CRTC reopens basic television price hike proceeding

The CRTC is reopening its proceeding into whether or not BCE Inc., Cogeco Inc., Bragg Communications Inc., and Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Co. can increase the retail price of so-called "skinny basic" plans from $25 to $28 per month with a yearly indexing mechanism. The Monday move comes after the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) expressed concern about the level of disclosure of data from the broadcast distribution undertakings (BDUs) seeking the price hike. The commission initially launched a proceeding into the price hike in September, but PIAC complained that the application, initially filed by the BDUs in January, 2022, was not posted to the CRTC's website in a timely manner. PIAC asked for an extension of the deadlines in the proceeding. The group got some – but not all – of the relief it sought. In November, the CRTC asked the four BDUS that initially asked for the hike – along with Quebecor Inc., Rogers Communications Inc., Shaw Communications Inc., and Telus Corp. – for subscriber numbers related to the BDUs basic service that would be subject to the price hike. The FRPC complained that the public should have been given a chance to comment on the data submitted by the BDUs – total basic subscribers, revenues, costs and profits – at the outset of the proceeding. In its Monday decision, the regulator wrote that the parties collectively submitted that a minimum of 1,515,708 subscribers would be subject to the price increase, but "that multiple parties indicated that they had not yet ruled out applying the increase to other subscriber segments, which could ultimately lead to a greater impact on Canadian BDU subscribers." "Given the nature of the new information, the Commission determines that it is appropriate to re-open the intervention period for interested persons and for any party to this proceeding to make submissions regarding this new information," the CRTC wrote. Those wishing to comment using the new data from the BDUs must do so by Feb. 24, with replies due by Feb. 27. Basic service includes a community channel, proceedings of the local legislature, a maximum of 10 Canadian over-the-air television stations, one out of province educational service and one set of American 4+1 signals, four commercial stations and a PBS outlet.

CRTC reopens basic television price hike proceeding

Brief | February 21, 2023

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CRTC reopens basic television price hike proceeding

Brief | February 21, 2023

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