ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2010-651

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Ottawa, 1 September 2010

Call for comments on the proposed addition of GMA Life TV to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis

1.      The Commission received a request from MTS Allstream Inc. (MTS Allstream) dated 28 June 2010 to add GMA Life TV (GMA Life), a non-Canadian satellite service originating in the Philippines, to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis (the digital lists).

2.      MTS Allstream described GMA Life as a Filipino-language general interest service produced in the Philippines that provides a wide variety of programming genres including lifestyle, human interest, drama, fiction, comedy and music and variety shows.

3.      In Improving the diversity of third-language television services – A revised approach to assessing requests to add non-Canadian third-language television services to the lists of eligible satellite services for distribution on a digital basis, Broadcasting Public Notice CRTC 2004-96, 16 December 2004, the Commission stated that, going forward, requests to add non-Canadian, third-language general interest services to the digital lists would generally be approved, subject, as appropriate, to new distribution and linkage requirements. In the case of non-Canadian, third-language services that provide narrowly targeted or "niche" programming, the Commission stated that it would continue to apply a case-by-case assessment to determine whether the service is partially or totally competitive with Canadian pay or specialty services.

4.      The Commission will rely primarily on the comments filed to identify the Canadian pay and specialty services with which GMA Life might be totally or partially competitive and which therefore should be included in the assessment of the competitiveness of the service. Parties wishing to argue that GMA Life would be competitive should therefore name the specific Canadian pay or specialty services with which they consider the service would compete and provide details to support their views, such as comparisons as to nature and genre of service, programming schedules, programming sources and supply, and target audience.

Call for comments

5.      The Commission calls for comments on MTS Allstream’s request to add GMA Life to the digital lists. Parties submitting comments on the request should also submit a true copy of their comments to the Canadian sponsor, MTS Allstream, at the following address:

MTS Allstream Regulatory Affairs
45 O’Connor Street
Suite 1400
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 1A4
Email: iworkstation@mtsallstream.com
Fax: 613-688-8303

6.      Proof that comments have been sent to MTS Allstream must accompany the original version of the comments sent to the Commission.

7.      Comments on MTS Allstream’s request must be received by the Commission no later than 1 October 2010. A copy of the comments must be received by MTS Allstream no later than the deadline for receipt of comments by the Commission. The Commission cannot be held responsible for postal delays and will not notify a party whose intervention is received after the deadline date. The comment will not be considered by the Commission and will not be part of the public file.

8.      MTS Allstream may file a written reply to any comments received concerning its request. This reply should be filed with the Commission, and a copy sent to the person who submitted the comments, by no later than 18 October 2010.

9.      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.

Procedure for filing comments

10.       Interested parties can file their comments to the Secretary General of the Commission in only one of the following formats:

by using the
[Broadcasting interventions/comments form]

or

by mail to
CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2

or

by fax at
819-994-0218

11.       The Commission advises those who file and serve by electronic means to exercise caution when using e-mail for service of documents or notification, as it may be difficult to establish that service has occurred.

12.       Parties must ensure that, before initiating service through electronic mode, they will be able to satisfy the Commission, upon request, that service of the notification was completed.

13.    Submissions longer than five pages should include a summary.

14.    Each paragraph of the submission should be numbered. In addition, where the intervention is filed by electronic means, the line ***End of document*** should be entered following the last paragraph of the document, as an indication that the document has not been damaged during electronic transmission.

Important notice

15.    All information that parties provide as part of this public process, except information granted confidentiality, whether sent by postal mail, facsimile, e-mail or through the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and will be posted on the Commission’s website. This information includes personal information, such as full names, e-mail addresses, postal/street addresses, telephone and facsimile numbers, and any other personal information parties provide.

16.    The personal information that parties provide will be used and may be disclosed for the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the Commission, or for a use consistent with that purpose.

17.    Documents received electronically or otherwise will be put on the Commission’s website in their entirety exactly as received, including any personal information contained therein, in the official language and format in which they are received. Documents not received electronically will be available in PDF format.

18.    The information that parties provide to the Commission as part of this public process is entered into an unsearchable database dedicated to this specific public process. This database is accessible only from the web page of this particular public process. As a result, a general search of the Commission’s website with the help of either its own search engine or a third-party search engine will not provide access to the information that was provided as part of this public process.

19.    The Commission encourages interested parties to monitor the public examination file and the Commission’s website for additional information that they may find useful when preparing their comments.

Examination of documents

20.    A list of all comments will also be available on the Commission’s website. An electronic version of all comments submitted will be accessible from this list. To access the list, select “Lists of interventions/comments” under “Public Proceedings” from the Commission’s website.

21.    The public may examine public comments and related documents at the following Commission offices during normal business hours.

Location of Commission offices

Toll-free telephone: 1-877-249-2782
Toll-free TDD: 1-877-909-2782

Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
Central Building
1 Promenade du Portage, Room 206
Gatineau, Quebec
J8X 4B1
Tel.: 819-997-2429
Fax: 819-994-0218

Regional offices

Metropolitan Place
99 Wyse Road
Suite 1410
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B3A 4S5
Tel.: 902-426-7997
Fax: 902-426-2721

205 Viger Avenue West
Suite 504
Montréal, Quebec
H2Z 1G2
Tel.: 514-283-6607

55 St. Clair Avenue East
Suite 624
Toronto, Ontario
M4T 1M2
Tel.: 416-952-9096

Kensington Building
275 Portage Avenue
Suite 1810
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 2B3
Tel.: 204-983-6306
Fax: 204-983-6317

2220 – 12^th Avenue
Suite 620
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 0M8
Tel.: 306-780-3422

10405 Jasper Avenue
Suite 520
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 3N4
Tel.: 780-495-3224

858 Beatty Street
Suite 290
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6B 1C1
Tel.: 604-666-2111
Fax: 604-666-8322

Secretary General

Date modified:

2010-09-01