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Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2023-115

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Reference: Part 1 application posted on 18 January 2023

Ottawa, 2 May 2023

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Atlin, British Columbia; and Whitehorse, Yukon

Public record: 2023-0014-3

CFWH-FM Whitehorse and its transmitter CBUA-FM Atlin – Technical changes

  1. The Commission has the authority, pursuant to subsection 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 subsection 3(1) and to amend those conditions on application of the licensee.
  2. Consistent with this authority, the Commission approves an application by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to change the authorized contours of CBUA-FM Atlin, British Columbia, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the radio programming undertaking CFWH-FM Whitehorse, Yukon, which broadcasts the programming of the national, English-language network service Radio One. Specifically, the licensee proposed to change the class from an unprotected low-power transmitter to a regular-power transmitter (class A1), increase the effective radiated power (ERP) from 14 to 101 watts, decrease the effective height of the antenna above average terrain (EHAAT) from 124.0 to -66.7 metres and amend the existing coordinates of the transmitter site. All other technical parameters will remain unchanged.
  3. The Commission did not receive any interventions in regard to this application.
  4. When requesting technical changes, licensees are generally required to demonstrate a technical or economic need. The CBC indicated that the requested technical changes are necessary in order to increase CBUA-FM’s ERP and operate it as a protected regular-power (class A1) transmitter. A low-power transmitter is considered a secondary assignment operating on an unprotected channel. As an A1 transmitter, CBUA-FM will, as specified by the Department of Industry (also known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and hereafter referred to as the Department) in BPR-3: Application Procedures and Rules for FM Broadcasting Undertakings, be protected from future interference. The Commission is satisfied that the licensee has demonstrated a technical need for the requested technical changes.
  5. Pursuant to subsection 22(1) of the Act, this authority will only be effective when the Department notifies the Commission that its technical requirements have been met and that a broadcasting certificate will be issued.
  6. The licensee must implement the technical changes by no later than 2 May 2025. 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.
  7. As set out in section 16 of the Radio Regulations, 1986 (the Regulations), licensees have obligations relating to the broadcast of emergency alert messages received from the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination System. In regard to the changes to the authorized contours of CBUA-FM resulting from the implementation of the technical changes approved in this decision, the Commission reminds the licensee that continued compliance with section 16 of the Regulations may require that any alert broadcast decoders (e.g., ENDEC) used for the purposes of broadcasting emergency alert messages on CFWH-FM, or on any rebroadcasting transmitters that may appear on the broadcasting licence for that station, be reprogrammed to properly account for the new authorized contours.

Secretary General

This decision is to be appended to the licence.

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