OTTAWA – Shaw Communications has told the CRTC it will implement high definition simultaneous substitution as the Commission has previously told it to.
A December 7th letter to the Commission says the HD sim-subbing Shaw Cable and Star Choice weren’t doing, will begin being done by December 31st. Two weeks prior to that letter the CRTC set a January 15th, 2008 hearing date for Shaw to appear and explain its non-compliance.
After a complaint filed by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in June that said neither Shaw Cablesystems nor its sister satellite company Star Choice were performing their simultaneous substitution duties as required under the broadcast distribution undertaking regulations, the Commission issued decisions on the matter in August.
However, on September 7, Shaw sent a letter saying it was having “difficulties” implementing the substitution – and that it believes the broadcasters should be paying for such upgrades anyway. “Shaw did not provide a plan to implement HD substitution within the time frame set out in the Commission’s direction, nor did it express an intention to comply with the Commission’s instruction to implement HD substitution by the end of the year,” says the Commission.
So, in October, the CAB sent a new letter that said by failing to file detailed implementation plans for HD substitution Shaw has no intention of complying and the association “urged the Commission to take immediate action to require Shaw Cablesystems and Star Choice to comply with the regulatory framework for the substitution of HD signals. The CAB added that the Canadian HD signals in question have been operational for several years, and an increasing number of consumers are interested in these signals,” reads the CRTC release from last month.
While the company will now comply and hopes the hearing will be cancelled (a CRTC spokesperson told Cartt.ca the Commission is reviewing the matter) Shaw vice-president, regulatory Michael Ferras told Cartt.ca the broadcasters are partly to blame.
“We need a plan from the over-the-air broadcasters on HD so we can prepare. They’re coming at it very haphazardly,” he said. “There’s really no clear plan for us. Suddenly a tower lights up and we have no idea what format they’re using,” which leads to technical and cost issues – costs the BDU shouldn’t be burdened with, added Ferras.
“We think it’s only fair that the broadcasters pay for the costs of doing HD because they get all the benefits,” said Ferras.
Look for this item to explored by the company come April during the broadcast distribution undertaking and specialty services policy hearings.
– Greg O’Brien
