CRTC chair worries Canada will not meet digital TV transition deadline

CRTC chair Konrad von Finkenstein says he is “very concerned” that Canada’s broadcast industry is dragging its heals in preparing for the transition to over-the-air (OTA) digital television and will be ill-prepared for the switch on August 31, 2011 – a deadline he warned “is carved in stone”. CRTC chair Konrad von Finkenstein says he is “very concerned” that Canada’s broadcast industry is dragging its heals in preparing for the transition to over-the-air (OTA) digital television and will be ill-prepared for the switch on August 31, 2011 – a deadline he warned “is carved in stone”.“I do not want to get any nasty surprises in 2011… My great concern is that the industry will not be ready. There will be requests for delays and we will have a crisis on our hands. This must not be allowed to happen,” the CRTC chair told delegates June 19 at the 2008 Broadcasting Invitational Summit in Cambridge ON.August 31, 2011 is the latest by which broadcasters will be allowed to continue analog OTA transmissions. With a few exceptions permitted for northern and remote areas where analog interference will not be a problem, the CRTC chair says nobody will be getting a licence to broadcast in analog after the cut-off date.“We set that firm date because we wanted to galvanize the industry into action on the transition to digital.” Despite the encroaching deadline, he says so far the industry “has not shown the sense of urgency that I think is called for right now… As far as I know, there has been no concerted effort at communication and/or education by the industry or individual players. 2011 is not a long time away.”That sense of urgency – or even crisis – could hit Canada far earlier than 2011. By February 17, 2009, all broadcast TV stations in the US are required under federal law to stop broadcasting in analog and to broadcast only in digital. With a growing number of Canadians flocking to purchase high-definition TV sets, come next year, many of those viewers may be tuning into American channels with its wide selection of HD choices. Von Finkenstein says by the time Canadian broadcasters catch up, “it may be very difficult to recapture those lost viewers”.The issue was raised at last month’s board meeting of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters in Ottawa. The board’s Television Council endorsed the creation of a Digital Transition Task Force to provide guidance on questions related to the transition to both HD television and digital radio. But the chair stressed this isn’t enough. In response, the CRTC has asked broadcasters to table their plans for digital roll-out as their licences come up for renewal next year. These details will include: timetables for rollout, identifying which facilities will be converted and when, and digital rollout in small communities. OTA transmissions to continue Despite the fact that most Canadians receive their television programming via cable, satellite and microwave, broadcasters shouldn’t expect an end to OTA transmissions anytime soon. There are currently 740 high power and 1400 low power analog transmitters broadcasting TV signals in Canada. This doesn’t include the dozens of free TV signals Canadian viewers pick up from US border stations. Some broadcasters have advocated an end to OTA transmissions with the switch to digital, saying the infrastructure and maintenance costs are prohibitive considering the audience share is so small. There have also been calls for a hybrid system, with larger centres able to receive both OTA and BDU, and small markets restricted to BDU only.Both solutions are rejected by the CRTC, which favours a solution that continues to give Canadians—particularly low income families—access to free TV. Otherwise, warns Von Finkenstein, those viewers will simply pick up their free TV, and non-Canadian shows, from US border stations.“I would like to make the CRTC’s position very clear. Over-the-air transmission has always been the cornerstone of our broadcasting system. We expect that OTA will move to digital and will continue to play that key role. It is here to stay,” he stressed, with an added warning that broadcasters who are willing to give up OTA transmissions also risk losing privileges like priority carriage and simultaneous substitution.“If the OTA model were to be abandoned, the privileges associated with it might no longer be justifiable.” Canadian Communications Reports will provide industry reaction to the CRTC chair’s speech in the coming days.

CRTC chair worries Canada will not meet digital TV transition deadline

News | 06/23/2008 6:59 pm EDT

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