CACTUS: CRTC Releases Yet Another “Paternalistic” Community TV Policy

Ottawa (August 28,2010) After eight long years of complaints from the Canadian public that they have been excluded from "community TV channels" on cable, the CRTC yesterday released a new community TV policy for Canada that is little better than the existing policy.

As dissenting Commissioner Michel Morin dubs it, "The Commission’s paternalistic community model" leaves community cable channels and the money that is collected from Canadians for "local expression" firmly under the control of cable companies. Catherine Edwards, Spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) noted, "The Commission ignored the request of the Canadian public—which was made abundantly clear at these hearings—that the time has come for community broadcasting to be in the hands of communities, as it is in all Western countries that have a community sector. This is how it operates here in Canada in the community radio sector. Why not TV?"

Licences for communities to run their own channels were introduced in 2002, but there was no funding formula. The CRTC’s analysis acknowledges that a lack of funding explains why so few community licenses have been requested, yet the new policy denies communities access to the Local Programming Initiative Fund that is available to private broadcasters, denies access to commercial advertising, and denies access to the more than $120 million collected annually from Canadians for "local expression", but which instead goes to cable companies for their professional regional channels.

Edwards reflected, "What’s particularly sad is how outdated the Commission’s model of community TV is. Approximately 40% of Canadians don’t subscribe to cable, so a cable channel as a digital townhall for Canadians just doesn’t work anymore. We also presented data to show that the majority of the more than 300 unique community channels and studios that once existed on cable have already been closed. This evidence appears to have been ignored. The relatively minor tweaks to the existing policy do nothing to address the closures."

CACTUS proposed a new model of community broadcasting that would offer access to digital technologies, tools and training in every community across the country, available on all platforms, not just cable. "It’s a real missed opportunity," said Edwards.

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Contact

Catherine Edwards, CACTUS
(819) 772-2862

About CACTUS
CACTUS stands for the Canadian Association of Campus and Community Television User Groups and Stations. CACTUS is an online resource and meeting place for campus and community television volunteers, producers, station managers, advocates and activists. Visit http://cactus.independentmedia.ca/.