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Ottawa, 7 October 1994
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Public Notice CRTC 1994-125
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CALL FOR COMMENTS ON A REQUEST TO DELETE THE U.S. SERVICE "THE WEATHER CHANNEL" FROM THE LISTS OF ELIGIBLE SATELLITE SERVICES
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Subject to certain requirements, cable licensees are authorized by the Commission to distribute those foreign satellite services set out in the lists of eligible satellite services. Under the Commission's longstanding policy, foreign services that compete in whole or in part with Canadian specialty services may be removed from the lists if deemed appropriate by the Commission.
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Licensees holding a Class 1 licence, and those holding a Class 2 licence for an undertaking that has between 2,000 and 6,000 subscribers, may distribute any services included on the list of "Part II Eligible Satellite Services" (Part II list), subject to the distribution and linkage requirements set out in Public Notice CRTC 1994-60 dated 6 June 1994. In essence, this public notice stipulates that the services listed in Section "A" may be packaged with a Canadian pay or specialty television service, while the services found in Section "B" may only be packaged with a Canadian pay television service.
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Part III licensees, and licensees holding a Class 2 licence for an undertaking that has fewer than 2,000 subscribers, may distribute services included on the lists of "Part III Eligible Canadian Satellite Services" (Part III Canadian list), and "Part III Eligible non-Canadian Satellite Services" (Part III non-Canadian list). Distribution of these services by such licensees is not subject to distribution or linkage requirements.
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"The Weather Channel" is a 24-hour, non-Canadian satellite service providing information on the weather. It has been authorized for distribution in Canada since the Commission's introduction of the lists of eligible satellite services in April 1984.
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The Commission has received a request from the licensee of the Canadian specialty television service known as "MétéoMédia/Weather Now" that the lists of eligible satellite services be amended by removing The Weather Channel from both the Part II list and the Part III non-Canadian list. The licensee claims that this non-Canadian service provides programming that is competitive to its service.
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The Commission considers it appropriate to provide an opportunity for public comment on the proposed amendment in order to ensure that all relevant information is available to it prior to making a decision. Accordingly, the Commission invites comments on the proposed deletion of The Weather Channel from the lists of eligible satellite services.
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Comments
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Comments should be addressed to Allan J. Darling, Secretary General, CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A ON2 and should be received no later than Monday, 7 November 1994. While receipt of submissions will not be acknowledged, they will be considered by the Commission and will form part of the public record of the proceeding.
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Allan J. Darling
Secretary General
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