Dear Editor,
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS INC. asserts that the primary policy objective of the CRTC should be to lessen Canadian protection and facilitate an accelerated importation of foreign channels.
Well, the fastest and most economically efficient way to accomplish that would be to cease protecting Canadian cable companies from U.S. distributors like Comcast and DirecTV.
However, that would be against the law – and would trigger a precipitous dismantling of our once-proud broadcasting system.
Canada is the only country in the world that competes 24 hours a day, and live, with the behemoth U.S. entertainment machine.
We have a unique…
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VANCOUVER – Late last week, word leaked out that Best Buy, one of the world’s biggest consumer electronics retailers, would no longer carry analog TV sets in its stores.
Store managers were reportedly informed earlier this month of the move in a company-wide memo.
In the U.S., the analog television cut-off date for broadcasters is February 2009, so that market is well ahead of Canada when it comes to digital, or high definition television. Broadcasters in markets of any size, Stateside, have already made the switch to digital broadcasting because they have to return their analog spectrum to the…
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TORONTO – The CRTC has been told by VisionTV’s owner S-VOX that a mandatory basic package consisting predominantly of Canadian channels is a must in order to preserve the diversity of the entire system.
S-VOX called for rules to ensure that Canadian content providers hold "pride of place" within the country’s television system, says its press release
S-VOX operates the analog multi-faith channel VisionTV, as well as two digital services: One: the Body, Mind & Spirit channel and The Christian Channel.
The submission follows on the heels of a proposal to the CRTC by Rogers Communications and other cablecos…
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TORONTO – With the deadline for initial submissions into the CRTC’s policy review of the broadcast distribution undertaking and specialty services regulations, the Coalition of Canadian Audio-Visual Unions (CCAU) beat their familiar drumbeat that “a strong Canadian cable and satellite industry should directly contribute to creating a strong television production industry for Canada,” reads its press release this afternoon.
(Of course, the drumbeat from all sides will sound pretty similar we think. Cartt.ca is gathering the submissions from many of the major players and will have much more on this topic next week.)
The CRTC is holding public hearings…
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GATINEAU – The CRTC today approved an application from Rogers Broadcasting for a new digital channel tentatively called Sportsnet 2.
The channel is to be a national, English-language Category 2 specialty service that would be devoted primarily to the coverage of soccer, cricket and rugby.
The programming would include exclusive international soccer matches from professional leagues and tournaments and the service would also provide coverage of national Canadian teams, including junior programs, sports news, in-depth analysis or instructional programs.
Rogers also stated that no more than 10% of all programming broadcast during the broadcast year would be devoted to…
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QUEBEC CITY – A monitoring committee established by Quebecor Media, and required by the CRTC as a condition of licence, has admonished the company for thrice breaking the rules covering the exchange of information between its various newsrooms.
The committee, set up in 2001 when Quebecor Media received CRTC approval for its takeover of the TVA network, said in a report released Tuesday that TVA’s code of professional conduct “leaves little room for interpretation”.
In order to ensure the independence of TVA’s television newsrooms, the network is “not permitted to receive information from the newspapers of Quebecor Media Inc.,…
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MONTREAL – Four Telecom Laureates and a Special Recognition Award winner will be officially inducted into Canada’s Telecommunications Hall of Fame at the Telecom Laureate Awards gala and induction ceremonies on Tuesday, October 16th at Windsor Station in Montreal.
The Class of 2007 Telecom Laureates are: Michael Kedar (Champion of Telecom Services Competition), Robert W. (Bob) Jones (Canada’s Radio Spectrum Ambassador), Frederic Newton Gisborne, (Colonial Telegraph Trailblazer), and C.R.O. (Bob) Munro, (Patron of Federally Regulated Telecom). The Hall of Fame’s Special Recognition Award for 2007 goes to the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC), and a Career Service Award will…
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OTTAWA – Knowing that it’s hard for many parties to properly respond to regulatory challenges when only one side can see certain confidential information, the CRTC has today called for comments on a proposed practice direction on the provision of confidential access to confidential Information.
The Commission isn’t proposing to let everyone see everything, just to open up a few file folders for a look-see (without a microfilm camera, we presume).
“The Commission conducts its public processes in an open and transparent manner. In some instances, parties submit information in the course of proceedings for which they request confidentiality….
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OTTAWA – The CRTC has told Canada’s broadcasters that it will not collect Part II license fees due on November 30, 2007 and subsequent years unless the Federal Court of Appeal or Supreme Court of Canada, should this case be appealed at that level, reverse the Federal Court’s decision.
The Commission informed the Canadian Association of Broadcasters of its decision last week.
The Fees for 2006-2007 are estimated at some $49.7 million that would otherwise have had to be paid by private radio, television and specialty service licensees next month.
Readers will remember that the Federal Court ruled…
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OTTAWA-GATINEAU – The available phone numbers have run low in many regions of the country in past years so it’s no surprise the same thing is happening in the 613.
The CRTC today initiated a public process to handle the telephone number shortage affecting the area code 613 region, which may result in the introduction of a new area code, it said today.
According to the Canadian Numbering Administrator (CNA), area code 613 is expected to run out of telephone numbers by May 2012.
With this public notice (http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/eng/notices/2007/pt2007-18.htm), the Commission is establishing a Relief Planning Committee (RPC) to…
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