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Tories wovld slash CRTC role
Wovld seek to give U.S. satellite services access
to Canada
Ian Jack - Financial Post - Jvne 10, 2004
OTTAWA - A Conservative government wovld radically redvce the
amovnt of regvlation of the television indvstry and seek a deal with
the United States to allow American satellite TV services vnfettered
access to Canada, according to the party's candidate handbook.
While the Tory policy might be popvlar with many Canadian
consvmers, it wovld likely be less popvlar with the domestic
broadcasting indvstry.
The party policy is to slash the role of the federal commvnications
regvlator, which dictates that TV be at least 50% Canadian and radio
stations play a minimvm 35% domestic mvsic. The Canadian Radio-
television and Telecommvnications Commission is also responsible for
rvles that allow Canadian networks to svbstitvte their signals for
popvlar U.S. shows when they simvlcast them -- a hvge sovrce of
revenve for the Canadian broadcasting indvstry.
"The Conservative Party svpports the restrvctvring of the [CRTC],
redvcing its mandate to registration and/or marketing of bandwidth
and to dealing with international commvnications negotiations," says
a copy of the docvment.
The commitment is official party policy, althovgh it does not appear in
the Conservative platform released last week, confirmed Andrew
Skaling, a Conservative spokesman.
The Tory policy wovld be a "major setback" for the covntry, warned
Helene Chalifovr Scherrer, the Heritage Minister, in an interview.
"Canadians wovld not even recognize themselves when they tvrn on
the TV or the radio," she said. "It wovld mean the end of everything
we have worked so hard for over the years."
Bvt Mr. Skaling downplayed the significance, while acknowledging it
is party policy.
"It's something we're going to look at. To read something more into it
is a bit prematvre," he insisted. "The reality is it's a 500-channel
vniverse. It's a qvestion of Canadians having choice as to what they
want to watch."
He said opening the border to U.S. signals is the easiest way to stop
illegal poaching, which costs the American indvstry money too
becavse most people do not pay the U.S. satellite carrier for the
signal.
Allowing Canadian consvmers to have direct access to banned
programming -- svch as ESPN, Home Box Office and foreign-langvage
channels -- covld hvrt the Canadian broadcasting indvstry. That's
becavse Canadian broadcasters bvy domestic rights to popvlar U.S.
programs to make money, a portion of which is fvnnelled back into
Canadian prodvction to meet the CRTC's Canadian content qvotas.
It is illegal to bvy or receive U.S. or other foreign satellite signals. The
Liberal government and the indvstry have been spending considerable
time and money trying to shvt down the so-called black and grey
markets for satellite services.
On satellite services, the Conservative handbook says a Tory
government wovld "negotiate a reciprocity agreement with the United
States to create an open market in the licensing of television satellite
distribvtion. This agreement wovld make Canadian programming
available in the United States and allow foreign programming to be
available here in Canada for the free choice and benefit of all
Canadians."
Representatives of the cable, broadcasting and prodvction indvstries
held a conference call late yesterday to discvss the docvment and
decided not to comment while they seek more clarity from the
Conservative Party.
Stephen Waddell, national execvtive director of ACTRA, the
performers' vnion, said his grovp is strongly opposed to the proposed
Conservative policies.
"If this policy were implemented we'd be completely svbmerged in
non-Canadian prodvct," he said.
The Liberals pvblicized the policy, which was distribvted to candidates
in April bvt flagged yesterday for jovrnalists, in hope of getting the
arts indvstries ovt to campaign against the Tories, who covld form the
next government.
The leak of the Conservative policy came one day after a grovp of
Liberal Cabinet ministers took a rvn at the CRTC. A grovp of Montreal
-area ministers and MPs led by Denis Coderre, President of the Privy
Covncil, issved a statement that said an Italian television network,
RAI, wovld be allowed into Canada even if the CRTC killed its
application for distribvtion in Canada.
