ARCHIVED -  Decision CRTC 98-370

Decision

Ottawa, 27 August 1998

Decision CRTC 98-370

Cogeco Cable Systems Inc. (formerly Rogers Ottawa Limited/Limitée)

Alexandria; Alfred/Plantagenet; Bourget and Clarence Creek; Chalk River; Lancaster; Limoges; Maxville; Pakenham; and St. Isidore de Prescott, Ontario - 199709771 - 199709789 - 199709797- 199709805 - 199709812 - 199709820 - 199709838 - 199709854 - 199709846

Licence renewals

1. Following Public Notice CRTC 1998-39 dated 22 April 1998, the Commission renews the Class 3 licences held by Cogeco Cable Systems Inc. (formerly Rogers Ottawa Limited/Limitée), for the cable distribution undertakings serving the above-noted localities, from 1 September 1998 to 31 August 2005.

2. The operation of these undertakings is regulated pursuant to Parts 1 and 3 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations (the regulations). The licences will be subject to the conditions in effect under the current licences as well as to those conditions specified in this decision and in the licences to be issued.

3. 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.

4. Consistent with Decision CRTC 95-438 dated 13 July 1995, the licensee is authorized, by condition of licence, to insert, at its option, certain promotional material as a substitute for the "local availabilities" (i.e. non-Canadian advertising material) of non-Canadian satellite services. At least 75% of these local availabilities must be made available for use by licensed Canadian programming services for the promotion of their respective services, for the promotion of the community channel and for unpaid Canadian public service announcements. A maximum of 25% of the local availabilities may be made available for the promotion of discretionary programming services and packages, customer service information, channel realignments, cable FM service and additional cable outlets.

5. It is a condition of each 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.

6. The Commission notes that this licensee is subject to the Employment Equity Act that came into effect on 24 October 1996 (1996 EEA), and therefore files reports concerning employment equity with Human Resources Development Canada. As a result of a consequential amendment to the Broadcasting Act, the Commission no longer has the authority to apply its employment equity policy to any undertaking that is subject to the 1996 EEA.

7. Radio Nord inc., licensee of CFGS-TV (TQS) Hull, filed an intervention pointing out that Cogeco Cable Systems Inc. does not distribute CFGS-TV at Alfred/ Plantagenet, Bourget and Clarence Creek, Limoges, Maxville and St. Isidore de Prescott. In its reply to the intervention, the licensee indicated that CFGS-TV is not a priority signal for these undertakings, as defined in the regulations. The Commission notes that, consequently, the licensee is not required to distribute that signal.

This decision is to be appended to each licence.

Laura M. Talbot-Allan
Secretary General

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