Securing community television’s future

The CRTC’s current review of low-power television stations is pitting large communications companies against community activists who see this proceeding as an opportunity to re-patriot the airwaves for public use (CCR, Sept 14/00, Aug. 31/00). Cablecos say they don’t have the capacity to carry community TV stations. Broadcasters fear increased competition for advertising dollars, and wireless carriers want the CRTC to stay out of the spectrum allocation business. But the CRTC’s mandate to ensure a venue for local expression is clearly spelled out in the Broadcasting Act and with so many individuals and community groups from across Canada speaking out on this issue, it will be difficult for the regulator to dismiss their concerns. Catherine Edwards, a Calgary producer who has worked extensively in community cable, is urging the CRTC to revitalize community television. An edited except of her Oct. 30 comments to PN 2000-127 appear below: The creation of new policy regarding low-power broadcast community television must go hand-in-hand with a review of the existing remnants of the community channel system run by cable companies. This system was second to none in the world prior to 1997 in providing a public space on television for individuals and community groups to express their concerns and to exchange information. (It) was a vital part not only of Canada’s three-tiered broadcasting system as described in the Broadcasting Act but of its democracy. However, with the increasing consolidation of cable companies as national and international media conglomerates and with the evidence that given the choice, cable companies will exclude public access to community channels, they no longer can be trusted to represent community-access programming needs. The time has come for Canada to regain its leadership and to liberate the idea of community-access programming from its traditional association with cable companies. There needs to be a broad-based policy that would both a) license and b) fund community-access channels, through whatever distribution technology is appropriate for a particular community. Reliance on advertising or sponsorship as a primary source of funding is incompatible with public access. Consequently, the 2% (or an amount determined appropriate) that cable companies are allowed to retain for the provision of a "community channel" should be contributed instead toward a national "Community Television Production Fund". All commercial video service providers who are granted public licenses would contribute, in the same way that such service providers contribute to funds to support the commercial production tier. Communities wishing to have a community TV channel would submit a license application using the technology most appropriate to (each) community (broadcast, cable, analog or digital). If granted, the license would trigger funding from the Community Television Production Fund in proportion to the size of the community. To qualify as a "community channel" under the system I have described, the channel should be controlled by an organization whose membership is made up of representatives of the community at large and who should reside in that community. Community channels (should also) be not-for-profit in order for the access principle to operate and in order to qualify for funding. This does not exclude the possibility that low-power television channels could be licensed in both urban and remote areas for commercial purposes as well. These are two different policy issues. Community access channels should also be made available on the principle of lowest-common denominator. The technology used should be that which reaches the maximum number of households in the community. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to limit community channel licenses to digital channels, since they are not currently the lowest-common-denominator technology. If a percentage of bandwidth is retained for public use, this public space should be available in the future as the new system of community-access channels matures.

Securing community television’s future

News | 11/09/2000 5:00 am EST

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