Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-106
Ottawa, 11 April 2019
Public record:1011-NOC2019-0106
Notice of hearing
17 April 2019
Gatineau, Quebec
The Commission will hold a hearing on 17 April 2019 at 10 a.m., at the Conference Centre, Portage IV, 140 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec, to consider whether TVA Group Inc. (TVA) is in violation or has violated section 15(1) of the Discretionary Services Regulations (the Regulations) by withdrawing TVA Sports’ signal from distribution by Bell Canada (Bell) and related undertakings or otherwise interfering with the signal in a way that is preventing Canadian consumers from viewing the service.
Section 15(1) of the Regulations requires that during a dispute between a broadcasting distribution undertaking and a programming undertaking, the programming undertaking must continue to provide its programming services to the distribution undertaking at the same rates and on the same terms and conditions as it did before the dispute.
The Commission will inquire into this matter at the hearing. Therefore, pursuant to section 12 of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), the Commission calls TVA to this public hearing to show cause why the Commission should not issue a mandatory order requiring the licensee to comply with section 15(1) of the Regulations at all times during the dispute with Bell, as well as why the Commission should not suspend the broadcasting licence pursuant to sections 9 and 24 of the Act.
Given the seriousness of the matter, the Commission requires that TVA be represented by its corporate officers. As Bell is directly affected by the dispute, it is invited to appear at the hearing.
Letters received from Bell and other parties affected by the dispute have been added to the public record for this proceeding. However, as this apparent non-compliance is the result of a bilateral dispute, only the parties to the dispute (Bell and TVA) shall appear at the hearing.
Availability of documents
Electronic versions of the documents referred to in this notice are available on the Commission’s website at www.crtc.gc.ca by visiting the “Have your say!” section, then selecting “our open processes.” Documents can then be accessed by clicking on the links in the “Subject” and “Related Documents” columns associated with this particular notice.
Documents are also available at the following address, upon request, during normal business hours.
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
Toll-free telephone: 1-877-249-2782
Toll-free TTY: 1-877-909-2782
Secretary General
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