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Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2005-23
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Ottawa, 18 March 2005
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Call for comments on a proposal to add Bridges TV to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis
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Background
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1.
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The Commission has received a request from Câble VDN Inc. (Câble VDN), acting as a Canadian sponsor, to add Bridges TV, a non-Canadian satellite service, to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis (the digital lists).
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2.
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Câble VDN described Bridges TV as follows:
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Bridges TV is a U.S.-based English-language cultural, lifestyle, and entertainment programming service that is targeted to the interests of people of Muslim heritage. The programming on Bridges TV is 90% in English with a small amount of programming translated from languages other than English by way of open-captioning.
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3.
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The Commission's approach to requests for the addition of non-Canadian English- and French-language services to the digital lists was set out initially in Call for proposals to amend the lists of eligible satellite services through the inclusion of additional non-Canadian services eligible for distribution on a digital basis only, Public Notice CRTC 2000-173, 14 December 2000 (Public Notice 2000-173). In Public Notice 2000-173, the Commission indicated that it would assess such requests in the context of its general policy which, among other things, precludes the addition of a new non-Canadian satellite service that can be considered either totally or partially competitive with Canadian specialty or pay television services. In applying this policy, the Commission stated that it would take into account all specialty and pay television programming services whose licence applications had been approved by the Commission, including all of the launched and unlaunched Category 1 and Category 2 specialty and pay television services.
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4.
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Public Notice 2000-173 also set out specific information that the Canadian sponsors must file in support of their requests.
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Call for comments
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5.
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The Commission invites interested parties to file comments on Câble VDN's request to add Bridges TV to the digital lists. Commenting parties should also submit a true copy of their comments to the sponsor of the service, at the following address:
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Câble VDN Inc.
2600 Ontario Street E.
Suite 152
Montréal, QC
H2K 4K4
Fax : (514) 522-1568
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6.
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Proof that comments have been sent to the sponsor must accompany the original of the comments sent to the Commission.
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7.
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Comments must be received by the CRTC and Câble VDN on or before 20 April 2005.
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8.
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Parties should indicate whether they support, oppose, or propose changes to the request, and should include the facts and grounds therefor.
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9.
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Câble VDN may file a written reply to any comments received concerning their request. Such replies should be filed with the Commission, and a copy sent to the person who submitted the comments, by no later than 5 May 2005.
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10.
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The Commission will not formally acknowledge comments. It will, however, fully consider all comments and they will form part of the public record of the proceeding, provided that the procedures for filing set out below have been followed.
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Procedures for filing comments
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11.
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Interested parties can file their comments to the Secretary General of the Commission:
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by usingthe
Broadcasting Intervention/Comments Form
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OR
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by mail to
CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2
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OR
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12.
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Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary.
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13.
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Please number each paragraph of your submission. In addition, please enter the line ***End of document*** following the last paragraph. This will help the Commission verify that the document has not been damaged during transmission.
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14.
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The Commission will make comments filed in electronic form available on its web site at www.crtc.gc.ca but only in the official language and format in which they are submitted. Such comments may be accessed in the Public Proceedings section of the CRTC web site. Copies of all comments, whether filed on paper or in electronic form, will also be placed on the public examination file.
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15.
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The Commission encourages interested parties to monitor the public examination file and the Commission's web site for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their comments.
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Examination of public comments and related documents at the following Commission offices during normal business hours
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Central Building
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
1 Promenade du Portage, Room G-5
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0N2
Tel: (819) 997-2429 - TDD: 994-0423
Fax: (819) 994-0218
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Metropolitan Place
99 Wyse Road
Suite 1410
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3A 4S5
Tel: (902) 426-7997 - TDD: 426-6997
Fax: (902) 426-2721
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205 Viger Avenue West
Suite 504
Montréal, Quebec H2Z 1G2
Tel: (514) 283-6607
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55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario M4T 1M2
Tel: (416) 952-9096
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Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2B3
Tel: (204) 983-6306 - TDD: 983-8274
Fax: (204) 983-6317
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Cornwall Professional Building
2125 - 11th Avenue
Room 103
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3X3
Tel: (306) 780-3422
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10405 Jasper Avenue
Suite 520
Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3N4
Tel: (780) 495-3224
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530-580 Hornby Street
Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 3B6
Tel: (604) 666-2111 - TDD: 666-0778
Fax: (604) 666-8322
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Secretary General
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This document is available in alternaive format upon request, and may also be examined in PDF format or in HTML at the following Internet site: http://www.crtc.gc.ca
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Date Modified: 2005-03-18