CRTC says no to participation funding proceeding

By Denis Carmel OTTAWA – The CRTC last week denied a request made in April by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) for a proceeding to be initiated to examine the Broadcasting Participation Fund’s (BPF) funding situation. The BPF was set up to fund consumer and public interest groups, such as PIAC and FRPC, for their participation in broadcasting proceedings. The financing provided comes from portions of tangible benefits paid through broadcasting transactions since 2012. Having not heard from the CRTC for several weeks after their April request, PIAC and...