OTTAWA – As the CRTC continues to sort through the potential impact of vertical integration, it offered a clarification to its original continuation of service notice.
The Commission said Tuesday that it has amended paragraph 2 of Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-415 as follows (the changes are in bold):
2. The preceding determinations shall remain in effect until 30 days following the publication of the Commission’s decision in the above-noted proceeding. The Commission clarifies that affected broadcasting distribution undertakings and programming undertakings are not precluded from renegotiating the rates, terms and conditions or any combination thereof of pre-existing distribution agreements during the effective period of these determinations. Nor are such parties precluded from negotiating new rates, terms and conditions or any combination thereof of distribution agreements that are expired or are due to expire during the effective period of these determinations. Such renegotiated rates, terms and conditions will apply as the parties may agree.
The Commission originally said that programmers and BDUs currently engaged in a terms of carriage negotiation must continue to operate under the terms of their previous agreement as the CRTC reviews the regulatory framework relating to vertical integration, as Cartt.ca reported.
