OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The CRTC’s new procedural rules for broadcasting and telecommunications proceedings will come in to effect on April 1, 2011.
While developing a set of rules that will apply to both sectors, the Commission said that it purged 29 sections and 13 forms to avoid duplication or because they were no longer necessary. For the next four months, broadcasting proceedings will continue to be conducted under the ‘CRTC Rules of Procedure’, and telecommunications proceedings will be carried out under the ‘CRTC Telecommunications Rules of Procedure’.
“I’m pleased that we have reached this important milestone in our efforts to adapt to the convergence of the communications industry,” said CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein, in a statement. “Our different rules for broadcasting and telecommunications have been harmonized to the extent possible under our legislation and combined into a single document. We also took this opportunity to not only modernize the rules, but also eliminate unnecessary costs and delays for the industry.”
Starting in April 2011, all applications must be submitted to the CRTC electronically using the applicable forms on its website. In addition, certain broadcasting applications, such as a request to modify a television or radio licence, will be published separately on the CRTC’s website for comments instead of by way of a notice of consultation. The CRTC said that this will enable it to process these applications more quickly, and the procedure will mirror the current practice for similar telecommunications applications.
Click here for more on the new converged rules of procedure.
