ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-172

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  Route reference:
Broadcasting Public Notice 2008-79

Ottawa, 1 April 2009

  Saskatchewan Telecommunications
Province of Saskatchewan
  Application 2008-1044-1, received 31 July 2008
8 September 2008
 

Video-on-demand programming undertaking – Licence amendment

1. The Commission approves the application by Saskatchewan Telecommunications to amend the broadcasting licence of its regional English-language video-on-demand (VOD) programming undertaking by replacing the current condition of licence relating to closed captioning with the following condition:
 

No later than 1 September 2008 and until the end of the licence term, the licensee shall caption at least 90% of all titles in its inventory, excluding titles made available as part of its outlet for local expression.

2. This will eliminate the requirement for the licensee to provide closed captioning for local expression and community programming. The licensee indicated that it has limited resources for its local expression/community programming and a requirement for captioning would result in a reduction to such programming. The Commission received one intervention in support of this application.
3. The Commission is committed to improving service to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and has consistently encouraged broadcasters to increase the amount of closed captioned programming that they provide. In Policy framework for community-based media, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2002-61, 10 October 2002, the Commission stated that licensees who elect to distribute community programming should endeavour to meet the needs of persons with hearing or visual impairments, but recognized that the financial resources available to each licensee are different.
4. The Commission will, therefore, explore with Saskatchewan Telecommunications the appropriate commitments to captioning as well as described video, commensurate with its resources, at the time of its next application for renewal of its VOD licence.
  Secretary General
  This decision is to be appended to the licence. It is available in alternative 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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