Broadcasting - Staff Letter addressed to Pamela Dinsmore (Rogers Communications Canada Inc.)

Ottawa, 4 September 2024

BY EMAIL

Pamela Dinsmore
Vice President, Regulatory
Rogers Communications Canada Inc.
One Mount Pleasant Road, 4th Fl.
Toronto, Ontario 
M4Y 2Y5
cable.regulatory@rci.rogers.com

Subject: Part 1 application for authority to operate linear community channels serving select licensed and exempt broadcasting distribution undertakings pursuant to four proposed zones – Application 2024-0219-7 – Request for additional information

Dear Ms. Dinsmore:

This is in reference to the above-referenced Part 1 application by Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Rogers) for authority to operate linear community channels serving licensed and exempt terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba pursuant to four proposed zones, as follows:

• Zone 1: Vancouver Island (Victoria, Nanaimo, Langford (Saanich/Sooke), Campbell River, Courtenay/Comox/Powell River, Duncan, Parksville, Port Alberni, Royal Oak, Salt Spring
• Zone 2: Southern Interior BC (Kelowna, Castlegar, Cranbrook, Penticton, Salmon Arm, Vernon, Winfield)
• Zone 3: Central Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert)
• Zone 4: Southern Manitoba (Winnipeg,^Footnote1 Lorette, Portage la Prairie)

In order to pursue the analysis of the above-noted application, please provide the following:

Status of the non-compliance with the local and access programming requirements

1. Although Rogers has acknowledged that six (6) of the twenty-four (24) systems within the Proposed Zones have had serious difficulty meeting the Community TV Policy’s local and access requirements, it did not explicitly identify which ones, nor did it set out the extent of the non-compliance (i.e., percentage of local and access programming, respectively).

   Therefore, please provide this information for each of the undertakings included in the proposed Zones 1 to 4 that do not meet the access and local programming requirements.

Community Channel Monitoring Exercise

2. In Broadcasting Decision 2018-266, the Commission indicated that Shaw’s community channels would be subject to additional monitoring as a result of non-compliance with its obligations regarding the exhibition of access and local programming.

   With the proceeding to consider the acquisition of Shaw by Rogers, the administrative renewal of Rogers’ licences, and the Commission’s shifting priorities primarily regarding the implementation of the amended Broadcasting Act, the licensee has not recently been selected to participate in a monitoring exercise.

   Although the progress reports, including the most recent one submitted by Rogers on 3 June 2023, have been useful in understanding the efforts made to return the Spotlight community channels to compliance, Commission staff is of the view that it would be appropriate to review your community programming offerings in some of the areas that would form part of the proposed zones.

   Consequently, please submit the program logs for the week of 7 to 13 July 2024 for your community channel operated by the licensed BDU in Nanaimo, and your community channel operated by the exempt BDU in Penticton. The program logs must be filed using the monitoring tool attached to this email.

   Also, please note that you may be asked to provide audiovisual recordings to support the program logs at a later date.

The information requested herein should be received by the Commission by no later than 27 September 2024.

A copy of this letter and your reply should be added to your application to be made available for public examination.

We also ask that you repeat each question in your reply.

Please note that, following receipt of your responses to the above, further clarification questions may be forthcoming.

The Commission requires that your response and/or other documents be submitted electronically by using the secured service “My CRTC Account” (Partner Log In or GCKey) and filling in the “Broadcasting Cover Page” or the “Broadcasting Online Form and Cover Page” located on this Web page. Also on this Web page you will find information on the submission of applications to the Commission “Submitting applications and other documents to the CRTC using MY CRTC Account.”

Should you need further information concerning this application, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at sylvie.julien@crtc.gc.ca.

Best regards,

Sylvie Julien
Senior Distribution Analyst, Television Policy and Applications, Broadcasting

Date modified:

2024-09-04