Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-107
Ottawa, 12 April 2019
Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0107
Notice of applications received
Deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers: 13 May 2019
[Submit an intervention/comment/answer or view related documents]
The Commission has received the following applications:
Applicant/Licensee and locality
Direct-to-home distribution undertakings
- Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership
Across Canada
Application 2018-0755-4 - Star Choice Television Network Incorporated
Across Canada
Application 2018-0753-8
Satellite relay distribution undertakings
- Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership
Across Canada
Application 2018-0752-0 - Shaw Satellite Services Inc.
Across Canada
Application 2018-0766-1
Licence renewals
The Commission has received applications from the above-noted licensees for the renewal of their respective broadcasting licences for national direct-to-home (DTH) satellite distribution undertakings and satellite relay distribution undertakings expiring 31 August 2019. These applications include requests to add, amend and/or delete conditions of licence. Further details are available in the applications. In addition, the Commission has requested clarifications and further information from licensees on various matters, including those outlined below.
Accessibility
The Commission intends to consider whether the DTH satellite distribution undertakings noted above should be subject to a standard set of accessibility-related expectations, on which licensees had the opportunity to comment. This includes an expectation that licensees provide closed captioning of promotional material inserted in local availabilities.
Compliance
All matters regarding these licensees, including any issues with respect to compliance with regulatory obligations, will be considered as part of this licence renewal proceeding. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the specific compliance issues set out on the record of each application. Should the licensee be found in non-compliance, the Commission could apply measures such as a short-term licence renewal, the imposition of conditions of licence or additional reporting requirements, among other measures.
1. Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership
Across Canada
Application 2018-0755-4
Application by Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership to renew the broadcasting licence for its direct-to-home broadcasting distribution undertaking serving communities throughout Canada, expiring 31 August 2019.
The licensee proposes to maintain its existing conditions of licence, except for the following deletions, amendments and additions, many of which reflect changes in the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations that occurred during the past licence term:
- the deletion of its condition of licence that requires it to distribute at least 43 additional television stations, in standard definition, as part of the basic package in the appropriate local markets;
- an amendment that would suspend the condition of licence that replicates the Wholesale Code while the Wholesale Code is in effect;
- the addition of a condition of licence that would permit the licensee to blackout certain television programs where program substitution is not technically feasible; and
- the addition of a condition of licence in regard to the distribution of the OMNI television station.
Licensee’s address:
160 Elgin Street
Floor 19
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 2C4
Email: bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Email to request electronic version of application: bell.regulatory@bell.ca
2. Star Choice Television Network Incorporated
Across Canada
Application 2018-0753-8
Application by Star Choice Television Network Incorporated to renew the broadcasting licence for its direct-to-home broadcasting distribution undertaking serving communities throughout Canada, expiring 31 August 2019.
The licensee proposes to maintain its existing conditions of licence, with the exception of conditions of licence that expired or included implementation dates that passed during the last licence term.
In the supplementary brief submitted as part of its licence renewal application, the licensee indicated that it will be terminating the Local Television Satellite Solution initiative at the end of this licence term, as per the terms of the tangible benefits set out in Change in the effective control of Canwest Global Communications Corp.’s licensed broadcasting subsidiaries, Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-782, 22 October 2010.
Licensee’s address:
630 3rd Avenue South-West
Calgary, Alberta
T2P 4L4
Email: dean.shaikh@sjrb.ca
Email to request electronic version of application: dean.shaikh@sjrb.ca
3. Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership
Across Canada
Application 2018-0752-0
Application by Bell ExpressVu Inc. (the general partner) and Bell Canada (the limited partner), carrying on business as Bell ExpressVu Limited Partnership to renew the broadcasting licence for its satellite relay distribution undertaking serving communities throughout Canada, expiring 31 August 2019.
The licensee proposes to maintain all of its current conditions of licence.
Licensee’s address:
160 Elgin Street
Floor 19
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 2C4
Email: bell.regulatory@bell.ca
Email to request electronic version of application: bell.regulatory@bell.ca
4. Shaw Satellite Services Inc.
Across Canada
Application 2018-0766-1
Application by Shaw Satellite Services Inc. to renew the broadcasting licence for its satellite relay distribution undertaking serving communities throughout Canada, expiring 31 August 2019.
The licensee proposes to maintain all of its current conditions of licence.
