ARCHIVED - Letter
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By fax 613-288-6257:
Ottawa, 9 April 2009
Mrs Bev Kirshenblatt
Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs
CBC/Radio-Canada
Canadian Centre for Broadcasting
P.O. Box 3220 , Stn. C
Ottawa ON K1Y 1E4
Dear Mrs. Kirshenblatt:
Following Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-2 , at the 31 March 2009 public hearing, the Commission is in the process of reconsidering various competitive FM radio applications proposing stations to serve the Ottawa-Gatineau market. On the technical side, applicants were proposing the use of three frequencies namely, the 99.7, the 101.7 and 101.9 MHz. In Decision CRTC 2008-222 (which is the decision that the Commission is reconsidering), the Commission had determined that those were the last available frequencies that could be used to serve the Ottawa-Gatineau market [1] . However, in the course of the 31 March hearing, some applicants and interveners stated that the 94.5 MHz frequency could also be used in this market. Please note that this frequency is second adjacent to Astral's CIMF-FM station operating on frequency 94.9 MHz (channel 235 C1) from Camp Fortune.
In light of the fact that the CBC is the operator of the broadcasting transmission site at Camp Fortune, the Commission requests the CBC to provide a report on the feasibility of using the 94.5 MHz frequency to serve the Ottawa-Gatineau market from the Camp Fortune transmission site. The Commission requests the CBC to examine any possible accommodations which would permit use of the 94.5 MHz frequency, including the sharing, addition or replacement of an antenna on the Camp Fortune tower as well as the use of a combiner with in combination with the antennas on the tower. The Commission also requests the CBC to provide a list of modifications that could be made to existing radio services to enable the use of the 94.5 MHz frequency for the Ottawa-Gatineau market. Please provide a list of assumptions used in providing the answers.
Additionally, the Commission would also appreciate if the CBC could identify any additional issues associated with the use of 94.5 MHz not identified by the applicants and interveners involved in the public hearing held on 31 March 2009. Please note that the transcript of this public hearing is available at: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/transcripts/2009/index.htm#tb0331. It is to be noted that the Commission stated at page 440 (volume 3) of the transcript, that it intended to request the CBC to provide the report mentioned in the present letter. Also note that you can find various studies on our website which were submitted by the applicants in the course of this public hearing.
Finally, and as mentioned at page 440 of the transcript of the public hearing, the Commission requests that the CBC make available its chief technical expert, Mr Martin Marcotte, at the public hearing on 12 June 2009 to respond to any questions that may arise from the CBC's report.
The Commission asks that you send your report no later that 20 April 2009. Following receipt of your report, the Commission will publish it on its web site so that interested parties can consult it. The Commission will continue its re-consideration of competitive FM radio applications in a public hearing to be held on 12 June 2009 in Gatineau. During this additional hearing, the Commission will specifically address the issue of the 94.5 MHz frequency.
Should you require any additional information or clarification in order to respond to this request, please do not hesitate to contact Martin Daigle at 819-997-8259.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Robert A. Morin,
Secretary General
cc: Mr. Martin Marcotte, ing. MBA
Mr. Ray Carnovale, P Eng.
Applicants to the reconsideration process
[1] The frequencies 101.7 and 101.9 MHz were considered technically mutually exclusive. The Commission did not consider that licences would granted simultaneously to different applicants for these two frequencies
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