Media Access Canada calls for 100 per cent accessibility programming by 2020

GATINEAU—Media Access Canada called on the CRTC Tuesday to increase the required levels of descriptive and closed-captioned programming as a condition of the commission’s new group licensing policy for broadcasters. Beverley Milligan, CEO of Media Access Canada, told commissioners at a hearing that help is needed from the CRTC to ensure that better accessible content standards are established and complied with. “We are not asking the commission to deny licences,” Milligan said. “But rather to send a clear message to broadcasters that conditions of license must be complied with.” Milligan asked the commission to enforce accessibility standards through regular and random monitoring of content. Through the organization’s Monitor 2 program, Milligan said that more than 1,800 hours of broadcasting content has been analyzed. Milligan asked for support for this process to continue, with reports being sent back to the CRTC for the identification of networks that fail to meet the minimum requirements. The organization also requested that should a broadcaster fail to meet minimum accessibility requirements, one year be taken off its licence term. As a third option, Milligan asked that a system of fines be imposed upon broadcasters that do not comply. CRTC commissioner Suzanne Lamarre pointed out that the CRTC does not have the power to levy fines under the Broadcasting Act, but said the shortening of a broadcaster’s license period could be considered. “We greatly wish we would be able to impose fines. But at this point in time, we can’t,” Lamarre said. The commissioner added that, right now, Canadian broadcasters are only required to air four hours of descriptive or closed-captioned programming per week. According to Media Access Canada, many fail to meet this standard. Even if met, the organization argued that it is often recycled content aired to meet the requirements, and often there are discrepancies between it and regular programming. Lamarre echoed that by agreeing that accessibility content can lack quality. “It angers me sometimes when I sit at home and watch at night,” Lamarre said. The organization also requested the CRTC impose one extra hour of original accessibility programming on broadcasters for each year of their licensing term. “This would substantially increase the amount of descriptions over the 5-year licence term,” Yves Seguin, a member of Media Access Canada, said. “If the CMF’s precedent is 100 per cent description, then our request for a condition of license is reasonable.” Media Access Canada said it hopes that 100 per cent of programming is accessible to disabled Canadian viewers by 2020. Lamarre said the goal is ambitious, but Milligan said it is possible. “If every programming service has a spend on original programming—plus they’re getting acquired, plus they’re getting funded—all these areas are coming to the programming service described,” Milligan said. “Then you’ve got a small portion that is left to be described by the broadcasters themselves by 2020.” Media Access Canada also said Tuesday that more programs with descriptive content are being made available. “The broadcaster would have to be made aware of it and request that version of it,” Milligan said. dgrenier@thewirereport.ca

Media Access Canada calls for 100 per cent accessibility programming by 2020

Broadcast | April 12, 2011

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