Licensee’s address:
630 3rd Avenue South-West
Calgary, Alberta
T2P 4L4
Email: dean.shaikh@sjrb.ca
Email to request electronic version of application: dean.shaikh@sjrb.ca
Procedure
Deadline for interventions, comments or answers
13 May 2019
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Rules of Practice and Procedure (the Rules of Procedure) apply to the present proceeding. The Rules of Procedure set out, among other things, the rules for content, format, filing and service of interventions, answers, replies and requests for information; the procedure for filing confidential information and requesting its disclosure; and the conduct of public hearings. Accordingly, the procedure set out below must be read in conjunction with the Rules of Procedure and related documents, which can be found on the Commission’s website under “Statutes and Regulations.” Guidelines on the CRTC Rules of Practice and Procedure, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2010-959, 23 December 2010, provides information to help interested persons and parties understand the Rules of Procedure so that they can more effectively participate in Commission proceedings.
An intervention or answer from a respondent must be received by the Commission and by the applicant on or before the above-mentioned date. An answer from a respondent must also be served on any other respondent.
Interventions and answers should clearly identify the application referred to and indicate whether parties support or oppose the application, or, if they propose changes to it, include the facts and grounds for their proposal.
The Commission encourages interested persons and parties to monitor the record of the proceeding, available on the Commission’s website, for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their submissions.
Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary. Each paragraph of all submissions should be numbered, and the line ***End of document*** should follow the last paragraph. This will help the Commission verify that the document has not been damaged during electronic transmission.
Pursuant to Filing submissions for Commission proceedings in accessible formats, Broadcasting and Telecom Information Bulletin CRTC 2015-242, 8 June 2015, the Commission expects incorporated entities and associations, and encourages all Canadians, to file submissions for Commission proceedings in accessible formats (for example, text-based file formats that allow text to be enlarged or modified, or read by screen readers). To provide assistance in this regard, the Commission has posted on its website guidelines for preparing documents in accessible formats.
Submissions must be filed by sending them to the Secretary General of the Commission using only one of the following means:
by completing the
[Intervention/comment/answer form]
or
by mail to
CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
or
by fax at
819-994-0218
A true copy of each intervention or answer from a respondent must be sent to the applicant and, in the case of a respondent to an application, to any other respondent.
Parties who send documents electronically must ensure that they will be able to prove, upon Commission request, that filing, or where required, service of a particular document was completed. Accordingly, parties must keep proof of the sending and receipt of each document for 180 days after the date on which the document is filed or served. The Commission advises parties who file or serve documents by electronic means to exercise caution when using email for the service of documents, as it may be difficult to establish that service has occurred.
In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, a document must be received by the Commission and all relevant parties by 5 p.m. Vancouver time (8 p.m. Ottawa time) on the date it is due. Parties are responsible for ensuring the timely delivery of their submissions and will not be notified if their submissions are received after the deadline. Late submissions, including those due to postal delays, will not be considered by the Commission and will not be made part of the public record.
The Commission will not formally acknowledge submissions. It will, however, fully consider all submissions, which will form part of the public record of the proceeding, provided that the procedure for filing set out above has been followed.
Important notice
All information that parties provide as part of this public process, except information designated confidential, whether sent by postal mail, fax, email or through the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website. This information includes personal information, such as full names, email addresses, postal/street addresses, telephone and fax numbers, etc.
The personal information that parties provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the Commission, or for a use consistent with that purpose.
Documents received electronically or otherwise will be put on the Commission’s website in their entirety exactly as received, including any personal information contained therein, in the official language and format in which they are received. Documents not received electronically will be available in PDF format.
The information that parties provide to the Commission as part of this public process is entered into an unsearchable database dedicated to this specific public process. This database is accessible only from the web page of this particular public process. As a result, a general search of the Commission’s website with the help of either its own search engine or a third-party search engine will not provide access to the information that was provided as part of this public process.
Availability of documents
Electronic versions of the applications are available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca by selecting the application number within this notice. They are also available from the applicants, either on their websites or upon request by contacting the applicants at their email addresses, provided above.
Electronic versions of the interventions and answers, as well as of other documents referred to in this notice, are available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca by visiting the “Have your say!” section, then selecting “our open processes.” Documents can then be accessed by clicking on the links in the “Subject” and “Related Documents” columns associated with this particular notice.
Documents are also available at the following address, upon request, during normal business hours.
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 4B1
Tel.: 819-997-2429
Fax: 819-994-0218
Toll-free telephone: 1-877-249-2782
Toll-free TTY: 1-877-909-2782
Secretary General
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