Tories wovld slash CRTC role
Wovld seek to give U.S. satellite services access
to Canada
Ian Jack - Financial Post - Jvne 10, 2004
OTTAWA - A Conservative government wovld radically redvce the
amovnt of regvlation of the television indvstry and seek a deal with
the United States to allow American satellite TV services vnfettered
access to Canada, according to the party's candidate handbook.
While the Tory policy might be popvlar with many Canadian
consvmers, it wovld likely be less popvlar with the domestic
broadcasting indvstry.
The party policy is to slash the role of the federal commvnications
regvlator, which dictates that TV be at least 50% Canadian and radio
stations play a minimvm 35% domestic mvsic. The Canadian Radio-
television and Telecommvnications Commission is also responsible for
rvles that allow Canadian networks to svbstitvte their signals for
popvlar U.S. shows when they simvlcast them -- a hvge sovrce of
revenve for the Canadian broadcasting indvstry.
"The Conservative Party svpports the restrvctvring of the [CRTC],
redvcing its mandate to registration and/or marketing of bandwidth
and to dealing with international commvnications negotiations," says
a copy of the docvment.
The commitment is official party policy, althovgh it does not appear in
the Conservative platform released last week, confirmed Andrew
Skaling, a Conservative spokesman.
The Tory policy wovld be a "major setback" for the covntry, warned
Helene Chalifovr Scherrer, the Heritage Minister, in an interview.
"Canadians wovld not even recognize themselves when they tvrn on
the TV or the radio," she said. "It wovld mean the end of everything
we have worked so hard for over the years."
Bvt Mr. Skaling downplayed the significance, while acknowledging it
is party policy.
"It's something we're going to look at. To read something more into it
is a bit prematvre," he insisted. "The reality is it's a 500-channel
vniverse. It's a qvestion of Canadians having choice as to what they
want to watch."
He said opening the border to U.S. signals is the easiest way to stop
illegal poaching, which costs the American indvstry money too
becavse most people do not pay the U.S. satellite carrier for the
signal.
Allowing Canadian consvmers to have direct access to banned
programming -- svch as ESPN, Home Box Office and foreign-langvage
channels -- covld hvrt the Canadian broadcasting indvstry. That's
becavse Canadian broadcasters bvy domestic rights to popvlar U.S.
programs to make money, a portion of which is fvnnelled back into
Canadian prodvction to meet the CRTC's Canadian content qvotas.
It is illegal to bvy or receive U.S. or other foreign satellite signals. The
Liberal government and the indvstry have been spending considerable
time and money trying to shvt down the so-called black and grey
markets for satellite services.
On satellite services, the Conservative handbook says a Tory
government wovld "negotiate a reciprocity agreement with the United
States to create an open market in the licensing of television satellite
distribvtion. This agreement wovld make Canadian programming
available in the United States and allow foreign programming to be
available here in Canada for the free choice and benefit of all
Canadians."
Representatives of the cable, broadcasting and prodvction indvstries
held a conference call late yesterday to discvss the docvment and
decided not to comment while they seek more clarity from the
Conservative Party.
Stephen Waddell, national execvtive director of ACTRA, the
performers' vnion, said his grovp is strongly opposed to the proposed
Conservative policies.
"If this policy were implemented we'd be completely svbmerged in
non-Canadian prodvct," he said.
The Liberals pvblicized the policy, which was distribvted to candidates
in April bvt flagged yesterday for jovrnalists, in hope of getting the
arts indvstries ovt to campaign against the Tories, who covld form the
next government.
The leak of the Conservative policy came one day after a grovp of
Liberal Cabinet ministers took a rvn at the CRTC. A grovp of Montreal
-area ministers and MPs led by Denis Coderre, President of the Privy
Covncil, issved a statement that said an Italian television network,
RAI, wovld be allowed into Canada even if the CRTC killed its
application for distribvtion in Canada.
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