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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2020-331

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 18 June 2020

Ottawa, 9 September 2020

Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta
Edmonton and Rocky Mountain House, Alberta

Public record for this application: 2020-0370-6

CFWE-FM-4 Edmonton – New transmitter in Rocky Mountain House

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to section 9(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue licences subject to such conditions related to the circumstances of the licensee as the Commission deems appropriate for the implementation of the broadcasting policy set out in section 3(1) of the Act and to amend any condition on application of the licensee.
  2. Pursuant to this authority, the Commission approves the application by Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta (AMMSA) to amend the broadcasting licence for the Indigenous (Type B Native)Footnote 1 radio programming undertaking CFWE-FM-4 Edmonton, Alberta, to add an FM rebroadcasting transmitter in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, to serve the Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.
  3. The new transmitter will operate at 89.9 MHz (channel 210LP) with an effective radiated power of 21.5 watts (non-directional antenna with an effective height of antenna above average terrain of 89.3 metres).
  4. AMMSA noted that the Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations, due to their remote location about 52 kilometres north-west of Rocky Mountain House, have no over-the-air access to a radio service targeting this Indigenous community. It stated that it has established itself as a leader in Indigenous broadcasting across Canada, consistently over-delivering on Commission conditions of licence relating to the language of broadcast and the broadcast of Indigenous music. The licensee submitted that the addition of a new rebroadcasting transmitter for CFWE-FM-4 will provide the populations of the Sunchild and O’Chiese First Nations with a radio service that includes their traditional Indigenous languages and provides coverage and awareness of issues, events and news from the region that are specifically relevant to First Nations peoples.
  5. Pursuant to section 22(1) of the Act, this authority will be effective only when the Department of Industry (the Department) notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.
  6. The Department’s BPR-3: Application Procedures and Rules for FM Broadcasting Undertakings specifies that a low-power FM rebroadcasting transmitter is considered a secondary assignment operating on an unprotected channel. Should an FM station or transmitter with protected status be granted a frequency that is incompatible with that used by the low-power transmitter considered in this decision, the licensee may need to cease the operation of that low-power transmitter or file an application to change its frequency and/or technical parameters.
  7. The transmitter must be in operation by no later than 9 September 2022. To request an extension, the licensee must submit a written request to the Commission at least 60 days before that date, using the form available on the Commission’s website.

Secretary General

This decision is to be appended to the licence.

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