OTTAWA – CBC/Radio-Canada has asked the CRTC to review regulations that apply to direct-to-home satellite BDUs “to ensure that official-language minority communities have access to the public broadcaster’s full program offering”.
The CRTC began hearings earlier this week to look at broadcasting services in English and French linguistic minority communities across Canada.
CBC/Radio-Canada filed a brief with the CRTC in November detailing “the concerns” of official-language minority communities, and proposing “enhanced distribution” of CBC/Radio-Canada programming to the areas in which they reside.
"In an environment where over 90% of Canadian homes now receive their television services via cable or satellite, any policy aimed at increasing regional production must be consistent with a regulatory regime which guarantees that citizens have access to their respective regional services as well as to national services that reflect their own realities and those of all Canadians," said Sylvain Lafrance, CBC/Radio-Canada’s executive vice-president of French services, in a statement.
