CTV 2 Alberta is a Canadian English language entertainment and former educational television channel in the province of Alberta . Owned by the Bell Media subsidiary of BCE Inc. , it operates as a de facto owned-and-operated station of its secondary CTV 2 television system .
101-585: The channel was licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as an educational programming service for Alberta, and was formerly a public broadcaster owned by the Alberta provincial government. Following its privatization in 1995, its licence continued to require at least 60 hours of non-commercial educational programming per week along with entertainment programming more favourable to advertisers and adult viewers. In 2017,
202-523: A 2-month period leading up to the deadline and TV Ontario flash cut its transmitters two weeks before the deadline. In contrast, most other networks and stations converted at the deadline. There are no requirements for new televisions sold in Canada to include digital tuners ( as they must in the US market ), nor are there any labelling requirements for analogue-only receivers; some new televisions may be unable to tune
303-454: A Canadian network licenses a television show from a US network and shows it in the same time slot, upon request by the Canadian broadcaster, Canadian broadcast distributors must replace the show on the US channel with the broadcast of the Canadian channel, along with any overlays and commercials. As Grey's Anatomy is on ABC , but is carried in Canada on CTV at the same time, for instance,
404-456: A continental system, and trying to impose 35% Canadian content across North America is quite unrealistic. They also argue that satellite radio will boost Canadian culture by giving vital exposure to independent artists, instead of concentrating just on the country's stars, and point to the CRTC's successful extraction of promises to program 10% Canadian content on satellite services already operational in
505-450: A decision that limited the required digital conversion to mandatory markets meeting any of the following criteria: On March 14, 2011, the CRTC removed territorial capitals as mandatory markets on the basis that these are small and remote markets, and that only 1 of the 6 transmitters in these markets were planned to be converted to digital, while the remainder of the transmitters would be shut down rather than converted. On March 18, 2011,
606-556: A digital signal without an external ATSC tuner . As of 2010 , an estimated 900,000 Canadians relying on antennas prior to the transition deadline were expected to lose over-the-air television reception by the transition deadline, as they were not ready for the digital transition. While a new HDTV receiver connected to a terrestrial television antenna will receive OTA digital television, Canadian regulations do not require cable television operators to carry these free local HDTV signals in unencrypted digital format on their systems. CITY-TV
707-467: A friendly takeover bid to buy CHUM Limited. Due to CTVglobemedia's plans to keep CTV and Citytv , Rogers Communications was expected to purchase Access (along with CHUM's A-Channel stations, CKX-TV in Brandon, Canadian Learning Television and SexTV: The Channel ) as announced on April 9, 2007, pending CRTC approval (and approval of CTVglobemedia's purchase). With the CRTC electing to force CTV to sell
808-466: A long list of these full-power rebroadcasters on August 31, 2009, as of 2011 the transmitters are still on the air. Several broadcasters, including the CBC, argued that there is no viable business case for a comprehensive digital conversion strategy in Canada. Converting a transmitter to digital has upfront capital equipment costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, which can in more extreme cases reach over
909-697: A member of the American Public Broadcasting Service ( PBS ) that was available on cable in most of the province. On January 9, 1984, AECC was granted a licence from the CRTC for a terrestrial television station in Calgary , CIAN-TV , to rebroadcast the Access cable feed. on December 1, 1986, AECC was granted another licence for a television station in Edmonton, CJAL-TV , to serve as a satellite of CIAN. After re-evaluating all provincial funding recipients,
1010-519: A million dollars, though some cost recovery in energy costs is possible due to lower transmission power required to cover an area as compared to analogue, if the same channel is used. At CRTC hearings in 2007 on the future direction of regulatory policy for television, broadcasters proposed a number of strategies, including funding digital conversion by eliminating restrictions on the amount of advertising that television broadcasters are permitted to air, allowing terrestrial broadcasters to charge cable viewers
1111-413: A monitoring service would cost, the end-result was that no cable company elected to carry the station, either, leaving many Arabic-speaking Canadians using free-to-air satellite dishes to watch the station. The Canadian Jewish Congress has expressed its opinion over possible anti-Semitic incitement on this station and that the restrictions on Al Jazeera are appropriate, while the Canadian B'nai Brith
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#17328482962141212-582: A monthly allotment of 60 GB, beyond which Bell will charge $ 1.12 per GB to a maximum of $ 22.50. If a customer uses more than 300 GB a month, Bell will also be able to implement an additional charge of 75 cents per gigabyte. In May 2010, the CRTC ruled that Bell could not implement its usage-based billing system until all of its own retail customers had been moved off older, unlimited downloading plans. The requirement would have meant that Bell would have to move its oldest and most loyal customers. The CRTC also added that Bell would be required to offer to wholesale ISPs
