Broadcasters submit V-chip timetable to CRTC
The CRTC is reviewing a proposal from Canadian broadcasters that would see the V-chip introduced in Canada next year. If approved, broadcasters would begin encoding their programming to work with V-chip equipped television sets. The commission is expected to respond to the proposed timetable within the next few weeks. Broadcasters currently use an on-screen ratings system, that places icons in the top left-hand corner of the television screen to alert viewers as to a program’s violence, language or sexual content. With V-chip-ready televisions now coming onto the market, broadcasters say they’re ready to begin encoding their programs. The CEO of a Canadian company that manufacturers the V-chip says encoding the ratings system into the video portion of the program is the "missing link" that was required to rollout the V-chip in Canada. Najmul Siddiqui of Tri-Vision International Ltd notes that Canada has not made V-chip compliance mandatory, as was done in the U.S.