CHPC Committee News Release
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Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage |
HOUSE OF COMMONS CHAMBRE DES COMMUNES OTTAWA, CANADA K1A 0A6 |
Comité permanent du patrimoine canadien |
For immediate release
NEWS RELEASE
Issues and Challenges related to Local Television
Ottawa, June 19, 2009 -
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage tabled a report entitled Issues and Challenges Related to Local Television in which it recommends increasing contributions to the Local Progamming Improvement Fund (LPIF) being established by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
The recommendation, which would see contributions from cable and satellite companies (also known as Broadcasting Distribution Undertakings or BDUs) go from 1% to 2.5% of their revenues commencing September 2009, was one of 18 recommendations adopted by the Committee. It also recommended that CBC/Radio-Canada receive a portion of the LPIF equal to 1% of BDU revenues, with at least 10% of this amount being dedicated to official language communities. The remainder of the LPIF would be dedicated to broadcasters in small- and medium-size markets, including Aboriginal broadcasters, educational broadcasters, and community television. The Committee also called for the LPIF to be used exclusively for local programming.
The Chair of the Committee, Mr. Gary Schellenberger (Perth—Wellington, CPC) said, “The Committee feels that its recommendations on the Local Progamming Improvement Fund would go a long way to providing a timely response to the concerns we heard about the situation of local television.”
Among its other recommendations, the Committee recommended:
- stable, multi-year, and predictable funding for CBC/Radio-Canada;
- stopping or restricting the use of distant signals;
- eliminating licences fees under Part II of the Broadcasting Act;
- relaxing restrictions on local advertisements on community television
In March, April and May 2009, the Committee held ten hearings and an in-camera roundtable on the subject of the local television broadcasting. It heard from a total of 45 people and groups, including the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, the Chairman of the CRTC, broadcasters, distributors, producers, representatives of community channels, specialty and pay channels, Aboriginal television, community television, as well as unions and other interested groups.
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