Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2020-354

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 1 June 2020

Ottawa, 16 October 2020

Radio communautaire Cornwall-Alexandria Inc.
Cornwall, Ontario

Public record for this application: 2020-0217-9

CHOD-FM Cornwall – Technical changes

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to section 9(1) of the Broadcasting Act (the Act), to issue licences for such terms not exceeding seven years and subject to such conditions related to the circumstances of the licensee as it deems appropriate for the implementation of the broadcasting policy set out in section 3(1) of the Act, as well as to amend those conditions on application of the licensee.
  2. Consistent with this authority, the Commission approves the application by Radio communautaire Cornwall-Alexandria Inc. to change the authorized contours of the French-language community radio programming undertaking CHOD-FM Cornwall, Ontario, by changing the frequency from 92.1 MHz (channel 221B) to 91.9 MHz (channel 220A), and by decreasing the maximum effective radiated power (ERP) from 45,600 to 1,000 watts and the average ERP from 19,200 to 420 watts. All other technical parameters will remain unchanged.
  3. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.
  4. When a licensee requests technical changes, it is required to demonstrate a technical or economic need in support of its application. The licensee stated that the requested technical changes would allow it to offer better coverage of the Cornwall market. It added that it would maintain the same regional coverage due to having begun operation of its rebroadcasting transmitter CHOD-FM-1 Dunvegan on 13 September 2019.
  5. The licensee also indicated that, since the implementation of the station’s rebroadcasting transmitter, CHOD-FM’s signal has degraded, since the two signals are transmitted on the same frequency.
  6. The Commission considers that the licensee’s proposal to use a frequency that is adjacent to the one that the station currently uses would not have any impact on the Cornwall radio market or on adjacent markets. Further, the proposed changes will be made within the current service area and would support a radio undertaking operating within an official language minority community. Accordingly, the Commission is satisfied that the licensee has demonstrated a technical need in support of its application for technical changes.
  7. Pursuant to section 22(1) of the Act, this authority will only be effective when the Department of Industry notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.
  8. The licensee must implement the technical changes by no later than 16 October 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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