Cable / Telecom News

Channel Zero to answer CRTC over potential non-compliance

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OTTAWA – The CRTC has scheduled a hearing next month which will hear a corporate reorganization request from Channel Zero, but it said Wednesday in announcing the hearing, that it will also determine whether four television services operated by the independent broadcaster have failed to comply with their conditions of licence or the specialty services regulations.

The Commission said Wednesday that it “calls the licensees to this public hearing, given the severity and frequency of the instances of apparent non-compliance observed and given the relationship between these licensees." For example, some of the adult services in question may not have shown enough Canadian sex, and the Commission has some questions about how "the application for the change in ownership appears to enable the settlement of litigation between the shareholders which may have resulted in a change of effective control," reads the Commission notice.

It will examine applications by English-language specialty Category B services Moviola: Short Film Channel Inc., Silver Screen Classics, AOV Adult Movie Channel, AOV XXX Action Clips, and AOV Maleflixxx for licence renewals and changes in ownership.

The hearing is scheduled for April 28 at CRTC headquarters in Gatineau.  Interventions and comments are due by April 4, 2014.

www.crtc.gc.ca