Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
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The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC, in French Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes) was established in 1968 by the Canadian Parliament to replace the Board of Broadcast Governors.
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What the CRTC Regulates
It regulates all Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems and enforces Canadian content rules. The CRTC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Broadcast TV regulation
As well, when a Canadian network licenses a television show from a US network and shows it in the same time slot, cable companies must replace the show on the US channel with the broadcast of the Canadian channel (along with any overlays and commercials).
This practice is known as simultaneous substitution, and explains why Canadian viewers do not see the popular American Super Bowl advertisements even when watching an American network.
Cable TV regulation
The CRTC regulates what prices cable television companies are allowed to charge, as well as which channels they must or may offer. They give priority to Canadian signals—many non-Canadian channels which compete with Canadian channels are thus banned.
Controversial Decisions
In 2004, the CRTC was involved in three controversial decisions:
- CHOI: The CRTC announced it would not renew the licence of the popular CHOI radio station in Quebec, after receiving about 50 complaints about offensive behaviour by radio jockeys. Many thousands of the station's fans have marched in the streets against the decision, and are organizing a march on Parliament Hill.
- RAI: This Italian station was banned on the grounds that it would compete with Telelatino, a station which already produces shows in Italian. Many Italian-Canadians who either prefer RAI or cannot receive Telelatino are using "grey market" satellite viewing cards, obtained via the US, in order to watch RAI. Other channels broadcasting in foreign languages are affected, such as those broadcasting in Spanish (Telelatino also broadcasts in that language).
- Al Jazeera: Despite concerns over possible anti-semitic incitement on this station, it has been approved by the CRTC as an optional cable offering. However, the CRTC is demanding that any carrier which shows Al Jazeera must edit out any instances of hate speech.
Many in the Arabic community feel frustrated, since it seems unlikely that any cable company will carry the station under such restrictions. The Canadian Jewish Congress has expressed its opinion that the restrictions are appropriate, while the Canadian B'nai Brith is opposed to any approval of Al Jazeera in Canada. Again, many Canadians are using grey market dishes to receive the station without regulation.
In addition, the CRTC's apparent reluctance to grant a digital licence to Fox News had angered many conservative Canadians who believed the network was being kept out due to its perceived conservative bias.
The fact that services such as CNN and BBC World had been available in Canada for many years helped to fuel these arguments. However, on November 18, 2004 the CRTC approved an application by Fox News to offer its services to Canadians.
See also
External links
- CRTC (http://www.crtc.gc.ca)fr:Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes