ARCHIVED - Broadcasting - Commission Letter to Mr. Felicia Olarewaju
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LetterOttawa, 19 February 2003
Mr. Felicia Olarewaju
Dear Mr. Olarewaju: In January 2000, the Commission set out its new licensing framework for pay and specialty services, which was designed to provide a bridge between the traditional analog licensing regime and a more open-entry, market-driven regime in the digital domain. In creating a transitional regime, the Commission decided to license two types of services for distribution on a digital-only basis - Category 1 services, which would be a limited number of services licensed under essentially the same framework applied to analog services, and Category 2 services, which would be licensed on a more open-entry basis. Thus, Category 1 services were required to demonstrate that they could make a strong contribution to the development, diversity and distribution of Canadian programming, and that they were the most attractive services for guaranteed digital distribution. The Commission decided to licence all Category 2 services that meet basic licensing criteria and are not competitive with analog or Category 1 services. These services have no guarantee of distribution. In August 2000, the Commission considered over 80 Category 1 applications in a highly competitive licensing hearing. During that hearing process, the Commission examined each application against a number of criteria, comparing the contributions proposed by the various applicants. In November of the same year, the Commission approved 21 new Category 1 services and endorsed a common launch of these services in September 2001. At the same time, the Commission also approved over 250 new Category 2 services. In the fall of 2001, over 50 of the new digital channels launched on cable and satellite systems across Canada. One year later, the viability of these services is still not entirely sure. In this context, the Commission has determined that it would be premature to consider new applications for Category 1 services. Further, at this point, the Commission does not contemplate licensing additional Category 1 services. As a result, your Category 1 application is being returned to you. Yours sincerely,
Diane Rhéaume Encl. Date Modified: 2003-02-19 |
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