Advocacy groups ask CRTC to deny Sirius tangible benefits plan

A proposal by Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. to create a new fund instead of allocating the entirety of its $4.79 million in discretionary tangible benefits to the Broadcast Participation Fund (BPF) has the potential to affect the ability of advocacy groups to participate in CRTC proceedings, various groups are telling the CRTC. In July, Sirius proposed directing $1 million to the Broadcast Participation Fund (BPF) and the rest to a newly created fund for musical and spoken-word artists. “Lack of funding for the BPF would have a serious and negative impact on the ability of public-interest organizations to continue their work on behalf of the public, leaving an unbalanced record (of CRTC proceedings) consisting almost entirely of the submissions, evidence and arguments of broadcasters,” the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) said in an intervention filed last week. The BPF is “under financial pressure,” it said, adding that directing the full amount to the fund would provide it with “much-needed stability.” The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) also pointed to the BPF’s finances, stating that there is a risk that future contributions won’t be sufficient to fulfil its mandate. The fund was created by the CRTC six years ago, following a suggestion by PIAC for the creation of an independent fund “to represent non-commercial consumer interests before the Commission in its broadcasting proceedings,” the CRTC said in that March 2011 decision, which allotted $3 million towards the fund. In its latest annual report, BPF said that as of the end of 2016, its net assets were just under $2 million, compared to $2.6 million at the beginning of the year. PIAC said the fund is “critical to supporting public interest participation, notably that of groups representing vulnerable or marginalized communities, in CRTC broadcasting proceedings.” BPF cost awards have been essential to PIAC’s ability to participate in CRTC broadcast proceedings, it said, adding that without the money, PIAC wouldn’t have the resources for the necessary research and legal expertise, “particularly compared to the significant resources available to other parties, and in some cases would not have the capacity to participate in proceedings at all.” Media Access Canada also argued that the “continued existence and operation of the BPF is critical to ensuring that Canada’s vulnerable populations, including Canadians with disabilities in particular, continue to have a meaningful voice and ability to participate in CRTC regulatory proceedings.” Funding obtained through the BPF has allowed it, as a volunteer-run organization, to hire consultants and experts to help “in the research and preparation of interventions that have led to meaningful improvements in the accessibility of broadcasting in Canada,” the group said. Citing the BPF’s “limited and dwindling resources,” it argued that through “this tangible benefits package, the Commission has the opportunity to renew and refresh its funding pool for the short and medium term.” The Community Media Advocacy Centre (CMAC) said that the fund is awarding more cost awards as an increasing number of groups become familiar with it, “and given that the last funding infusion into the fund was in 2013; the BPF cannot sustainably cover more than two more years of participation if no new funds are made available to it.” PIAC noted that while BCE Inc. will continue contributing to the fund on an annual basis until 2020, “there is a high chance that the BPF, based on its current net assets, would not be able to sustain a 2016-level demand for public interest costs awards moving forward, even before the year 2020.” — With reporting Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca and editing by Charelle Evelyn at cevelyn@thewirereport.ca

Advocacy groups ask CRTC to deny Sirius tangible benefits plan

Broadcast | August 9, 2017

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Advocacy groups ask CRTC to deny Sirius tangible benefits plan

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