BDUs need to have STB data ready for Sept. 2019: CRTC

The CRTC renewed the licences of a slew of broadcasters in multiple decisions on Thursday, taking a hands-off approach to issues like pricing of standalone channels, but setting conditions of license for community programming, accessibility and a firm deadline for the national set top box data program. It renewed broadcast distribution undertakings (BDU) licenses for Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc., Telus Corp., BCE Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp., Bragg Communications Inc.’s Eastlink, Cogeco Inc. and Quebecor Inc.’s Videotron in their respective footprints. Telus’ application also included a request to change the regional licenses it holds in B.C. and Alberta to service-area specific licenses, which the CRTC denied. The regulator pointed to the advantages Telus already enjoys, the efficacy of regional licences, and the fact that granting the request would amount to a major policy shift. These decisions follow an Oct. 2017 public hearing on the various related matters, during which the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC) laid out a case for more regulations on the prices of basic TV services and standalone channels. On Thursday, the CRTC said there wasn’t a need for it to step in to impose any conditions for this round of television licensing, saying the volume of complaints has been falling and that the consumer groups “did not generally demonstrate that there was a systemic failure to implement the best practices such that it was having a negative impact on subscribers or was inconsistent with the Commission’s policy.” Also examined were issues based on complaints from the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in 2015 and 2016. It and other advocacy groups wanted the regulator to look at compliance with the rules around local and access programming. The regulator concluded that there is a need for a short term community TV content monitoring project. Additionally, it clarified rules to what constitutes local or access programming and it would impose various conditions of licence on each of the approved providers to improve local programming. The decisions also included the current status and next steps of a national set top box data measurement program. While a working group has been progressing towards a start date for the overall project, the commission decided that operating without firm deadlines wasn’t working. It has ordered vertically-integrated companies to submit set top box data by Sept. 30, 2019. There are exemptions for satellite services, and the commission has asked providers to submit data that can’t identify individual subscribers. The commission also decided a closed captioning condition of licence will take effect in August 2025. Additionally, it determined new accessibility device tracking approaches, flexibility towards ad closed captioning requirements, and standardized the conditions of licence and expectations around accessibility for all providers.

BDUs need to have STB data ready for Sept. 2019: CRTC

Brief | August 3, 2018

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BDUs need to have STB data ready for Sept. 2019: CRTC

Brief | August 3, 2018

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