CRTC proffers guidelines on digital transition

OTTAWA-GATINEAU – With some 400 or so days to go until Canadian over-the-air broadcasters must transition to digital, the CRTC has weighed in on a few of the many issues.For starters, the Commission agreed to modify its regulation to allow television distributors to offer “a free alternative” to affected viewers in smaller markets where local stations decide not to convert to digital. These companies will be able to offer a package of local and regional stations at no charge to viewers, however, in order to receive the free local package, the CRTC acknowledged that some of those consumers may have to purchase...