Cable and satellite firms have to offer Canadian news channels: CRTC

Cable and direct-to-home (DTH) companies will have to offer all Canadian television news services either in bundles or a la carte. 

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has set a 20 May deadline, making it mandatory for the Cable and DTH companies to provide this option to their subscribers. 

CETC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais, said, “With the rules we are announcing, Canadians, as citizens, will have access to the news services that are of interest to them and will therefore have an opportunity to be exposed to a variety of opinions on matters of public concern.” 

Among the measures announced, the CRTC is requiring that Canadians be given the option to subscribe to all Canadian news services, either in bundles or à la carte, no later than 20 May 2014. 

At a public hearing in the spring of 2013, the CRTC was made aware of the challenges facing all Canadian television news services, and particularly new entrants in this sector. These challenges were the sign of a systemic problem regarding the distribution of Canadian national news services on fair and commercially reasonable terms. The CRTC has acted quickly to address these challenges. 

The CRTC is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada.

Source: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/3873-cable-and-satellite-firms-have-to-offer-canadian-news-channels-crtc.htmlSource: http://cablequest.org/news/international-news/item/3873-cable-and-satellite-firms-have-to-offer-canadian-news-channels-crtc.html