ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 98-351

Decision

Ottawa, 20 August 1998

Decision CRTC 98-351

Regional Cablesystems Inc.

Ripon, Quebec - 199704052

Licence renewal

1. Following Public Notice CRTC 1998-39 dated 22 April 1998, the Commission renews the Class 3 licence held by Regional Cablesystems Inc., for the cable distribution undertaking serving the above-noted locality, from 1 September 1998 to 31 August 2005.

2. The operation of this undertaking is regulated pursuant to Parts 1 and 3 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations (the regulations). 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. In its renewal application, the licensee has asked to be relieved, by condition of licence, from the requirement of section 32(1)(b) of the regulations to distribute the signals of CFGS-TV (TQS) and CIVO-TV (STQ) Hull. The licensee proposed to distribute instead, CFJP-TV (TQS) and CIVM-TV (STQ) Montréal, received via satellite.

4. The Department of Industry has carried out technical studies of the quality of these signals and has determined that the reception quality of CFGS-TV's signal is not acceptable, while that of CIVO-TV is acceptable. In response to the Department of Industry report, the licensee indicated that it would carry CIVO-TV on channel 9 as part of the basic service at Ripon, but would not carry CFGS-TV, due to the signal's poor reception quality.

5. Radio Nord inc., licensee of CFGS-TV (TQS) Hull, filed an intervention pointing out that Regional Cablesystems Inc. deletes this station's signal at Ripon. In its reply, the licensee indicated that CFGS-TV is not a priority signal for this undertaking. The Commission notes that an in-depth study of the station's official contour has confirmed that CFGS-TV is not a priority signal for the Ripon undertaking, as defined in the regulations. The Commission notes that, consequently, the licensee is not required to distribute CFGS-TV and that no further action is required on the above-noted request for exemption with regard to this signal.

6. The licensee may receive any authorized signals over the air, or from any licensed or exempted Canadian broadcasting distribution undertaking authorized to provide signals to other broadcasting distribution undertakings.

7. 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.

8. 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. The Commission notes that the licensee did not indicate in its application that it has put in place any measures in this regard. The Commission considers that the licensee should increase its efforts in this area.

9. The Department of Industry has advised the Commission that it is prepared to renew the Broadcasting Certificate for a period of two years only, expiring 31 August 2000. With respect to the operation of this undertaking beyond this period, the Commission draws the licensee's attention to subsection 22(1) of the Broadcasting Act pertaining to the technical certification of broadcasting undertakings and to subsection 22(4) which provides that any broadcasting licence issued, amended or renewed in contravention of section 22 is of no force or effect.

This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General

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