OTTAWA – The CRTC has released its greatly anticipated Wholesale Code, intended to help simplify, and perhaps smooth the waters, in many aspects of the relationship between television service providers and television channel owners.
The Commission said Thursday that BRP 2015-438 governs certain aspects of the commercial arrangements between broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), programming undertakings, and exempt digital media undertakings.
“It will ensure that subscribers have greater choice and flexibility in the programming services they receive, that programming services are diverse, available and discoverable on multiple platforms, and that negotiations between programming services and BDUs are conducted in a fair manner”, the CRTC continued.
The Code, which will take effect January 22, 2016, will also help the Commission in resolving disputes, and serve as a guideline for all other parties, including exempt BDUs, exempt programming undertakings, exempt digital media undertakings, and non-Canadian programming services distributed in Canada.
The CRTC also issued an information bulletin simultaneously with the Wholesale Code to help parties understand and interpret “the intent behind the sections of the Code, and in areas that are more interpretive, the factors that may be taken into account in the resolution of a dispute”.
Lastly, the Commission released an order that makes the Wholesale Code applicable to all licensed distribution undertakings, including terrestrial and direct-to-home distribution undertakings, effective January 22, 2016.
