Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-379-3

Ottawa, 22 June 2020

Notice of hearing

In Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2019-379, the Commission announced that it would hold a hearing to begin on 25 May 2020 to consider applications by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Société Radio-Canada (the Corporation) to renew the broadcasting licences for its various English- and French-language audio and audiovisual programming services. In Broadcasting Notice of Consultation 2019-379-2, the Commission indicated that, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponing that hearing and would be announcing a new hearing date at a later time.
In regard to the above, the Commission announces the following (change in bold): The Commission will hold a hearing commencing on 11 January 2021 at 9 a.m. at the Conference Centre, Phase IV, 140 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau, Quebec.

During the intervention period ending on 13 February 2020,^{Footnote 1} interveners expressed concerns over a lack of transparency by the Corporation in regard to information on digital revenues and expenses. In response, the Corporation committed to submit additional financial information pertaining to its digital activities.
The Commission considers that this new information will assist the Commission and parties to the proceeding in understanding the Corporation’s digital activities and its future plans for those activities. Therefore, the Commission has added the new information submitted by the Corporation to the public record for this proceeding.

Given the depth and nature of the new information, the Commission determines that it would be appropriate to re-open the intervention period for interested persons and for any party to this proceeding to make submissions regarding the new information only. The Corporation may then file its reply to those new interventions.
Accordingly, the Commission has opened a new intervention period with respect to the new information only. The deadline to submit interventions/comments/answers in regard that new information is 13 July 2020. Interventions that fall outside the scope of this additional information will not be considered by the Commission. The deadline for the submission of replies by the Corporation is 23 July 2020.

Secretary General