireless market, was Industry Canada’s strategy to introduce more competition into the market a success? How are the new entrants faring? The foreign ownership question, once dormant, has also been pushed to the forefront – first with the Globalive decision – and subsequently with legislation to remove the ownership restrictions on satellite carriers and a public consultation on broader reforms.
Clearly there continues to be an incredible amount of activity in the communications sector, and this conference produced by Insight Information offers a unique opportunity for interactive discussion of these, and many more critical issues. It’s one you shouldn’t miss.
Sincerely,

Hank Intven 
Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Laurie Dunbar 
Partner, Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

8:15

Registration and Continental Breakfast

9:00

Welcoming Remarks from Insight Information

9:05

Opening Remarks from the Co-Chair

Hank Intven 
Partner
McCarthy Tétrault LLP

9:15

The State of Play in the Wireless Market

Moderator:
Hank Intven 
Partner
McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Bruce Kirby 
Vice President, Strategy and Business Development
Public Mobile

Anthony Lacavera 
Chairman
Globalive Wireless

Stewart Lyons 
Chief Operating Officer
Mobilicity

• The challenges encountered in rolling out services
• How the market should evolve in an ideal world; how it will likely evolve
• As both consumers and businesses increasingly rely on wireless devices, how will networks keep up?
• What are the key competitive drivers of the future?
• What other potential markets are there for wireless?

10:30

Networking Coffee Break

10:45

Reforming Spectrum Policy: Future Licensing Policies

Moderator:
Jan Skora 
President
Jan Skora Consulting Services Inc.

Stuart Jack 
Partner
Nordicity Group Ltd.

John Maduri
Chief Executive Officer
Barrett Xplore Inc.

Jim Nickopoulos 
Vice President, Corporate Development & General Counsel
TeraGo Networks Inc.

• Considerations in the development of spectrum strategy
• Should there be a single regulator for spectrum?
• How should renewal fees be set for spectrum?
  • after paying the auction price for spectrum, what is a fair pricing for renewal after 10 years?
• Spectrum usage rights; can a licensee re-sell their spectrum?
• Addressing spectrum hoarding
• Spectrum trading
• Freeing up spectrum and the transition to digital; will broadcasters meet the deadline?
• What will be the impact if they don’t?
• What are the spectrum opportunities for mobile TV?

12:00

Networking Luncheon

1:30

The Future of Competition and the Evolution of the Marketplace

Duncan Stewart
Technology, Media & Telecommunications
Deloitte & Touche LLP

Stephen Whitehead 
Partner
Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP

The bundling of services into the ‘quadplay’ deals that are now being pursued by several players, together with an ever-increasing array of devices with expanded functionality for both communication and content delivery has led to an explosion of possibilities for both service providers and consumers alike. With newer players such as Google seeking to expand their reach and established players trying to solidify their market share by delivering content over the Internet, along with an exponential increase in applications developed for mobile devices, the competitive playing field will never be the same. This also leads to a fundamental question – can networks keep up?

• The evolution of networks – what is the next generation of network enhancements that will allow more advanced utilization across platforms?
• Who should pay for these advancements?
• Will technology providers become carriers?
• Incumbents (both traditional telecoms and cable) sharing infrastructure with re-sellers; expected impact on investment and ROI and how the debate should be framed
• How can a competitive playing field be maintained both between traditional players and non-traditional players?
• The introduction and expected impact of IPTV
• A review of the issues relating to competition in high-cost areas under consideration by the CRTC in the Obligation to Serve proceeding, including:
  • the extent of the obligation to serve
  • the local service subsidy
  • do they just apply to plain old telephone service or also to high-speed Internet access?
  • competition relating to small incumbent carriers
• The CRTC’s public hearings in this proceeding will wrap up just days before the conference and delegates will obtain timely background information that will assist them in understanding the competitive issues to be addressed in the future CRTC decision

2:45

Networking Refreshment Break

3:00

Foreign Ownership Re-Visited: What Will Change?

Moderator:
Kirsten Embree
Partner
Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP

Bill Abbott
Senior Counsel - Regulatory Law
Bell Canada

Norm Bolen 
President and CEO
CFTPA

Bob Boron 
Vice President, Legal and Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel
Public Mobile

Bryan Boyd 
President and CEO
TeraGo Networks Inc.

