CRTC becoming more accommodating to stakeholders: Eatrides

OTTAWA–The CRTC is improving its process to be more responsive to its various stakeholders, the commission chair said Monday. Vicky Eatrides was the opening speaker at the annual conference of the International Institute of Communications Canadian Chapter. “A key first step to becoming more timely has been to prioritize our work,” she stated. “Like everyone else, we’re busy. Our ‘regular’ workload involves over 400 decisions, notices and orders every year.” She specifically pointed to wholesale high-speed access and the modernization of the broadcasting system as areas that the regulator has been focusing on. It is a daunting task. “I have often said that we can move mountains, but not all at once,” she continued. “So we have developed areas of focus for this year to prioritize and resource areas with the greatest impact.” Eatrides began her speech by describing the commission’s recent hearings in the Yukon investigating services in the North. She mentioned the Yukon community of Atlin which has no high-speed service, no cellular service and no 911 service. One woman waited a full day before being checked on for a medical emergency, the chair reported. Similarly children could not access online learning during the pandemic. This hindered their education by two or three years. The commissioner pointed to recent activities that the CRTC has taken in response to the changing landscape. Last week the commission published terms for mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) to access networks of established players. It also released a plan for consultations over the Online Streaming Act which was recently passed by Parliament. She said the regulator is also keeping an eye on the progress of Bill C-18, the Online News Act, which is currently being debated. One of the biggest changes involves Part 1 applications from broadcasters and from telecoms. Eatrides pledged to be more transparent and timely in handling the requests. “To be more transparent, we are posting Part 1s for public comment as soon as we receive them,” she told delegates. “To be more timely, we have put in place a new structure to quickly remove from the system applications that are redundant or outside the scope of our mandate.” The commission is also looking at the final offer arbitration process seeking ways to improve it, she added. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

CRTC becoming more accommodating to stakeholders: Eatrides

Broadcast | May 15, 2023

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CRTC becoming more accommodating to stakeholders: Eatrides

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