ARCHIVED - Letter
This page has been archived on the Web
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. Archived Decisions, Notices and Orders (DNOs) remain in effect except to the extent they are amended or reversed by the Commission, a court, or the government. The text of archived information has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Changes to DNOs are published as “dashes” to the original DNO number. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats by contacting us.
Sent by email : regulatoryaffairs@cbc.ca
Please acknowledge receipt of this letter by return e-mail.
Ottawa, 19 April 2012
Ms. Bev Kirshenblatt
Senior Director, Regulatory Affairs
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / Société Radio-Canada
P.O. Box 3220, Station C
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 1E4
Re: Request of the Corporation with respect to decommissioning of the Corporation’s analog television rebroadcasting transmitters
Dear Ms. Kirshenblatt,
In order to process the applications for the decommissioning of analog television rebroadcasting transmitters owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation / Société Radio-Canada (the Corporation), the Commission requires the following information:
1. Please provide a list of the affected communities and an estimate of the population and number of households, located within the regional service contour (e.g., Grade B) of each transmitter listed in Appendix A of the Corporation’s letter dated 4 April 2012. Please include the same information for Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) also affected. Does the CBC/SRC have estimates as to how many people in the areas currently served by the transmitters would lose the signal due to the fact that they do not subscribe to a service provided by a broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU)?
2. Please provide, for a 3-year horizon following the shutting down of the transmitters listed in the letter, the forecasted annual impact on CBC/SRC’s TV revenues along with the underlying assumptions.
3. Please provide the annual costs of operating each transmitter targeted for shutdown (such as maintenance/repair costs) and provide a breakdown of such costs.
4. Please elaborate on your assertion that the analog technology and the related equipment and parts for repair are no longer readily available in the marketplace. Under the assumption that CBC/SRC had chosen to maintain its OTA services in those markets listed in the letter, what would have been required in terms of maintenance/replacement of the current equipment in the coming 7 years, and at what costs? Also, please comment on the remaining life expectancy of the transmitters targeted for shutdown.
5. Describe any alternative solutions that were considered and those that are being undertaken to maintain a similar television service in the areas currently served by the transmitters listed in Appendix A of the Corporation’s letter dated 4 April 2012. For example, are there plans or discussions with Shaw on the possibility of using the “local television satellite solution” (Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2010-782) to continue television service to affected communities, including OLMCs?
6. As noted in paragraph 3 of the previously referenced letter, the Corporation will conduct a communications campaign to inform Canadians in the affected markets. Please describe the campaign, include the start and length. Will the campaign include consultations with affected communities, including OLMCs? Will the campaign inform affected communities of alternative methods of reception?
7. The Corporation states that it has formally notified all BDUs of the termination of its analog over-the-air television transmission. Please describe the potential impact to BDUs of the proposed change (e.g., increased signal transport costs), if approved. Further, please describe how exempt systems will receive the Corporation’s signals, including associated costs.
8. The Corporation listed the four stations below in the Appendix to the application and also submitted separate applications for each. However, these stations do not have transmitters (analog or digital). Why are they listed in the Appendix, and why did the Corporation submit a separate application for each one? What is the Corporation’s intention for these four digital stations?
- CBET-DT Windsor, ON
- CKSH-DT Sherbrooke, QC
- CKTM-DT Trois-Rivières, QC
- CKTV-DT Saguenay, QC
9. What is the Corporation’s intention for CFYK-TV Yellowknife? This mother station is not a digital station and has many analog transmitters, as well as one digital transmitter. The mother station and its transmitters are all listed in the Appendix to the application and a separate application was submitted for this station. Does the Corporation intend to shut down only the analog transmitters and keep the analog mother station (CFYK-TV) as well as the digital transmitter (CFYK-DT)? Or make the digital transmitter (CFYK-DT) the originating station and shut down all the analog transmitters? Or close the mother station and all the transmitters, including the digital one?
Please submit your responses to the above questions by no later than 4 May 2012 using the Access Key system with a copy to me at aspa.kotsopoulos@crtc.gc.ca . Please include the above questions in your response. Please note that this letter, along with the Corporation’s request, will eventually be added to the public file.
Sincerely,
Original signed by
Aspa Kotsopoulos
Senior Analyst, Television
- Date modified: