Broadcasting - Secretary General Letter addressed to John Lawford (Counsel to Public Interest Advocacy Centre and OpenMedia Engagement Network)
Ottawa, 9 February 2024
Our reference: 1011-NOC2023-0138
BY EMAIL
John Lawford
Counsel to Public Interest Advocacy Centre and OpenMedia Engagement Network
Ottawa, Ontario
piac@piac.ca
Subject: Procedural request to extend the filing of final submissions by at least two weeks in the context of the Contributions proceeding (Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-138)
Dear John Lawford,
This letter is in response to the 1 February 2024 procedural request from the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and OpenMedia Engagement Network (OpenMedia) for a two-week extension to the deadline for filing final submissions, which was supported by the Forum on Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) and l’Alliance nationale de l’industrie musicale (ANIM).
The Commission greatly values hearing a broad range of perspectives, including from public interest groups. The Commission recognizes the important role these groups play in representing the perspectives of Canadians. This is why we held a comprehensive public proceeding, including a three-week public hearing where we heard from over 120 intervenors. At the same time, the Commission is aware that every extension delays the modernization of the Canadian broadcasting system. The record of this proceeding emphasizes the need to move quickly. The Commission believes that it is in the public interest to finalize the record of this proceeding and to move toward making its decisions.
The Commission is of the view that the deadline set out in BNC 2023-138-2 provides parties with sufficient time to make final submissions. Parties were informed on 8 December 2023, over two months ago, that RFIs would be due in early 2024, and that a final written submission period would follow. While the Commission recognizes the constraints faced by some parties, it notes that throughout the proceeding, comprehensive information, including hearing transcripts, were posted on the public record as it became available.
The Commission is of the view that the issues identified in the RFIs are within the scope of this proceeding and were intended to enhance the record based on comments made at the hearing, update certain information, and address other gaps. The Commission made the responses to the RFIs accessible to all parties at the same time. As of 1 February 2024, the date of publication of BNC 2023-138-2, all received responses to the RFIs were publicly available.
In light of the above, the Commission denies the requested extension of time, and reminds parties that the deadline for filing final submissions is 15 February 2024.
We thank you again for your submissions in these proceedings, and look forward to your continued participation.
Yours sincerely,
Marc Morin
Secretary General
cc. Matt Hatfield, Executive Director, OpenMedia, matt@openmedia.org
Monica Auer, Forum for Research and Policy in Communications, execdir@frpc.net
Clotilde Heibing, l’Alliance nationale de l’industrie musicale, dg@anim.ca
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