OTTAWA – A number of radio stations have found themselves on the CRTC’s naughty list this year, prompting the Commission to issue a refresher on how to file their annual returns.
The CRTC said Tuesday that it has experienced “serious difficulties” in assessing the broadcasters’ Canadian content development contributions, among other criteria, due to annual returns being filed late and/or with inaccurate or missing information. In addition to more paperwork, this has also contributed to broadcasters being found in non-compliance with the radio regulations, prompting appearances before the Commission.
Annual returns must be submitted before November 30 for each licensed radio…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is calling for comments on a proposed code of conduct and best practices for campus and community radio stations.
Submitted by the National Campus and Community Radio Association (NCRA), the proposed codes address clauses relating to programming, the handling of complaints, sponsorship and advertising, and employees and volunteers, plus the codes’ application and administration, while the guidelines are intended to provide additional context for the interpretation of the codes.
If approved by the Commission, NCRA members would abide by the codes instead of the CAB Code of Ethics.
Comments are due by February 16, and the…
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OTTAWA – BDUs must provide at least 60 days notice to broadcasters before changing their terms of carriage, packaging or retailing of any programming service, the CRTC has reiterated to carriers in a letter this week.
The Commission drove home this point, originally set out in Broadcasting Public Notice 2005-35, at the behest of the Independent Broadcast Group/Le groupe de diffuseurs indépendants (IBG/GDI). In a letter to the CRTC, one that also copied vertically integrated companies Rogers, Bell, Shaw and Quebecor, the group expressed concern that the notice policy might be discounted by the big BDUs.
“If adequate notice is not provided,…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC’s first call for comments on its vertical integration policy is centering on audit provisions for BDUs and on the potential creation of a standard form non-disclosure agreement.
The Commission said Monday that it is seeking comments on the timeframes and other modalities around audits, the wording for a standard form non-disclosure agreement, and to whom such agreements should apply.
During its recent VI hearing, stakeholders such as independent broadcasters expressed their concern to the CRTC about delays after submitting an audit request to a vertically integrated BDU. The Commission said that it is therefore encouraging responses that…
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MONTREAL – Astral Media Radio has received CRTC approval to move forward with its purchase of Vancouver-based Shore Media Group Inc., three months after the Commission initially halted the deal.
As Cartt.ca reported, the Commission denied the acquisition after determining that it ran afoul of its licence trafficking policy. But the CRTC has now approved the $13.4 million transaction which is set to be completed early next year.
Shore Media is the radio licence holder for CHHR FM 104.3 (Shore FM). Astral also owns Virgin Radio 95.3 and AM 650, plus a nine-face digital outdoor advertising network in the Vancouver market.
"We are…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians are encouraged to weigh in on the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) as part of the CRTC’s planned review of the fund’s success.
The Commission said Monday that it has scheduled a public hearing as part of its review process, which will begin April 16 in Gatineau. Comments are due by February 15, 2012.
The fund was created almost three years ago to support the development of local television programming, particularly local news, in non-metropolitan markets. At that time, the CRTC determined that broadcasters' spending on local programming had stagnated due in large part to the fragmentation of television audiences and…
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OTTAWA – Brama Telecom has been ordered to appear before the CRTC over its failure to become a member of the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services (CCTS).
The Commission said Thursday that it has scheduled a public hearing at its Gatineau headquarters on March 22 at 9:00 AM at which time it will review whether or not to disconnect the VoIP providers’ services.
Under the Telecommunications Act, all telecommunications service providers (TSPs) that provide services within the scope of the CCTS’s mandate must become members after being informed by the CCTS of a complaint against it. After receiving five complaints from…
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WHITEHORSE – Northwestel is ready for local competition and has already made “significant changes”, the Yukon-based telco said Friday.
Responding to Wednesday’s decision by the CRTC to open parts of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut to local telephone competition, and to deny the incumbent’s request for a rate increase, Northwestel said it is committed to its customers’ needs and that it will find ways to offer more products and services at competitive prices. It also pledged to provide affordable telephone services to remote, higher cost communities in its operating area, notwithstanding the lack of a rate increase.
The company also…
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CORD-CUTTING, OR SHAVING, could take a big, 1.7-billion-dollar bite out of Canadian television distribution revenues by 2017, according to a new report from RBC Capital Markets.
While that sounds pretty painful, the reports authors call that a modest hit to an industry which pulls in some $10 billion annually. The real challenge will be after that, during what they call the 2017-’19 inflection period, where cord-cutting could really accelerate, especially if over-the-top video services grab much more of the premium programming and the traditional industry isn’t proactive.
“Prior to our OTT inflection period, we do not expect the financial impact of…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – Canadians in many parts of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut may soon have the option to choose from competing telephone service providers for the first time starting next May, the CRTC said Wednesday.
In its ruling approving the far north for telecommunications competition, the Commission also denied incumbent Northwestel's request to raise the rates for residential and business local telephone service, noting that an increase “is not justified at this time and is inconsistent with the current regulatory regime”. The CRTC said that Northwestel has insufficiently invested in its network despite its strong financial performance during…
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