1313-549: A more complicated problem for the CRTC. While an unlicensed satellite dish can often be identified easily, satellite radio receivers are much more compact and can rarely be easily identified, at least not without flagrantly violating provisions against unreasonable search and seizure in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . Some observers argued that this influenced the CRTC's June 2005 decision to ease Canadian content restrictions on satellite radio (see above). The CRTC
1414-459: A new "open entry" approach to foreign controlled "third language" (non-English, non-French) channels. Al Jazeera : Was approved by the CRTC in 2004 as an optional cable and satellite offering, but on the condition that any carrier distributing it must edit out any instances of illegal hate speech. Cable companies declared that these restrictions would make it too expensive to carry Al Jazeera. Although no cable company released data as to what such
1515-410: A policy of non-interference. In May 2011, in response to the increase presence of Over-the-Top (OTT) programming, the CRTC put a call out to the public to provide input on the impact OTT programming is having on Canadian content and existing broadcasting subscriptions through satellite and cable. On October 5, 2011, the CRTC released their findings that included consultations with stakeholders from
1616-423: A private service. Despite receiving criticism from a number of groups, most notably from Ontario educational broadcaster TVO , the CRTC approved the request on May 15, 2017, citing the lack of intervention from the provincial government, as well as talks between the government and British Columbia's Knowledge Network to potentially launch a new publicly owned and operated educational broadcast service in Alberta. As
1717-503: A result, CTV 2 Alberta dropped all educational programming but continues to air the newsmagazine Alberta Primetime . As part of Canada's transition to digital terrestrial television , broadcast television stations in Calgary and Edmonton were required to convert to digital broadcasting or sign off completely by August 31, 2011. Prior to this deadline, Access' only over-the-air transmitters were located in Calgary and Edmonton. As Access/CTV 2
1818-476: A single date for ending analogue broadcasts, opting to let market forces decide when the switchover will occur. It subsequently reversed its position, on May 17, 2007, setting an analogue shutoff date of August 31, 2011, just over two years after the American transition date of June 12, 2009. Mandatory markets with a transmitter that does not transition to digital by the deadline will lose the over-the-air signal for
1919-583: A statement calling on the CRTC to review its approval of two new radio stations, Frank Torres' CIDG-FM and Astral Media 's CJOT-FM , which it had licensed in August 2008 to serve the Ottawa - Gatineau radio market. Moore asked the commission to assess whether the francophone population of the Ottawa-Gatineau area was sufficiently well-served by existing French radio services, and to consider licensing one or more of
2020-513: A subscription fee ( fee-for-carriage ) similar to that already charged by cable specialty channels , permitting licence fees similar to those that fund the BBC in the United Kingdom , or eliminating terrestrial television broadcasting entirely and moving to an exclusively cable-based distribution model. The CRTC ultimately decided to relax restrictions on advertising, gradually removing all limits to
2121-618: Is a public organization in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasting and telecommunications. It was created in 1976 when it took over responsibility for regulating telecommunication carriers. Prior to 1976, it was known as the Canadian Radio and Television Commission , which was established in 1968 by the Parliament of Canada to replace the Board of Broadcast Governors . Its headquarters
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#17328482962142222-407: Is being re-allocated for mobile telecommunications devices and public safety communication. The mobile telecommunications portion of the spectrum is to be auction by the Canadian government to telecommunications companies in 2013. Industry Canada stopped issuing broadcast certificates for the upper part of this channel range in 2000 and the remainder of this channel range in 2007. On August 22, 2011,
2323-675: Is located in the Central Building (Édifice central) of Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau , Quebec . The CRTC was originally known as the Canadian Radio-Television Commission. In 1976, jurisdiction over telecommunications services, most of which were then delivered by monopoly common carriers (for example, telephone companies), was transferred to it from the Canadian Transport Commission although
2424-490: Is not unlawful as provided by The Radiocommuncation Act Section 4(1)(b), which states: "No person shall, except under and in accordance with a radio authorization, install, operate or possess radio apparatus, other than (b)a radio apparatus that is capable only of the reception of broadcasting and that is not a distribution undertaking. (radio apparatus" means a device or combination of devices intended for, or capable of being used for, radiocommunication)." Satellite radio poses
2525-488: Is often the lightning rod for policy criticism that could arguably be better directed at the government itself. Complaints against broadcasters, such as concerns around offensive programming, are dealt with by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC), an independent broadcast industry association, rather than by the CRTC, although CBSC decisions can be appealed to the CRTC if necessary. However,
2626-500: Is opposed to any approval of Al Jazeera in Canada. The CRTC ruling applied to Al Jazeera and not to its English-speaking sister network Al Jazeera English , which was launched two years after the ruling. Fox News Channel : Until 2004, the CRTC's apparent reluctance to grant a digital licence to Fox News Channel under the same policy which made it difficult for RAI to enter the country – same-genre competition from foreign services – had angered many conservative Canadians, who believed
