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Decision
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Ottawa, 19 September 1989
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Decision CRTC 89-719
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Télécâble Laurentien Inc.
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Hull, Aylmer, Gatineau, Buckingham, Masson and Angers, Quebec; and Rockland, Ontario - 891161200 - 891160400 - 891163800
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In Public Notice CRTC 1989-85 dated 21 July 1989, the Commission announced that it had received applications from Télécâble Laurentien Inc. to amend the licences for the broadcasting receiving undertakings serving the communities noted above by adding a condition of licence relieving it of the requirement of subsection 10(2) of the Cable Television Regulations, 1986 (the regulations) relating to distribution and linkage in respect of its proposed carriage of The Sports Network (TSN) (Public Notices CRTC 1987-261 dated 30 November 1987 and CRTC 1988-57 dated 13 April 1988). Subsection 10(2) of the regulations requires that each cable television licensee serving a francophone market which chooses to distribute the specialty programming service of TSN do so only on a discretionary basis.
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The Commission notes that, as a Class 1 licensee operating in a francophone market and choosing to distribute any of the French-language specialty services, Télécâble Laurentien Inc. must distribute the complete package ofFrench-language specialty services, including Le Réseau des Sports (RDS) (also known as the "take one, take all" rule). The licensee has indicated that it proposes to combine the charges for TSN and RDS.
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The Commission has reviewed Télécâble Laurentien Inc.'s submission and has taken into account the special circumstances of the communities involved, particularly the bilingual composition of the subscriber base, as previously noted in Decision CRTC 87-151, dated 2 March 1987. In light of all of the foregoing, as well as the fact that no opposing interventions were received, the Commission is satisfied that the programming choices for subscribers to the Télécâble Laurentien Inc. systems serving the communities noted above will improve with the addition of TSN and it therefore approves the applications.
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Accordingly, it is a condition of licence that the licensee be relieved of the requirement that it distribute TSN as a discretionary service, so long as it distributes the French-language specialty service RDS. TSN may therefore be distributed as part of the basic service of its cable systems.
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In related decisions released today (Decisions CRTC 89-717 and 89-718), the Commission has approved applications by TSN and RDS to amend conditions of licence regulating their wholesale rates by charging Télécâble Laurentien Inc. a joint rate of $1.30 until 31 August 1990, of $1.40 from 1 September 1990 to 30 August 1991 and $1.50 from 1 September 1991 to 31 August 1992.
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Fernand Bélisle
Secretary General
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