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Speech
Notes for an address
by Scott Hutton
Associate Executive Director, Broadcasting
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
to the Standing Committee on National Security
and Defence of the Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
February 4, 2008
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Honourable Senators. It is a pleasure to be here today. My name is Scott Hutton, and I am the Associate Executive Director of Broadcasting at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Public safety is an issue the Commission feels very strongly about, and we appreciate the interest you have expressed to learn more about our activities in this area. I will focus my comments on the major developments that have occurred since the publication of your report, National Emergencies: Canada's Fragile Front Lines.
Emergency alert system
The broadcasting system can be a valuable asset in the event of an emergency situation. Through it, information and messages can be relayed quickly and efficiently to Canadians across the country, or targeted to specific regional or local areas.
However, a national emergency alert system is necessary if we want to take full advantage of the broadcasting system's capabilities and resources. These include radio, television, broadcast distribution and possibly other elements such as satellite radio.
In February 2007, the Commission challenged emergency management officials, broadcasters and companies that distribute broadcasting services, such as cable or satellite companies, to work together on a voluntary basis to build and operate an emergency alert system.
In issuing this challenge, we gave the industry two years – or until March 1, 2009 – to come up with a workable system.
Following this decision, we acted quickly to remove a major regulatory barrier that would have interfered with the implementation of an emergency alert system. This was done by amending our Broadcasting Distribution Regulations to allow companies that distribute broadcasting services to insert warnings into a program without having to first obtain the network's consent.
We hope that a spirit of cooperation will prevail in the industry and our deadline will be met. However, we will not hesitate to act if, by March 1, 2009, broadcasters and companies that distribute broadcasting services have not come together to build and operate a national emergency alert system. The Commission has the necessary powers to designate a single entity to serve as the system's aggregator and to ensure the system is funded by the industry.
Let me repeat on behalf of the CRTC: if a national emergency alert system has not been implemented on a voluntary basis by March 1, 2009, the Commission will use its powers to designate a single entity to operate the system and to ensure it is properly funded.
This project is of the utmost importance to the safety and security of all Canadians, and we will do everything within our power to ensure the successful implementation of a reliable system.
Community notification services
In the absence of a national emergency alert system, some Canadian municipalities have established telephone-based notification services to warn the public of an imminent danger or to communicate with the public during an emergency situation.
Depending on the severity of the situation, the ability to obtain the most accurate and up-to-date information can make the difference between life and death. The Commission therefore issued a decision, also in February 2007, allowing municipalities to use the telephone numbers and addresses in 911 databases for this purpose.
A working group consisting of municipalities, telephone companies, government representatives and other interested parties has been meeting to establish common privacy standards and to resolve technical issues.
All the major municipalities in Canada are represented on the working group, along with a number of smaller municipalities. They have shown their strong support for this initiative, which will make their notification services more effective.
The CRTC directed the working group to submit a report outlining its recommendations on these and other related issues by February 28, 2008. We expect the members will come to a consensus on most issues, but we are ready to step in and make a determination on any issue where a consensus was not reached.
Conclusion
The Commission firmly believes that a national emergency alert system and improved community notification services will significantly enhance public safety. Much work still remains to be done. We are closely monitoring progress on these initiatives, and we are ready to act should we see a need.
I trust my comments have been useful. I would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.
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Date Modified: 2008-02-04