2727-408: Is planning on doing the same. The United States government, using some proceeds of the spectrum auction, funded an education campaign in advance of the transition, provided subsidies to many broadcasters in support of transitioning to digital, and provided subsidies to consumers for digital to analogue converter boxes. In contrast, the Canadian government did not provide any similar funding in support of
2828-572: Is primarily regulated by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). ISED has jurisdiction over the allotment of the terrestrial spectrum, and the CRTC has jurisdiction over the allotment of broadcast licences. The CRTC imposed in 28 mandatory digital markets, a digital transition deadline for full power transmitters to switch from analogue transmitters to digital transmitters by 31 August 2011 if licensed broadcasters wanted to continue operating in those markets, with
2929-525: Is responsible for allocating frequencies and call signs, managing the broadcast spectrum, and regulating other technical issues such as interference with electronics equipment. The CRTC has in the past regulated the prices cable television broadcast distributors are allowed to charge. In most major markets, however, prices are no longer regulated due to increased competition for broadcast distribution from satellite television . The CRTC also regulates which channels broadcast distributors must or may offer. Per
3030-562: Is run by up to 13 full-time members (including the chairman, the vice-chairman of broadcasting, and the vice-chairman of telecommunications) appointed by the Cabinet for renewable terms of up to five years. However, unlike the more directly political appointees of the American Federal Communications Commission , the CRTC is an arms-length regulatory body with more autonomous authority over telecommunications. For example,
3131-548: Is to create a market in which Canadian networks can realize revenue through advertising sales in spite of their inability to match the rates that the much larger American networks can afford to pay for syndicated programming. This policy is also why Canadian viewers do not see American advertisements during the Super Bowl , even when tuning into one of the many American networks carried on Canadian televisions. The CRTC also regulates radio in Canada, including community radio , where
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3232-648: Is transmitted using the ATSC standard . Because Canada and the U.S. use the same standard and frequencies for channels, people near the Canada–United States border can watch digital television programming from television stations in either country where available. The ATSC standards are also used in Mexico , the Dominican Republic , Suriname , and South Korea . Jurisdiction over terrestrial broadcasting in Canada
3333-545: The CBC and Radio-Canada stations in Toronto and Montreal , as well as CTV's CFTO and CIVT , and Quebecor Media 's independent station CKXT . The first Canadian broadcaster to have delivered a digital-only terrestrial TV signal of any type, CKXT-TV (in Ottawa and London ), signed on its pair of digital-only transmitters in 2008. These were both rebroadcasters of the same Toronto station with no local programme origination;
3434-574: The Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services (CCTS) opened its doors. Third Party ISP Access refers to a ruling forcing Cable operators (MSO) to offer Internet access to third party resellers. The commission currently has some jurisdiction over the provision of local landline telephone service in Canada. This is largely limited to the major incumbent carriers, such as Bell Canada and Telus , for traditional landline service (but not Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)). It has begun
3535-677: The United States but not in Canada. Users of these unlicensed services contend that they are not directly breaking any laws by simply using the equipment. The equipment is usually purchased from an American supplier (although some merchants have attempted to set up shop in Canada) and the services are billed to an American postal address. The advent of online billing and the easy availability of credit card services has made it relatively easy for almost anyone to maintain an account in good standing, regardless of where they actually live. Sec. 9(1)(c) of
3636-400: The United States ' Federal Communications Commission announced a freeze on all future applications for broadcast stations requesting to use channel 51, to prevent adjacent-channel interference to the 700 MHz band. On December 16, 2011, Industry Canada placed a moratorium on future television stations using Channel 51 for broadcast use, to prevent adjacent-channel interference to
3737-406: The federal cabinet known as orders-in-council , represent the bulk of the CRTC's jurisdiction. In many cases, such as the cabinet-directed prohibition on foreign ownership for broadcasters and the legislated principle of the predominance of Canadian content, these acts and orders often leave the CRTC less room to change policy than critics sometimes suggest, and the result is that the commission
3838-435: The 1238 low-power transmitters were converted, costs would increase further. Some of the highest costs were for existing full-power VHF rebroadcast transmitters that would have to be replaced by new UHF facilities in locations far from broadcast studios. As a worst-case scenario, CTV - owned CJOH-TV-6 and CJOH-TV-8 were estimated to have a conversion cost of over four million dollars each. While CTV threatened to shut down
