Industry Canada Announces New Radio Broadcasting Capacity in the Greater Toronto Area

TORONTO, Ontario, July 20, 2001 — Industry Canada today announced that additional radio broadcasting capacity will be made available in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

In January 2001, the Canadian Radio and Television Commission (CRTC) issued a report recommending that Industry Canada examine ways to make additional radio frequencies available in the GTA. Industry Canada has evaluated the radio broadcasting capacity in the region and determined that there are seven channels available to accommodate new AM radio services, 10 program channels for new digital radio services, and two frequencies available for small FM stations.

Industry Canada is continuing to look at ways of finding additional broadcasting space by relaxing technical rules, examining Subsidiary Communications Multiplex Operation (SCMO) sub-carriers, and by monitoring international spectrum allocation. For instance, additional FM radio capacity may be found by relaxing existing technical rules. Industry Canada is currently testing radio receivers to ensure interference-free reception of existing and new FM radio stations. When testing concludes at the end of 2001, Industry Canada will analyse the results and, if appropriate, propose new technical rules.

In addition, SCMO sub-carriers of FM stations in the GTA may be used to provide broadcasting services. There are currently a number of FM stations in the GTA that use SCMO programming to serve ethnic communities. At least seven of 24 FM stations in the GTA have spare SCMO capacity that can be used for additional stations. A special SCMO receiver must be used to listen to SCMO programming.

Industry Canada will also continue to participate and monitor international spectrum allocation activities within the context of World Radio Conferences for additional spectrum allocation to the radio broadcasting service.

Industry Canada reports on the AM/FM/digital radio broadcasting capacity and on the channels that are available in the GTA can be obtained at http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/home.

For more information, please contact:

Heidi Bonnell
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001

Jack Dadourian
Manager, Broadcast and Multimedia-Terrestria
Spectrum Engineering
Industry Canada
(613) 990-4953