Speech
Notes for an address
by Marc O'Sullivan
Executive Director, Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission
to the Standing Committee on Official Languages
Ottawa, Ontario
April 28th, 2004
(CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY)
Introduction
Thank you and good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and committee members.
My name is Marc O'Sullivan and I am the Executive Director of
Broadcasting at the CRTC.
With me today from the CRTC is Jacques Langlois, Director-General,
Broadcasting Policy.
Today, I will quickly outline the actions taken by the CRTC in light of
both your Committee’s report Role and responsibilities of the CRTC in
developments in the area of official languages in Canada, published in
February 2003, and of The Government Response to the Report of the
Standing Committee on Official Languages of August 20, 2003.
Recommendation 1
The Committee recommended that the Commission develop a concept of
bilingual market.
In its response, the Government was of the view that while the
Committee's recommendation had merit, the Commission's existing policies
aimed at providing a wider distribution of minority-language specialty
services, already in place, would seem to not only achieve the Committee's
objectives, but surpass them. The Commission’s policies in this area ensure
that all Canadians regardless of where they live, will receive services in
the official language of the minority as cable companies upgrade their
systems. This has already resulted in an increase in the numbers of services
in both official languages offered to all Canadians.
Recommendation 2
The Committee urged the CRTC to require direct broadcast satellite (DBS)
service providers to carry the signals of the regional television stations
of the CBC/SRC.
In our decisions renewing the licences of Bell ExpressVu and Star Choice
published March 31, 2004, the Commission determined that the licensees will
be required, as a condition of licence, to distribute a minimum of five CBC
English-language television stations and a minimum of five CBC
French-language televisions stations. These will include at least one
English-language and one French-language station from each time zone.
Furthermore, the licensee will be required to distribute at least the same
number of CBC English-language television stations as English-language
conventional television stations from any other broadcasting group. This
also applies for the CBC French-language owned-and-operated television
stations.
Recommendation 3
The Committee recommended that the Government of Canada add the CRTC to
the list of designated federal institutions in its accountability framework,
adopted in August 1994, in order to ensure the implementation of sections 41
and 42 of Part VII of the Official Languages Act.
The Commission was added to the list of designated federal agencies and
institutions on August 22, 2003. Accordingly, the CRTC consulted the various
interested stakeholders and developed an action plan for the implementation
of section 41. This action plan will be made public shortly.
Recommendation 4
The Committee recommended that the Governor in Council, by order, direct
the CRTC to make it mandatory for all broadcasting distribution undertakings
(BDUs), without exception, to distribute to all their subscribers the video
and audio signals of the debates of Parliament, via CPAC, in both official
languages.
The Government, in its response, indicated that it would issue a
directive to the CRTC to require Class 1 and Class 2 cable systems to
distribute CPAC on two separate video channels, one for each official
language. As the Minister of Canadian Heritage indicated in her testimony to
this Committee on March 30, 2004, the Commission is presently being
consulted on this issue. We will be responding to Government in the days to
come.
Recommendation 5
The Committee recommended that the CPAC signal be distributed as part of
the basic cable service protected from displacement by closed circuit video
programming, and that the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations be
amended in this regard if necessary.
As indicated by the Government’s response, the Commission requested that
all licensees and exempt distribution systems notify their hotel and motel
customers of the changes to the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations
which took effect September 1, 2002, and the requirement that they must now
distribute CPAC in both official languages.
I would like to take a few minutes now to outline the present requirement
regarding the distribution of the CPAC service as specified in Broadcasting
Decision CRTC
2002-377
and Public Notice CRTC
2001-115
as I understand that this has been discussed at a recent Committee hearing.
The Commission requires all Canadian broadcast distributors, with the
exception of the smallest analogue cable distributors, to distribute CPAC in
both official languages throughout Canada.
This means that satellite distributors must distribute CPAC in both
official languages.
In addition, all distributors, cable or others with more than 2,000
subscribers must make a second audio feed of CPAC available in the official
language of the minority in their market, using second audio programming or
SAP technology.
All distributors with more than 2,000 subscribers using digital
technology with a capacity of 750 megahertz or more, are also required to
make available a separate video channel of CPAC in the official language of
the minority in their market on either a digital or an analogue basis.
And all smaller distributors with less than 2,000 subscribers using
digital technology, with 550 megahertz or more, are required to provide CPAC
in both official languages. However, these undertakings are granted
flexibility with respect to the technical means, either analogue or digital,
by which they distribute CPAC in both official languages.
Any smaller distributor with less than 2,000 subscribers, whose system is
fully interconnected, must distribute CPAC with the same distribution status
in both official languages as the system to which they're interconnected.
That means that unless a smaller system that is connected to a major system
can show the Commission that it does not have sufficient channel capacity,
it must provide the same level of service to its subscribers, with respect
to providing CPAC in both official languages as the larger system.
CPAC also has made a commitment to assist smaller distributors with the
purchase of technical equipment that allows for the distribution of a second
audio, or SAP, channel to subscribers. CPAC is also committed to developing
and funding a marketing campaign to increase subscribers' awareness of the
CPAC programming option.
Conclusion
Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to convey our remarks.
We would be pleased to answer your questions.
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This document is available in alternative format upon request.
Date Modified: 2004-04-28 |