3939-519: The 1990s, the CRTC rejected applications by Milestone Radio to launch a radio station in Toronto which would have been Canada's first urban music station; in both cases, the CRTC instead granted licences to stations that duplicated formats already offered by other stations in the Toronto market. The decision has been widely cited as one of the single most significant reasons why Canadian hip hop had difficulty establishing its commercial viability throughout
4040-463: The 1990s. The CRTC finally granted a licence to Milestone in 2000, after a cabinet order-in-council directed the commission to license two new radio stations that reflected the cultural diversity of the Toronto market, and CFXJ-FM launched in 2001. CHOI-FM : The CRTC announced it would not renew the licence of the popular radio station CHOI-FM in Quebec City , after having previously sanctioned
4141-460: The 35% rule on local radio stations, was necessary because unlicensed U.S. receivers were already flooding into the country, so that enforcing a ban on these receivers would be nearly impossible (see below). This explanation did not satisfy cultural nationalists, who demanded that the federal cabinet overturn the decision and mandate a minimum of 35% Canadian content. Supporters of the decision argue that satellite radio can only be feasibly set up as
CTV 2 Alberta - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-533: The 600 MHz band were scheduled to either move out of the 600 MHz band or shut down no later than 2022 under an ISED schedule published in 2017; however, a number of analogue stations in smaller markets continue to operate as of December 2022. The digital television transition in Canada and the United States will result in spectrum on channels 52 to 69 being re-allocated for other purposes. The United States government already auctioned most of this spectrum and Canada
4343-438: The 700 MHz band. All remaining transmitters occupying channels 52 to 69 are low power analogue and no new transmitters are allowed to be added to this channel range. The Government of Canada has not set a deadline for low power transmitters to vacate this channel range. Industry Canada has proposed that if notification is given for a transmitter to cease transmitting within this channel range, it will have 2 years to vacate
4444-606: The August 2011 deadline. The remaining CBC/SRC originating O&Os were to be converted a year later in August 2012, subject to CRTC approval. In December 2010, CBC/Radio-Canada updated the information on its website to state that it was striving to convert originating O&O by August 31, 2011. The CBC stated that it does not intend on transitioning any of its full-power repeaters to digital, despite in some cases being in markets (such as Kitchener , London and Saskatoon ) required to convert by August 31, 2011. In many instances, stations transitioning to digital continued utilizing
4545-570: The Broadcasting Act the commission also gives priority to Canadian signals—many non-Canadian channels which compete with Canadian channels are thus not approved for distribution in Canada. The CRTC argues that allowing free trade in television stations would overwhelm the smaller Canadian market, preventing it from upholding its responsibility to foster a national conversation. Some people, however, consider this tantamount to censorship . The CRTC's simultaneous substitution rules require that when
4646-420: The CRTC allowed the CBC the extension to remain in analogue, the corporation's full power transmitters occupying channels 52 to 69 were still required to either relocate to channels 2 to 51 or become low power transmitters. In some cases, the CBC has opted reduce the power of existing transmitters to low power transmitters, which will result in signal loss for some viewers. List of Mandatory Markets : Note that
4747-740: The CRTC is also sometimes erroneously criticized for CBSC decisions — for example, the CRTC was erroneously criticized for the CBSC's decisions pertaining to the airing of Howard Stern 's terrestrial radio show in Canada in the late 1990s, as well as the CBSC's controversial ruling on the Dire Straits song " Money for Nothing ". The commission is not fully equivalent to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission , which has additional powers over technical matters, in broadcasting and other aspects of communications, in that country. In Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (formerly Industry Canada)
4848-462: The CRTC mandated a requirement that television stations must broadcast public service announcements regarding the digital over-the-air television transition from May 1, 2011, until August 31, 2011. Stations must broadcast these ads 6 times a day, and increase this to 8 times a day starting August 1, 2011 or one month before the digital transition date for that station, whichever is sooner. Also by May 1, 2011, broadcasters must post on their websites about
4949-598: The CRTC outraged some Canadian cultural nationalists (such as the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting ) and labour unions by licensing two companies, Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius Canada to offer satellite radio services in Canada. The two companies are in partnership with American firms XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio respectively, and in accordance with the CRTC decision will only need to offer ten percent Canadian content. The CRTC contends that this low level of Canadian content, particularly when compared to
5050-491: The CRTC requires that at least 15% of each station's output must be locally produced spoken word content. In a major May 1999 decision on "New Media", the CRTC held that under the Broadcasting Act the CRTC had jurisdiction over certain content communicated over the Internet including audio and video, but excluding content that is primarily alphanumeric such as emails and most webpages. It also issued an exemption order committing to
