OTTAWA – In light of new information, the CRTC said Monday it is opening another round of comments for a proceeding initiated by some broadcast distributors seeking to increase the price of the skinny basic packages with the rate of inflation.
When the regulator first ordered the broadcasters in 2015 to have a basic television package at no more than $25 per month, it declined to consider at the time but left open the possibility for a future review for a price adjustment to scale with inflation.
In September, the commission sought comment on a January 2022 application by Bell, Cogeco, Eastlink, and SaskTel requesting an increase to the price of the package by 12 percent, or to $28, and to implement a yearly indexing mechanism for inflation starting on April 1, 2023. The applicants said that the wholesale fees for 9 (1)(h) services – those channels that are required to be carried by them in the basic packages – have gone up 18.5 and 13 percent in the English-language and French-language markets, respectively.
But in its first go around, the commission said it had “encountered challenges in obtaining consistent and congruent information” related to data provided by the applicants, including a “high degree of variability between the parties’ responses” to requests for information, such as the number of affected subscribers. Intervenors the FRPC and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre called out those issues in separate submissions.
After a further request for information, the applicants together submitted that a minimum of 1,515,708 subscribers could be subjected to an increase in their monthly bill. But some parties indicated that the increase could be applied to more subscriber segments.
“Given the nature of the new information, the Commission determines that it is appropriate to re-open the intervention period for interested persons and for any party to this proceeding to make submissions regarding this new information,” it said.
The deadline for comments is February 24, with reply submissions due February 27.
Correction: A previous version of this story said the FPRC and PIAC filed a joint submission on the matter. In reality, they filed separately.
