OTTAWA – Broadcasters looking at the likelihood of being forced to move to new over the air channels are still quietly digesting last week’s 600 MHz spectrum decision by Industry Canada, but at least two interest groups are less than enthused about it.
Both the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) believe the ruling tilts too much towards wireless carriers — who are hungry for the digital spectrum over the air (OTA) stations have in the 600 MHz band — and not enough for broadcasters who will have to pay up to surrender their frequencies and move.
Industy Canada is “killing OTA slowly by not making it attractive for new entrants,” complained CACTUS executive director Cathy Edwards. “All they’re doing is preserving the status quo. So that’s disappointing. It’s like they don’t believe there’s any new innovation happing on the OTA side. It’s all about wireless and mobile. and I think that’s shortsighted.”
Her association represents a number of licenced low-power TV stations and groups that produce community content.
“We want to make sure our members primary signals are available over the air, that they’re not in the future having to be reliant on going through a BDU (broadcast distribution undertaking)to reach their communities. So It’s about control over the local communications infrastructure.”
However Industry Canada said existing stations will have to eventually surrender their 600 MHz spectrum, although it promised to displace them on an “as necessary” basis. It believes many rural broadcasting stations will be unaffected for years. Those who are now using 600 MHz frequencies and have to move to other channels will be given two years notice, although “in limited circumstances” some may only get five months’ notice.
The 600 MHz spectrum gained will be auctioned off, but Ottawa is silent on whether the proceeds will go to TV stations to cover the costs of new equipment to change channels.
“Given that they’ve just moved once already for the digital transition and taken on huge costs , to ask them to move a couple of years later with no discussion of compensation is a real problem,” Edwards said, “particularly for small community groups. They’re not part of big ownership groups that con come up with a couple hundred thou for a new antenna.”
Her organization’s smallest member has an annual budget of budget of $8,000, raised though bingo in a community of 1,400 people. “Having to come up with tens of thousands could shut them down.”
She did note that Industry Canada promised to help low-power TV stations find new channels, saying a digital channel will be found for “virtually” all of them. “We were satisfied as far as that goes,” Edwards said.
But she isn’t happy that the decision won’t force broadcasters who have spectrum — such as BCE’s CTV network — to allow local groups to multiplex community channels on unused frequencies. Instead the government agreed multiplexing may limit the broadcasters’ ability to pursue new technologies and or standards, such as UHDTV. It did say that broadcasters are free to strike deals on multiplexing if they want.
John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC), said his group “were hoping Industry Canada would take the situation with over the air TV more into consideration and try to come up with some sort of accommodation that wouldn’t make all these stations to move to much higher frequencies. But I guess they didn’t feel that was possible.”
And while the department said spectrum would be surrendered only as needed, Lawford believes it is “a little bit optimistic that TV undertakings won’t be affected.”
“I don’t see anybody staying. I sure the wireless carriers will take all the 600 spectrum they can get.”
He also believes the decision is “not a poster child for policy co-ordination.” CRTC chair Jean-Pierre Blais has praised OTA television during the commission’s Let’s Talk TV consultation, he said, but the 600 MHz decision ends up “kicking him in the teeth.”
“It would have been better if we’d thought this through a little more.”