5151-552: The CRTC's decisions rely more on a judiciary process relying on evidence submitted during public consultations, rather than along party lines as the American FCC is prone to do. The CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee (CISC) assists in developing information, procedures and guidelines for the CRTC's regulatory activities. Digital television in Canada Digital terrestrial television in Canada (often shortened to DTT)
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#17328482962145252-608: The Canadian marketplace, a move intended to create a public outcry and a threat that Canadians would resort to using satellite viewing cards obtained via the US in order to watch RAI, even though these cards were either grey market or black market , according to different analyses (see below). Following unprecedented foreign led and domestic political interference with the CRTC's quasi-judicial independent regulatory process, within six months of its original decision, an abrupt CRTC "review" of its policy on third-language foreign services determined to drop virtually all restrictions and adopt
5353-640: The Citytv stations instead, the Rogers deal was rendered void. As such, CTVglobemedia retained Access along with the A-Channel stations, CKX-TV and all of CHUM's specialty channels, and sold the Citytv stations to Rogers. The takeover transaction was finalized on June 22, 2007. The A-Channel stations were rebranded as "A" on August 11, 2008; on the same date, Access debuted a new A-styled logo and began airing programming from "A" during certain prime time hours. On June 8, 2011, it
5454-511: The Federal Court of Canada. CBC Newsworld : The CRTC licensed the CBC on November 30, 1987, to provide a national all-news television network. Its competitor applicant, Alberta -based Allarcom , appealed this decision to the House of Commons of Canada . It was overturned and there were questions of whether federal politicians should meddle in CRTC decisions. Because of this the network launch
5555-609: The French language applications, which included a Christian music station, a community radio station and a campus radio station for the Université du Québec en Outaouais , in addition to or instead of the approved stations. The review ultimately identified a viable frequency for a third station, and CJFO-FM launched in 2010. Bell Canada usage-based billing : On October 28, 2010, the CRTC handed down its final decision on how wholesale customers can be billed by large network owners. Under
5656-602: The Government of Alberta announced in 1993 that it would cease to directly fund Access past 1994. As a result, in 1995, Access was privatized and sold to Learning and Skills Television of Alberta Limited (LSTA), which was 60% owned by CHUM Limited . In February 2005, CHUM Limited acquired the remaining 40% interest in LSTA (and renamed it Access Media Group ), giving the company 100% of its shares, including its ownership in Access. On July 12, 2006, CTVglobemedia announced that it would make
5757-584: The Radiocommunication Act creates a prohibition against all decoding of encrypted programming signals, followed by an exception where authorization is received from the person holding the lawful right in Canada to transmit and authorize decoding of the signal. This means receiving the encrypted programming of DishNetwork or DirecTV, even with a grey market subscription, may be construed as unlawful (this remains an unresolved Constitutional issue). Notwithstanding, possession of DishNetwork or DirecTV equipment
5858-511: The United States as important concessions. Despite popular perception that the CRTC banned Sirius Canada from broadcasting Howard Stern 's program, this is not the case. Sirius Canada in fact initially chose not to air Stern based on the possibility of a future issue with the CRTC, although the company reversed its decision and began offering Howard Stern in 2006. 2008 Ottawa radio licences : On November 21, 2008, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore issued
5959-661: The abbreviation CRTC remained the same. On the telecom side, the CRTC originally regulated only privately held common carriers: Other telephone companies, many of which were publicly owned and entirely within a province's borders, were regulated by provincial authorities until court rulings during the 1990s affirmed federal jurisdiction over the sector, which also included some fifty small independent incumbents, most of them in Ontario and Quebec. Notable in this group were: The CRTC regulates all Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications activities and enforces rules it creates to carry out
6060-408: The broadcasters' specific plans for digital transition. On August 18, 2011, the CRTC issued a decision that allowed the CBC's mandatory market rebroadcasting transmitters in analogue to remain on-air until August 31, 2012. When the CRTC made this announcement, the CBC communicated that it planned on requesting an extension to remain broadcasting in analogue past the August 31, 2012 deadline. Although
6161-474: The broadcasting industry. Moreover, it does not deal with the availability of spectrum for mobile phone service, which is part of the Industry Canada mandate, nor the maintenance of competition, which is largely the responsibility of The Competition Bureau . Any transfer of more than 30% of the ownership of a broadcasting licence (including cable/satellite distribution licences) requires advance approval of
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#17328482962146262-628: The cable, satellite, or other broadcast distributor must send the CTV feed over the signal of the carried ABC affiliate, even where the ABC version is somehow different, particularly commercials. (These rules are not intended to apply in case of differing episodes of the same series; this difference may not always be communicated to distributors, although this is rather rare.) Viewers via home antenna who receive both American and Canadian networks on their personal sets are not affected by sim-sub. The goal of this policy
