GATINEAU — Applicants hoping to be awarded a licence to operate a new national, multilingual television service offering news and information programming will have to wait a little longer to have their proposals heard, as the CRTC announced Monday it is delaying the start of the pertinent hearing until November 26, 2018. Originally, the hearing was scheduled to start October 15.
The CRTC has received several applications for a national, multilingual, multi-ethnic television service, which, if licensed, would receive mandatory distribution on the basic service pursuant to section 9(1)(h) of the Broadcasting Act. Among the companies who have submitted applications are Bell Media, Rogers Media, Ethnic Channels Group, Telelatino Network and Asian Television Network International.
In Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2018-127-2, the Commission announced it will hold the hearing commencing on November 26 at 9 a.m. at the Conference Centre, Portage IV, 140 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec.
The delayed start of the multi-ethnic television service hearing may be due to the fact that the CRTC’s public hearing regarding the retail sales practices of Canada’s large telecom carriers is scheduled to begin at the same Gatineau conference centre on October 22.
