ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 97-208

Decision

Ottawa, 22 May 1997

Decision CRTC 97-208

Filion Câble-Vision inc.

Lac-Carré, Saint-Faustin, Domaine Lauzon and Lac-Supérieur, Quebec - 199609715

Licence renewal

1. Following Public Notice CRTC 1996-154 dated 13 December 1996, the Commission renews the broadcasting licence held by Filion Câble-Vision inc., for the cable distribution undertaking serving the communities noted above, from 1 September 1997 to 31 August 2004.

2. The operation of this undertaking is regulated pursuant to Parts I, III and IV of the Cable Televison Regulations, 1986 (the regulations) and the licence will be subject to the conditions in effect under the current licence as well as to those conditions specified in this decision and in the licence to be issued.

3. As a consequence of amendments to the regulations announced in Public Notice CRTC 1994-7 dated 3 February 1994, the licensee's proposal to continue to distribute CHLT-TV (TVA) Sherbrooke is consistent with the amended regulations and no longer requires authorization.

4. The Commission approves the licensee's request with respect to section 22 of the regulations. Accordingly, the licensee is relieved, by condition of licence, of the requirement of paragraph 22(1)(a) of the regulations to distribute the priority local service of CBFT-1 (SRC) Mont-Tremblant. The licensee will distribute instead the signal of the CBC French-language television service, received via satellite, which distributes identical programming.

5. The licensee has requested authority to distribute, as part of the undertaking's basic service, TVOntario's programming service, received via satellite. The Commission denies the licensee's application, in view of the opposing intervention filed by TVOntario. Pursuant to the regulations and as set out in the List of Part III Eligible Canadian Satellite Services (Appendix to Public Notice CRTC 1997-19 dated 21 February 1997), authorization for the distribution of out-of-province educational services not receivable over the air is subject to the requirement that there be no objection on the part of the originating service. The Commission notes that, in response to the intervention by TVOntario, the licensee indicated that it had ceased to distribute the English- and French-language services of TVOntario.

6. It is a condition of licence that, for community programming and any other programming of a service that it originates, the licensee adhere to the guidelines on the depiction of violence in television programming set out in the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' "Voluntary Code Regarding Violence in Television Programming", as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission.

7. In Public Notice CRTC 1992-59 dated 1 September 1992 and entitled "Implementation of an Employment Equity Policy", the Commission announced that the employment equity practices of broadcasters would be subject to examination by the Commission. In this regard, the Commission encourages the licensee to consider employment equity issues in its hiring practices and in all other aspects of its management of human resources.

8. The Commission received an opposing intervention from Mr. Gérard Ouellet, complaining of the licensee's inability to offer service to the Lac Supérieur region of the authorized service area and of the high installation fees that the licensee would charge to provide service to the intervener, in view of the great distance to the intervener's residence. The Commission expects the licensee to survey residents of the Lac Supérieur area to determine their interest in receiving cable service and to report to the Commission on the results of this survey within three months of the date of this decision.

This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Allan J. Darling
Secretary General

This document is available in alternative format upon request

DEC97-208_0