6363-467: The channel officially relinquished its status as an educational broadcaster and dropped all its previous educational programming except the newsmagazine Alberta Primetime . CTV 2 Alberta is also designated as a "satellite-to-cable undertaking" serving the entirety of Alberta, and is therefore carried throughout the province on cable and licensed IPTV services on each service's basic tier. It is also available on both national satellite services. The channel
6464-642: The channel, if in a rural area, and 1 year, if it is in an urban area. All of the remaining transmitters in the channel 52 to 69 range, are subject to the 2-year notification period. On July 31, 2012, CBC / Radio-Canada and TVOntario shut down all of their analogue transmitters, resulting in a combined total of 21 transmitters shutting down from the channel 52 to 69 range. As of January 2013, based on Industry Canada's database of TV transmitters and based on transmitters known to have been permanently shut down, there are 15 remaining television transmitters occupying channels 52 to 69, all low power analogue, located in
6565-407: The commission has very little to do with the regulation of mobile phone service, outside of "undue preference" issues (for example, a carrier offering a superior rate or service to some subscribers and not others without a good reason). It does not regulate service rates, service quality, or other business practices, and commission approval is not necessary for wireless provider sales or mergers as in
6666-485: The commission. One condition normally taken into account in such a decision is the level of foreign ownership; federal regulations require that Canadian citizens ultimately own a majority of a broadcast licence. Usually this takes the form of a public process, where interested parties can express their concerns and sometimes including a public hearing, followed by a commission decision. While landline and mobile telephone providers must also be majority-owned by Canadians under
6767-406: The corresponding station permanently or until a digital transmitter is brought on-the-air for that station in that area. Note that the transition deadline only concerns over-the-air signals and does not impact other televisions reception methods in Canada such as over the Internet (already digital), cable (some analogue, most digital), or satellite (already digital). On July 6, 2009, the CRTC issued
6868-524: The digital television transition. The Canadian government's most visible efforts to support the public in the transition to digital over-the-air television has been in the form of a website, along with some newspaper, radio, and television advertisements in the month leading up to the transition deadline. Engineering firm Spectrum Expert Inc. estimated a total cost to Canadian broadcasters of $ 378-425 million to convert all 738 Canadian full-power television transmitters to DTV on their newly assigned channels; if
6969-528: The exception of some CBC transmitters. Two weeks before the deadline, the CBC transmitters were given a temporary one-year extension to remain in analogue. No digital transition deadline has been set for low-power analogue transmitters and analogue transmitters outside the 28 mandatory digital markets. In January 2007, ISED stopped issuing licences within Canada for new television transmitters broadcasting in analogue. All remaining analogue and digital terrestrial television signals across Canada broadcasting within
7070-509: The federal Telecommunications Act , the CRTC is not responsible for enforcement of this provision. In fact, the commission does not require licences at all for telephone companies, and CRTC approval is therefore not generally required for the sale of a telephone company, unless said company also owns a broadcast licence. Since 1987, the CRTC has been involved in several notable decisions, some of which led to controversy and debate. Milestone Radio : In two separate rounds of licence hearings in
7171-410: The first station in Canada to launch original content on its multiplex channels. Further, there are currently no transmitters broadcasting TV signals intended for mobile devices, though CBLFT-DT has done occasional test broadcasts of a mobile simulcast of sister station CBLT-DT in 2011 and 2012. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) initially decided not to enforce
7272-545: The go-ahead to implement usage-based billing. This ruling according to Teksavvy handcuffs the competitive market. This has been asked by Stephen Harper and Parliament to have the decision reviewed. According to a tweet by Industry Minister Tony Clement , unless the CRTC reverses this decision, the government will use its override power to reverse the decision. While an exact number has not been determined, thousands of Canadians have purchased and used what they contend to be grey market radio and television services, licensed in
7373-410: The gradual deregulation of such services where, in the commission's opinion, a sufficient level of competition exists. The CRTC is sometimes blamed for the current state of the mobile phone industry in Canada, in which there are only three national mobile network operators – Bell Mobility , Telus Mobility , and Rogers Wireless – as well as a handful of MVNOs operating on these networks. In fact,
7474-421: The leader of the post-fascist party of Italy) had unilaterally terminated a 20-year-old agreement and stripped all of its 1,500 to 2,000 annual hours of programming from Telelatino (TLN), a Canadian-run channel which had devoted 95% of its prime time schedule to RAI programs for 20 years since TLN was founded. All Italian-Canadians were denied RAI programming by RAI International's removal of its programming from
7575-472: The list below does not take into account plans of network affiliate stations. Although the majority of the over-the-air transmitters that were planned to be converted to digital made this conversion by August 31, 2011, a handful of stations had delays and were permitted to remain broadcasting in analogue. In February 2012, CFTU-TV converted its transmitter to digital, marking the last of the mandatory market transmitters planned to become digital, to finally make
