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CRTC 'Corrects' Community TV Policy
Mediacaster Magazine - September 14, 2010
Changes to the requirements for local community access programming at Canadian community TV channels have been announced by the telecom regulator.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC, or Commission) has released what it calls corrections to existing content and appendices of its Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2010-622, aka the Community Television Policy.
The Commission will still implement a new 50% exhibition requirement that will take effect on 1 September 2014.
However, leading up to that date, existing exhibition requirements (BDUs that choose to operate a community channel must devote at least 30% of the programming to access programs; where demand exists, that minimum rises to 50%) have been adjusted and corrected to allow a ramp up period that requires local content to be increased each year.
The CRTC noted in its correction that:
"In order to provide licensees with adequate time to prepare to meet this minimum requirement, the Commission will implement the new 50% exhibition requirement through amendments to the Regulations that will require a minimum of 35% access programming in the 2011 broadcast year (1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012), 40% in the 2012 broadcast year (1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013), 45% in the 2013 broadcast year (1 September 2013 to 31 August 2014) and 50% beginning on 1 September 2014."
The Commission also noted it will require licensees to file annual reports that provide specific information regarding the broadcast of access programs during the broadcast day and in peak viewing hours.
These reports, which the Commission will make public, will provide interested parties with a greater detail regarding the licensees' activities.
The Commission said it recognizes some interveners' concerns that the demand for access may not be sufficient to meet a 50% expenditure requirement immediately. To ease these concerns, the access expenditure requirement will take effect in increments under the following conditions:
During the licence term, the licensee shall expend on access programming, at a minimum, an amount equal to 35% of community programming-related expenditures in the 2011 broadcast year, 40% in the 2012 broadcast year, 45% in the 2013 broadcast year and 50% beginning on 1 September 2014.
The access expenditure requirement will apply to the programming portion of community expenditures only. As such, technical, sales and promotion and administration and general expenses will not be included.
Given the importance of volunteer participation and development and community outreach as core elements of community television, the Commission considers expenditures for volunteer training and development and community outreach to generate access programming as eligible access programming expenditures.
The Commission will grant up to 5% flexibility per year on required access expenditures, as follows:
In each year of the licence term, excluding the final year, a licensee may expend an amount on access programming that is up 5% less than the minimum required expenditure for that year; in such case, the licensee shall expend in the next year of the licence term, in addition to the minimum required expenditure for that year, the full amount of the previous year's under-spending.
Key dates for new requirements
Annual report on access programming
Beginning in the 2010 broadcast year (1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011), licensed BDUs that operate community channels shall file an annual report on access programming with their annual returns.
Annual returns
Beginning in the 2011 broadcast year (1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012), both licensed and exempt BDUs with more than 2,000 subscribers will be required to report the information related to local expression set out in the appendix to this document as part of their annual returns.
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