ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 98-362

Decision

Ottawa, 27 August 1998

Decision CRTC 98-362

Regional Cablesystems Inc.

Saint-Charles-de-Mandeville, Quebec - 199704078

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. Consistent with Decision CRTC 98-22 dated 30 January 1998, the licensee is relieved, by condition of licence, from the requirement of section 32(1)(b) of the regulations to distribute the priority regional signal of CIVC-TV (STQ) Trois-Rivières. The licensee will continue to distribute instead, CIVM-TV (STQ) Montréal, as part of the basic service. The Commission notes that CIVC-TV currently rebroadcasts, in its entirety, the programming of CIVM-TV. Should CIVC-TV begin offering local programming, the licensee will be required to distribute this service as part of the basic service of its undertaking or to apply to the Commission for a further exemption.

4. The licensee is authorized to continue to distribute, at its option, CKTM-TV (SRC) Trois-Rivières, WVNY (ABC) Burlington, Vermont, as well as WCFE-TV (PBS) and WPTZ (NBC) Plattsburgh, New York, as part of the basic service.

5. 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. The Commission notes that the licensee receives the above-noted signals via optical fibre from Saint-Félix-de-Valois.

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. 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.

8. In accordance with subsection 22(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), this renewal is subject to the issuance of a Broadcasting Certificate by the Department of Industry.

9. The Commission draws the licensee's attention to subsection 22(4) of the Act which provides that any broadcasting licence issued, amended or renewed in contravention of section 22 of the Act 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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