In Broadcasting Decision 2006-204, the CRTC dismissed a complaint by MTS Allstream which alleged that Shaw Cablesystems and Videon CableSystems had made improper use of local avails to promote non-broadcasting services (see p.6). Below is an excerpt from MTS’ complaint.

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The CBC announced that Sally Catto will return from Australia to head up the broadcaster’s English-language drama programming. Catto was a CBC employee from 2001 to 2005, and as such oversaw dramatic production at the public broadcaster. Her roles included development, licensing and production initiatives for drama, working as a story editor on projects in development, evaluating and selecting submitted ideas for productions, and supervising the production and delivery of programming for the CBC’s prime time television schedule. She rejoins the corporation from SBS Independent, an arm of Australian public brodcaster Special Broadcasting Service. Prior to her first stint with the CBC, Catto worked as a production and development exec with Toronto’s Accent Entertainment, as well as an agent with Harrison Artist Management and Westwood Creative Artists.

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CRTC settles part of inside wiring dispute
Broadcast distributors servicing buildings that house transient residents – such as hotels, hospitals and nursing homes – will not have to open up their inside wiring to competitors, according to Broadcasting Public Notice 2006-68. The CRTC ruled on May 29 that its stated goal of increasing end-user choice would not be served by granting access to the inside wiring in such buildings to all broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs), because the "residents" in such an arrangement are neither permanent nor have any power over contracts to deliver broadcast service. The ruling was in response to a complaint originally brought against Rogers Cable Communications Inc. in February 2005 by Bell ExpressVu. The DTH provider claimed that Rogers was contravening section 10 of the Broadcasting Distribution Regulations by not granting it free and unfettered access to inside wiring in such locations, as well as in retail and commercial premises such as stores and banks. Other communications service providers, such as Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS), SaskTel and Telus Corp., soon chimed in after the commission put out a call for comments in August 2005, saying that the lack of mandatory access to inside wiring was harming competition to provide their services. However, the commission ruled in 2006-68 that because their businesses were predominantly regulated by the Telecommunications Act rather than the Broadcasting Act, their complaint lay largely outside the scope of the current matter. The commission also noted that even by the most generous estimates, the size of the transient residency and commercial establishment markets for broadcast services was small.

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Rogers Cable Inc. appears to have been bitten by the satellite radio bug, filing an application last month asking to carry satellite radio services on its digital cable network in Ontario, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.

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