7676-622: The listed features to varying extents. CJON-DT in St. John's has become the first to offer different content on a subchannel, in the form of sister radio station CHOZ-FM on an audio-only subchannel, and CIII-DT in Toronto offers an SD simulcast of its HD feed on a subchannel, which is allowed under current CRTC licensing policies. On August 17, 2012, the CRTC gave approval to low-power community station CFTV-TV in Leamington, Ontario to broadcast four local subchannels on its digital signal, making it
7777-470: The main Toronto station transmitted in both analogue and digital format. The first stations to complete the digital transition (on their main signals) were Trois-Rivières , Quebec 's CFKM-DT , followed by CISA-DT in Lethbridge , Alberta . As of July 2011, digital television broadcasts had commenced in just 11 of Canada's largest markets, but nearly all of the stations in mandatory markets ended up meeting
7878-568: The network carried a variety of educational and informative programs along with entertainment programs all of which include children's programs, documentaries, feature films, talk shows, dramas, comedies and other programs. Starting March 9, 2009, Access began cabling a province-wide news and current affairs magazine program called Alberta Primetime , from the CTV/Access studios in Edmonton. Resources from CTV's owned-and-operated stations in Edmonton ( CFRN-DT ) and Calgary ( CFCN-DT ) are used to produce
7979-423: The network was deliberately being kept out due to its perceived conservative bias , particularly given the long-standing availability of services such as CNN and BBC World in Canada. On November 18, 2004, however, the CRTC approved an application by cable companies to offer Fox News Channel on the digital cable tier. Fox commenced broadcasting in Canada shortly thereafter. Satellite radio : In June 2005,
8080-531: The number of advertisements per hour of broadcast programming, as the funding mechanism. A CRTC statement issued in June 2008 indicated that as of that date, only 22 digital transmitters had been fully installed across the entire country, and expressed the regulator's concern that Canada's television broadcasters were not adequately preparing for the shift to digital broadcasting. The US financial crisis and subsequent 2008 recession adversely affected advertising sales,
8181-465: The plan which starts within 90 days, Bell will be able to charge wholesale service providers a flat monthly fee to connect to its network, and for a set monthly usage limit per each ISP customer the ISP has. Beyond that set limit, individual users will be charged per gigabyte, depending on the speed of their connections. Customers using the fastest connections of five megabits per second, for example, will have
8282-585: The policies assigned to it; the best-known of these is probably the Canadian content rules. The CRTC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage , which is responsible for the Broadcasting Act, and has an informal relationship with Industry Canada , which is responsible for the Telecommunications Act . Provisions in these two acts, along with less-formal instructions issued by
8383-491: The primary source of revenue for most broadcasters. Inadequate revenue in combination with debt incurred from purchasing other media companies caused Canwest , owner of the Global Television Network , to file for bankruptcy protection and to be subsequently purchased by Shaw Communications . Some Global Television Network and CTV stations in smaller markets were closed or sold. Seeking further sources of revenue,
8484-626: The program. CTV 2 Alberta dropped all children's and educational programming from its schedule (including archival Access Network programming) when it ceased being licensed as an educational broadcaster in 2017. It now airs the full CTV 2 schedule with the exception of the provincial newsmagazine Alberta Primetime . *Currently being sold to other owners pending approval of the CRTC. Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ; French : Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes )
8585-573: The rapid progress in the industry they are working on a more in depth study to be concluded in May 2012. The CRTC does not directly regulate rates, quality of service issues, or business practices for Internet service providers. However, the CRTC does continually monitor the sector and associated trends. To handle complains, the CRTC was ordered by the Government of Canada to create an independent, industry-funded agency to resolve complaints from consumers and small business retail telecom customers. In July 2007,
8686-414: The same channel, antenna or other facilities for their new digital transmitters after the end of transition. To save costs, with the exception of some stations in the largest markets, stations chose to flash cut from analogue to digital at the transition deadline rather than spending on the infrastructure and energy costs needed to broadcast the station in analogue and digital at the same time. Leading up to
8787-439: The same usage insurance plan it sells to retail customers. Bell appealed both requirements, citing that the rules do not apply to cable companies and that they constituted proactive rate regulation by the CRTC, which goes against government official policy direction that the regulator only intervene in markets after a competitive problem has been proven. In Thursday's decision, the CRTC rescinded both requirements, thereby giving Bell
8888-480: The signal. Requested changes included the following (note that this is a list of applications to the CRTC and does not reflect what the CRTC has approved or what has been implemented): Most stations have announced no plans for converting or shutting down analogue transmitters outside mandatory markets required to transition to digital by August 31, 2011, but here are some exceptions: The 700 MHz band, occupying channels 52 to 69, occupied by television transmitters,
