CBC calls for small basic package and fee-for-carriage

OTTAWA – The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. is recommending the establishment of a small, low-priced all-Canadian basic service and fee-for-carriage for the over-the-air TV signals of broadcasters. Speaking on the opening day of a three-week-long CRTC hearing on distribution and pay TV, CBC executives told the commission that a small basic service would give Canadians more choice in selecting the additional Canadian and foreign discretionary services they want. Fee-for-carriage would provide conventional broadcasters with subscription revenues to allow they to “continue to play their cornerstone role in the system and to maintain or enhance the quantity and quality of their Canadian...