9(1)(h) Hearing: Commission making it obvious that clearing the "exceptional" bar will be very tough

By Perry Hoffman

GATINEAU - Applicants in the CRTC’s 9(1)(h) process this week have been on the hot seat during the first two days of the hearing trying to demonstrate that their respective services meet the “exceptional” test required to be a mandatory TV service. “Given its exceptional nature, the CRTC has set the bar very high for obtaining a mandatory distribution order on digital basic pursuant to section 9(1)(h). The CRTC’s policy requires that a service seeking such an order must clearly demonstrate its exceptional nature and that it achieves important public policy objectives under the Act,” Commission chair Jean-Pierre Blais said...