GATINEAU – The hearing the federal government asked for into fee-for-carriage will happen December 7th, the CRTC announced this morning.
The Commission is considering whether local television stations should be allowed to negotiate compensation from cable and satellite companies for their signals, and the industry’s hearing – BNC 2009-411 – on the matter (and group licensing) will go ahead on November 16th, but the consumer hearing looks to ask more questions.
“We are examining various facets of the Canadian broadcasting system as it adapts to an environment that is rapidly changing,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, chairman of the CRTC. “We are discussing a number of regulatory changes with the industry to ensure the system’s future health. It is important that consumers make their voices heard on the issues that affect them the most.”
The Commission will also hold an online consultation during the month of November to further encourage public discussion. Details will be made available on the CRTC’s web site in the coming weeks.
So, in a notice issued today, consumers and members of the industry are invited to share their views on how negotiated compensation may or may not impact:
• the affordability of cable and satellite television services
• the availability of local television services, including local news, information and public affairs programming
• the industry as it adapts to a digital communications environment, and
• current or future business models facilitating access to local television stations after the transition from analog to digital signals.
The Commission’s release noted, however, that “(g)iven the scope of this hearing and comments already received from the public, it is expected that other issues closely linked to affordability will be raised. These include such issues as consumer choice, the availability of low-cost basic television service, smaller packages of pay and specialty services, the ability to select pay and specialty services on a stand-alone basis, as well as the challenges posed by the transition to digital local broadcasting.
As a result, the CRTC will also accept comments on these issues.
In regular words, this hearing will be about everything Canadians complain about when it comes to our TV service, from their cable rates to their local TV to why they can’t buy channels one at a time to why we can’t watch the U.S. ads during the Super Bowl.
Comments will be accepted until November 2, 2009.
Following the conclusion of the hearing, the CRTC will submit a report to the government.
