CRTC
3-YEAR
WORK PLAN

2007-2010

For additional copies of the report, please contact:

Documentation Centre
Canadian Radio-television and
Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec

Mailing Address:
CRTC
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0N2

Telephone: 1 (819) 997-2429
                 1 (877) 249-2782 (toll-free)
                 TDD: 1 (877) 909-2782 (toll-free)

This publication is available electronically: www.crtc.gc.ca

This publication can be made available in alternative format upon request.

Ce document est également disponible en français.

ISBN #: BC92-56/2007
Catalogue No.: 978-0-662-69752-7

Chairperson's Message

I am pleased to present the CRTC 3-year work plan for the period 2007-2010.

The communications industry is changing at a rapid pace. During the next three years, the Commission will be challenged to respond to unprecedented developments in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. And the Commission will respond.

This 3-year work plan follows a series of stakeholder consultations held to identify the major issues that will emerge over the next few years. It is our goal to anticipate the environmental, social, economic and technical issues that will have an impact on all of our stakeholders. The Commission will also endeavour to ensure its regulatory frameworks keep pace and to provide the industry with the most room possible to respond to changing market conditions.

Telecommunications

The CRTC will:

• continue to deregulate throughout the telecommunications sector so that market forces may prevail, while at the same time ensuring that all Canadians continue to have access to high-quality, reliable and affordable services;
• rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible to achieve the telecommunications policy objectives, in accordance with the policy direction of December 2006;
• implement both the spirit and letter of the order varying our forbearance decision that the government issued on April 4, 2007. The Commission anticipates it will process local forbearance applications throughout the plan's three-year period;
• collaborate closely with industry stakeholders to bring about the prompt establishment of a consumer protection agency, as mandated by the Government of Canada's order of April 4 of this year;
• conduct a proceeding to review the regulatory framework for wholesale services and the definition of essential services.

Broadcasting

The CRTC will:

• review, in 2007-2008, three mega-transactions that were recently announced;
• undertake a comprehensive review of the impact further consolidation would have on the Canadian broadcasting system, particularly in terms of diversity of voices;
• review its broadcasting frameworks to ensure that they remain both relevant and supportive of Canada's broadcasting policy;
• review all regulations and policies with a view to reducing, amending or removing those that are no longer relevant in today's society.

Horizontal Issues

New Media Challenge:

• The current wave of consolidation in the Canadian broadcasting industry is, in part, a response to an increase in fragmentation brought about by the introduction of new forms of media. In 2007-2008, we intend to build on the report on the future environment facing the broadcasting industry that we prepared for the Minister of Canadian Heritage and recently released. Notably, we will continue to identify and measure the impact of new media on the broadcasting system and the existing mechanisms that support it, as well as undertake a comprehensive review of their impact on the broadcasting system's current regulatory structure.

Convergence:

• As digitalization affects both broadcasting and telecommunications infrastructures, carriers are crossing what have been traditional boundaries between the two industries. This convergence is starting to raise new regulatory and legislative challenges, on which the Commission intends to focus during the period covered by the 3-year work plan.

Working Principles:

• In all its activities, the Commission will be guided by the following four basic principles:
  • transparency
  • fairness
  • predictability
  • timeliness
• The Commission recognizes that time has a value in the business world and each regulation bears a cost. Consequently, we will endeavour to make our decisions promptly and regulate only where necessary and in the least intrusive manner possible.

I invite you to review the plan and work with the Commission to keep our initiatives current and timely.

Konrad von Finckenstein

Work Planning Cycle

Broadcasting

Telecommunications

Policy Development and Research