OTTAWA – Bell has received CRTC approval to amend its video-on-demand service’s broadcasting licence so that it may offer community programming produced by its corporate cousin Bell Aliant.
In its application, Bell ExpressVu also requested that a new condition of licence be added to allow a third party, in this case Bell Aliant, to be fully responsible for the management of the community programming and the adherence to the applicable regulations related to the community programming that would be offered on the Bell ExpressVu VOD service, a request that the Commission denied.
On Monday, the Regulator expressed concern with “the consequences of such a departure” from its VOD policy – which maintains that the VOD undertaking be operated by the licensee itself – and the Broadcasting Act which states that all persons who are licensed to carry on broadcasting undertakings have a responsibility for the programs they broadcast.
“Under the proposed condition of licence, Bell Aliant, and not the licensee (Bell ExpressVu), would be responsible for the community content broadcast on the service”, reads the decision. “Although Bell Aliant and Bell ExpressVu are related undertakings, they are separate undertakings and licensees. The Commission is of the view that authorizing Bell Aliant to operate a subset of Bell ExpressVu’s VOD service in this manner – by approving the proposed condition of licence – would not only be inconsistent with standard condition of licence 2 as set out in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-59 but also with the policy objective set out in section 3(1)(h) of the Act.”
The Commission also noted that it had already approved a regional video-on-demand service for Bell Aliant back in August.
