News release

November 19^th, 2002

THE CRTC RENEWS CABLE PUBLIC AFFAIRS
CHANNEL (CPAC) LICENCE

OTTAWA-GATINEAU - The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) today renews CPAC's licence for a 7-year term. CPAC is a not-for-profit company. It operates a public affairs programming service that is offered as a "wrap around" to the exempt programming service it also operates, consisting of the televised debates of the House of Commons and its committees.

The CRTC considers that CPAC's licensed service provides an important window on Canadian civic life, and contributes to the fulfilment of the objectives of the Broadcasting Act. Accordingly, the CRTC today also approves the mandatory distribution of CPAC's licensed programming as part of the basic service of most cable and other distributors.

Highlights

The Commission has also accepted a number of new programming proposals put forward by CPAC and has set out some conditions of licence for the purpose of ensuring CPAC's accessibility to the majority of Canadian cable and satellite subscribers, as well as to enhance the quality and diversity of programming content available:

Distribution and fees

• With the exception of the smallest analog cable distributors, Canadian broadcast distributors will have to distribute CPAC in both official languages throughout Canada.
• To ensure that its services are maintained and its programming is improved, CPAC will receive $0.10 per month, per subscriber for the distribution of the licensed and exempt services, together, in both French and English. This amount will increase to $0.11 in the third year. Of these amounts, subscribers will pay $0.07 for the first two years and $0.08 starting the third year. Distributors will pay the difference of $0.03 to fund CPAC's coverage of the proceedings of Parliament.

Programming

• CPAC will continue to focus on political conventions, conferences, public speeches and other similar public events.
• CPAC will add some feature-length documentaries and informal education programs to its programming.
• The amount of original French-language programming will be increased and all programming will be provided with simultaneous translation.
• A minimum of 90% of CPAC's day and evening programming will continue to be Canadian.
• To reflect all regions of the country, CPAC will broadcast events from every province and territory of Canada.
• CPAC will increase the amount of programming that is provided with closed captioning in both English and French.

The Commission is convinced that these measures will ensure that CPAC's services will meet the needs of Canadians.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is an independent public authority that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

Reference document: Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2002-377

- 30 -

Media Inquiries:
  Denis Carmel, Tel: (819) 997-9403, eMail: denis.carmel@crtc.gc.ca

General Inquiries:
   Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
   Tel: (819) 997-0313, TDD: (819) 994-0423, Fax: (819) 994-0218
   Toll-free # 1-877-249-CRTC (2782), eMail: info@crtc.gc.ca
   TDD - Toll-free # 1-877-909-2782

Copies of today's documents are available through our Internet site (http://www.crtc.gc.ca) or by contacting the public examination room of any CRTC office. These documents are available in alternative format upon request.

Date Modified: 2002-11-19

Comments about our site

Today's Releases | File, Register and Epass | Decisions, Notices & Orders | Home | CISC | Industries at a Glance | Reference Centre | Canadian Content | Public Proceedings| Statutes & Regulations