8989-433: The station for failing to uphold its promise of performance and then, during the years following, receiving about 50 complaints about offensive behaviour by radio jockeys which similarly contravened CRTC rules on broadcast hate speech. Many thousands of the station's fans marched in the streets and on Parliament Hill against the decision, and the parent company of CHOI, Genex Corp., appealed the CRTC decision unsuccessfully to
9090-414: The switch. This left 23 CBC and Radio-Canada rebroadcast transmitters in mandatory markets being required to transition to digital by August 31, 2012, though the CBC shut down all of its remaining analogue television transmitters on July 31, 2012, with no further transmitters made digital. Following the August 31, 2011 deadline, some channels requested to make changes to their digital transmitters to improve
9191-434: The telecommunication industry, media producers, and cultural leaders among others. The evidence was inconclusive, suggesting that an increased availability of OTT options is not having a negative impact on the availability or diversity of Canadian content, one of the key policy mandates of the CRTC, nor are there signs that there has been a significant decline of television subscriptions through cable or satellite. However, given
9292-506: The television broadcasters including CTV launched an aggressive and somewhat successful campaign to re-open debate on introducing value for signal from cable and satellite television providers in 2009. On August 6, 2010, CBC/Radio-Canada announced in a press release that only its existing digital stations, along with both Alberta CBC Television originating stations plus all Télévision de Radio-Canada (SRC) originating stations in Quebec City and Moncton , would be DTV-ready in time for
9393-410: The transition deadline, CRTC expressed concern that "if all broadcasters wait until the last moment to proceed to the transition, there could be a shortage of professional engineers and competent technicians capable of assuming the development of new plans and the installation of new systems and structures". Due to limited engineering resources, Global Television Network flash cut its transmitters over
9494-458: The transition deadline. The stations that did not meet the deadline fall into two categories. First, there were some stations that had delays in converting to digital due to financial or technical issues. Second, are the CBC rebroadcaster transmitters in mandatory markets, and CTV's Access transmitters in Calgary, AB and Edmonton, AB . In the CBC's case, the CBC obtained an over year extension to convert its transmitters, publicly stating that it
9595-401: The viewer, such as the following: support for high definition (HD) picture, support for 5 speaker surround sound, support for information on the current and the next few programs shown on the channel , support for sub-channels , Solomon-Reed error correction to eliminate multipath ( ghosting ), and support for mobile devices (i.e. ATSC-M/H ). Canadian broadcasters have implemented many of
9696-437: Was delayed from September 1, 1988, to July 31, 1989. RAI International : In Summer 2004, this Italian government-controlled channel was denied permission to broadcast independently in Canada on the grounds that it had acted and was likely to act contrary to established Canadian policies. RAI International's latest politically appointed President (an avowed right wing nationalist and former spokesperson for Giorgio Almirante,
9797-725: Was launched on June 30, 1973 as Access . It was owned by the Alberta Educational Communications Corporation (AECC), a Crown corporation of the Government of Alberta that also operated CKUA Radio . Prior to this point, English-language educational programs aired on Radio-Canada 's television station CBXFT in Edmonton . For its first decade, Access was only available through cable, and did not broadcast over-the-air. It competed with KSPS-TV in Spokane, Washington ,
9898-438: Was licensed as a satellite-to-cable undertaking, it was not required to offer over-the-air transmitters. Due to this, the costs of converting the two Access transmitters in Calgary and Edmonton to digital, and because the network already must be carried by cable and IPTV providers in the area as the province's designated educational broadcaster, CTV 2 shut down its over-the-air television transmitters on August 31, 2011. As Access,
9999-423: Was not planning on converting these transmitters. The CBC later announced that all its analogue transmitters will be permanently shut down on July 31, 2012, and will not be replaced. In the case of CTV's Access transmitters, the network chose to shut them down at the transition deadline rather than converting them to digital. Broadcasting digital terrestrial signals instead of analogue offers numerous advantages to
10100-431: Was revealed that Access would be relaunched as CTV Two Alberta on August 29, 2011, as part of a rebranding of the "A" system. On January 11, 2016, during CTV 2 Alberta's licence renewal, Bell Media (a successor to CTVglobemedia) requested that the channel no longer be classified as an educational broadcaster. The company stated that the province would be better served with both a dedicated educational broadcaster alongside
10201-671: Was the first Canadian station to provide digital terrestrial service, first broadcasting in January 2003, and going full-time in March 2003. The first HD broadcast in Canada was CBC Sports ' coverage of the Heritage Classic , an outdoor NHL game. The CBC ultimately launched a high definition feed of their eastern (Toronto) flagship CBLT in 2005, later launching feeds in Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. As of 2008, other digital stations on-air included
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