ARCHIVED -  Public Notice CRTC 1998-46

This page has been archived on the Web

Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. Archived Decisions, Notices and Orders (DNOs) remain in effect except to the extent they are amended or reversed by the Commission, a court, or the government. The text of archived information has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Changes to DNOs are published as “dashes” to the original DNO number. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats by contacting us.

 

Public Notice

  Ottawa, 8 May 1998
  Public Notice CRTC 1998-46
 

Public Hearing for New French-language Specialty Services

  1. The Commission hereby announces that it will consider applications for new French-language specialty services at a public hearing commencing on 7 December 1998. This public hearing relates solely to applications that were filed with the Commission by 30 September 1997, pursuant to Public Notice CRTC 1997-33. Proposed amendments to the applications must be filed with the Commission no later than 6 July 1998.
  2. In Public Notice CRTC 1997-33-2 dated 11 December 1997, the Commission announced that it would hear new specialty and pay television service applications no later than the first quarter of 1999.
  3. Applicants are reminded that the information filed as amendments to existing applications must be complete in accordance with the licensing criteria set out in Public Notice CRTC 1997-33. In particular, each application must contain a completed Promise of Performance (Part II of the application form). In addition, each applicant will be expected to provide realistic business plans and underlying assumptions in light of the fast-evolving broadcasting industry.
  4. The Commission also reminds applicants that their estimation of the penetration level which they anticipate should be realistic given the size of the market for French-language services, as well as the number of those specialty services already in operation. These estimations should also take into account the capacity and desire of subscribers to pay for more services.
  5. The Commission is of the opinion that French-language services aimed at Francophone subscribers should have priority over licensed English-language specialty services, in French-language markets.
  6. The Commission reminds the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that, at the hearing, it will wish to discuss the role that the CBC's operation of specialty services has in fulfilling its mandate, in particular the impact that these business activities may have on the Corporation's ability to discharge its responsibilities with respect to the operation of its over-the-air television networks.
  7. The Commission notes that two applicants have filed applications for services in both French and English. Firstly, the application for a service to be known as "Le Canal Loisir/The Leisure Channel" is directly competitive with another French-language application and the Commission has decided to consider this application with the French-language applications, in December 1998, as outlined in this notice
  8. Secondly, the application for a service to be called "Le canal des nouvelles technologies/The New Technology Channel" is competitive with two English-language applications. The Commission has decided to consider this application with the other English-language applications, no later than the first quarter of 1999.
  9. Any concerns the applicants for bilingual services might have with respect to carriage by broadcasting distribution undertakings and any other issues may be addressed in the intervention process associated with both public hearings and the Commission invites applicants to participate.
  Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General
  This document is available in alternative format upon request.
Date modified: