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The CRTC

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) evolved from a series of commissions, studies, hearings and legislation on the need to create an agency responsible for regulating broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

Today, we are an independent public authority in charge of regulating and supervising Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications. We serve the public interest and are governed by the Broadcasting Act of 1991 and the Telecommunications Act of 1993.

The primary objective of the Broadcasting Act is to ensure that all Canadians have access to a wide variety of high quality Canadian programming.

The main objective of the Telecommunications Act is to ensure that Canadians have access to reliable telephone and other telecommunications services at affordable prices.

Not only must we comply with these Acts, but we also report to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage and are subject to orders from Cabinet. In addition, we must take into account the wants and needs of Canadian citizens, industries, and various interest groups.

Generally, our role is to maintain a delicate balance-in the public interest-between the cultural, social and economic goals of the legislation on broadcasting and telecommunications.

Our mandate is to ensure that programming in the Canadian broadcasting system reflects Canadian creativity and talent, our linguistic duality, our multicultural diversity, the special place of aboriginal people within our society and our social values. At the same time, we must ensure that Canadians have access to reasonably priced, high-quality, varied and innovative communications services that are competitive nationally as well as internationally.

Activities

With these considerations in mind, we regulate over 3,300 broadcasters, including television, cable distribution, AM and FM radio, pay and specialty television, Direct-to-Home satellite systems, Multipoint Distribution Systems, Subscription Television and Pay Audio. We also regulate over 78 telecommunications carriers including major Canadian telephone companies.

To get input from the public and interested parties, we hold public hearings, round-table discussions and informal forums. In addition, in 2001 we processed 1,107 broadcasting and 1,128 telecommunications applications. We also issued 919 orders and approximately 750 decisions. We responded to 21,400 letters of requests and complaints, as well as to over 35,300 telephone calls.

We also strive to expand our international dialogue, to better study the scope of the alliances and companies that are formed around the world, and to better understand the pressures that these new arrangements bring to bear on the Canadian market. For instance, at the 28th annual meeting of the International Institute of Communications in 1997, we proposed and initiated the organization of regular meetings with our counterparts in other countries.

In recent years, international communication has become increasingly important with the realization of the effects of globalization and convergence. Given that the CRTC is one agency with the authority to regulate both broadcasting and telecommunications, we feel that we are particularly well equipped to face these new challenges. This puts us in a unique position that allows us to help other regulators in the international community to become more prepared themselves.

The CRTC has been actively participating in forums twice a year (a tradition that the CRTC called on the international community to begin in 1997) involving about 30 regulatory agencies and 25 countries around the world.

Structure

Parliament set out our present structure and powers in the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Act. This Act was amended by the Broadcasting Act of 1991.

Under the Act, the Cabinet may appoint up to 13 full-time and 6 part-time commissioners for renewable terms of up to 5 years.

Full-time positions include that of the chairperson, the vice-chairperson of broadcasting, and the vice-chairperson of telecommunications.

Only full-time commissioners are involved in the decision-making process for telecommunications, but all commissioners participate in broadcasting decisions.

400 employees specializing in broadcasting and telecommunications also contribute their talents and services to respond to our immediate and long-term responsibilities concerning legislation, the Canadian public, government and industry.

TEL. (toll-free): 1-877-249-CRTC (2782)
TDD (toll-free): 1-877-909-2782
Internet address: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
Complaints and Inquiries