ARCHIVED - Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2015-95

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Route reference: 2014-441

Ottawa, 17 March 2015

Télévision Communautaire des Basques et du Haut-Pays
Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques, Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup, and their surrounding areas, Quebec

Application 2014-0436-8, received on 16 May 2014
Public hearing in the National Capital Region
28 October 2014

Independent, French-language digital community channel in the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques, Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup, and their surrounding areas

The Commission approves the application by Télévision Communautaire des Basques et du Haut-Pays to operate an independent, French-language digital community channel to serve the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques, Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup, and their surrounding areas, Quebec.

Application

1. The Commission received an application by Télévision Communautaire des Basques et du Haut-Pays (TCBH) for a broadcasting licence to operate an independent, French-language digital community channel to serve the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques, Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup, and their surrounding areas, Quebec.^{Footnote 1} The Commission did not receive any interventions regarding this application.

2. TCBH is a not-for-profit corporation controlled by its board of directors.

3. The applicant proposed to broadcast 126 hours of programming per broadcast week, of which at least 60% would be devoted to local programming. The applicant also proposed to devote at least 30% of the programming broadcast during each broadcast week to access programming.

4. TCBH further proposed to broadcast, each broadcast week, not more than 1 hour and 30 minutes of programming from other community television channels or services.

5. The applicant stated that it had entered into a financial agreement with the broadcasting distribution undertaking (BDU) Déry Télécom.

6. Finally, TCBH committed to adhere to the requirements, expectations and encouragements set out in Community television policy, Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2010-622, 26 August 2010.

Commission’s analysis and decisions

7. The proposal by TCBH, a not-for-profit corporation, is a local project, presented by volunteers to serve their community. The applicant proposed to put in place training plans for all volunteers involved in the project.

8. The Commission notes that the application is for a broadcasting licence to operate a digital community channel in an area served by a single exempt BDU, Déry Télécom. Since it is an exempt BDU serving fewer than 2,000 subscribers, Déry Télécom is not required to make a contribution to either the community channel in its service area or the Canada Media Fund.

9. Further, the proposed community channel would result in more local programming in the communities targeted by the application, which would benefit consumers in the area and increase the diversity of programming.

10. The Commission therefore concludes that it would be appropriate to approve TCBH’s application. 

Conclusion

11. In light of the above, the Commission approves the application by Télévision Communautaire des Basques et du Haut-Pays for a broadcasting licence to operate an independent, French-language digital community channel to serve the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques, Témiscouata and Rivière-du-Loup, and their surrounding areas, Quebec. The terms and conditions of licence are set out in the appendix to this decision.

Secretary General

* This decision is to be appended to the licence.

Appendix to Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2015-95

Terms, conditions of licence and encouragements for the independent, French-language digital community channel to serve the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques (Trois-Pistoles, Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Saint-Éloi, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, Saint-Clément, Sainte-Rita, Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Sainte-Françoise and Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski), Témiscouata (Squatec, Lac-des-Aigles and Biencourt) and Rivière-du-Loup (Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix, Saint-Épiphane, Saint-Cyprien, Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Arsène), and their surrounding areas, Quebec

Terms

The licence for this undertaking will be issued once the applicant has informed the Commission in writing that it is prepared to commence operations. The undertaking must be operational at the earliest possible date and in any event no later than the 24 months from the date of this decision, unless a request for an extension of time is approved by the Commission before 17 March 2017. In order to ensure that such a request is processed in a timely manner, it should be submitted at least 60 days before that date.

The licence will expire on 31 August 2021.

Conditions of licence

1. The licensee shall provide an independent, French-language digital community channel to serve the Regional County Municipalities of Les Basques (Trois-Pistoles, Saint-Mathieu-de-Rioux, Saint-Éloi, Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, Saint-Clément, Sainte-Rita, Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Sainte-Françoise and Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski), Témiscouata (Squatec, Lac-des-Aigles and Biencourt) and Rivière du Loup (Saint-Paul-de-la-Croix, Saint-Épiphane, Saint-Cyprien, Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup and Saint-Arsène), and their surrounding areas, Quebec.

2. The licensee shall devote at least 80% of the broadcast year to the broadcast of Canadian programs.

3. The licensee shall devote at least 60% of the broadcast year to the broadcast of local programming.

   For the purposes of this condition of licence, “local programming” means station productions or programming produced by community-based independent producers that reflect the particular needs and interests of residents of the area that the community-based television programming undertaking is licensed to serve.

4. The licensee shall adhere to the following industry codes:

   • the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ Equitable Portrayal Code, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission;

   • the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ CAB Violence Code, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission;

   • the Broadcast Code for Advertising to Children, as amended from time to time and approved by the Commission; and

   • Cable television community channel standards, Public Notice CRTC 1992-39, 1 June 1992, as amended from time to time.

5. The licensee shall not broadcast more than 12 minutes of local advertising per clock hour.

6. The licensee shall provide audio description for all the key elements of Canadian information programs, including news programming. For the purposes of this condition of licence, “audio description” refers to announcers reading aloud the key textual and graphic information that is displayed on the screen during information programs.

Encouragements

The Commission encourages the licensee to close caption as much programming as possible.

The Commission encourages the licensee to facilitate citizen access to the production of programming and to provide training to those within the community wishing to participate in the production of programming.

Date modified:

2015-03-17