Len Katz (tentative)
Vice-Chairman, Telecommunications
CRTC

Chris Peirce 
Chief Corporate Officer
MTS Allstream

Andrea Wood 
Chief Legal Officer
WIND Mobile

This session will review all recent developments on the topic of foreign ownership, including the INDU and Senate reports and the consultation currently being undertaken by Industry Canada.

• The results of Industry Canada’s consultation
• Can carriage and content be separated?
• What are the next steps for the industry?

4:30

The Challenges of a Regulator in the Current State of Constant Change

Andrea Rosen
Chief Telecommunications Enforcement Officer
CRTC

5:00

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

8:15

Continental Breakfast

9:00

Welcome from the Co-Chair

Laurie Dunbar 
Partner
Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP

9:15

The Future Impact of the BDU Regulatory Framework

Moderator:
Laurie Dunbar 
Partner
Fasken Martineau Dumoulin LLP

Steven Guiton
Vice President and Chief Regulatory Officer
Media Technology Services and Regulatory Affairs
CBC/Radio-Canada

Walter Levitt 
Chief Marketing Officer
CanWest Broadcasting

Gary Maavara 
Executive Vice President & General Counsel.
CORUS Entertainment Inc.

Paul Temple
Senior Vice President, Regulatory & Strategic Affairs
Pelmorex Communications Inc.

• The new rules coming into force in 2011 and what they will mean concerning packaging specialty services
• What impact will this new flexibility for cable companies have on broadcasters and the production industry?
• The cable / OTA fee-for-carriage issue; ongoing debate and how a resolution could be achieved

10:30

Networking Coffee Break

10:45

The Future of Programming Distribution

Moderator:
Alan Sawyer 
Principal Consultant
Two Solitudes Consulting

Trevor Doerksen
CEO and Co-Founder
Mobo Vivo Inc.

Brent Lowe-Bernie 
President cMM Canada
comScore Inc.

Dave Purdy (tentative)
Vice President and General Manager, Television Products
Rogers Cable

Consumption of content and programming in non-traditional ways is accelerating. Improvements in technology will continue to act as a catalyst in allowing consumers more options. What does this mean for programmers and program producers today and in the months and years ahead?

• Where are Canadians going online and where are they spending time?
• What are the hot categories?
• How big is Social Media? Online Video?
• How does the Smartphone change mobile consumption?
• How does consumer behaviour change in the multi-screen world?
• Of the top twenty web sites used by Canadians how many are Canadian?
• With the introduction of web TV watched by Canadians – where will advertising dollars go?
• How will Canadian programming be supported in the future if advertising dollars are siphoned off to other jurisdictions?
• What role will traditional broadcasters have?
• Where will production funding come from if/when advertising dollars migrate to the web?

12:00

Networking Luncheon

1:30

Creating A National Digital Strategy

Moderator:
Peter Lyman 
Senior Partner
Nordicity Group Ltd.

Bernard Courtois 
President and Chief Executive Officer
ITAC

Michael Hennessy 
Senior Vice-President, Government and Regulatory Affairs
TELUS

Sheridan Scott 
Partner
Bennett Jones LLP

In a broadband-enabled environment, software applications and traditional media converge creating new challenges and opportunities in consumer markets. Broadband is the platform that enables the new value chain. As important as broadband, is the platform that enables digital adoption through ICT. Yet while both ICT adoption and digital media raise important issues around IP and broadband does Canada need different strategies to address consumer issues, culture and productivity thru ICT adoption? What different roles should be played by government and business in implementing a digital strategy for Canada?

2:45

Networking Refreshment Break

3:00

Expectations and Impact of a New Copyright Act

John Barrack 
National Executive Vice President
CFTPA

Dan Glover 
Associate, Intellectual Property Group
McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Craig McTaggart 
Director, Broadband Policy
TELUS

• Does Bill C-32 strike the sought-after “balance” among the interests of all stakeholders?
• Should consumers be allowed to circumvent technological protection measures (TPMs) for otherwise legal purposes?
• What are the implications of the new “making available” right for cloud computing?
• What will it take to stop online piracy? Should intermediaries be given new responsibilities?

4:15

Register 3 delegates for the main conference at regular price at the same time and you’re entitled to register a fourth person from your organization at no charge. For other group discounts, please call 1-888-777-1707. All discounts must be redeemed when booking, discounts will not be valid or applied after this time.