‘What we do matters’: CRTC’s new services of exceptional importance fund brings relief, questions about next steps

When Monika Ille, CEO of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), heard the CRTC was creating a fund to support broadcasters like hers in an era of declining revenue, she had a big smile on her face. As part of a sweeping decision released on May 21, the CRTC announced it will establish a ‘services of exceptional importance fund’ (SEIF) under the Online Streaming Act (OSA) to support broadcasters the commission designates as essential to the media ecosystem. The SEIF will be funded by traditional broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDUs) and online streaming services that generate at least $100 million in annual Canadian revenues. Qualifying companies will be required to contribute 1.55 per cent of those revenues to the fund. Broadcasters eligible for the fund will be 9.1(1)(h) services (broadcasters the CRTC has classified as ‘must carries’ under the Broadcasting Act) including APTN, which benefit from a mandatory basic carriage distribution order and generate the majority of revenue from wholesale rates. However, the decision noted eligibility for the SEIF could be reviewed during the fund’s consultation. For years, 9.1(1)(h) services have been lobbying for the fund as their cable subscriber revenues steadily decline. In an interview with The Wire Report, Ille said “my fingers were crossed” for Thursday’s decision to include an answer on the creation of the SEIF. “When I saw it I had this big smile on my face saying, ‘Yes, thank you for this recognition,’ knowing that we have that support,” she said. Ille previously told The Wire Report the fund is crucial for APTN’s survival, which she believes provides valuable content that cannot be found elsewhere. “Indigenous broadcasting isn’t just something that’s nice to have. I would say it’s something essential in the ecosystem. It helps for reconciliation for cultural survival,” she said following the decision. “It’s important for us that we see ourselves reflected in the media landscape, and what we do matters.” For Christa Dickenson, CEO of Cable Public Affairs Channel Inc. (CPAC), the decision provides “decisive direction” for an organization that has been “flailing” for years. “It’s unquestionably the long-term solution that we all have been waiting for,” she told The Wire Report. “So we’re immensely grateful.” Despite the relief the new decision brings, questions remain about what comes next. Before the fund becomes operational, the CRTC will need to consult on the implementation of the fund, which will start “in the near future.” Dickenson admitted the CRTC is trekking through uncharted territory, and she’s eager for the consultation to begin. “How the actual contributions going to be enforced? BDUs there’s a relationship there, so we’re not really worried about that, it’s more the online undertakings. They’re probably going to push back on this, not a big surprise,” Dickenson said, adding that objections from streamers could put further delays on the fund. She said it would be “very aggressive” to expect the fund to be in place two years from now, and thinks an accurate timeline would see money flowing in three years. Ille remains optimistic the fund will be implemented sooner. “Hopefully this will be in place before the struggle too hard,” she said. The big question mark the decision draws is how the fund will measure up to the broadcasters’ current revenue stream. Notably, the CRTC said once the fund is operational, the current wholesale structure will be terminated. The death of the wholesale regime was not part of the proposal for the fund, and Ille said she wishes the broadcasters could keep their wholesale fees. But “I can’t even say disappointed. I kind of understand the rationale why it’s going this way,” she said, adding the BDUs that contributed to the wholesale rates will contribute to the new fund. Whether the fund will equal what the 9.1(1)(h) services currently get from their wholesale fees remains to be seen, but Dickenson said she is happy with the change, and thinks as the streaming market grows, so will the fund. “It’s hard to change,” she said. “And I think done a really, really solid job of providing a new, modern, ambitious framework” Ille said she hopes it will be enough for APTN to keep the cameras rolling and keep producing content for underserved Indigenous communities. “Hopefully it’s not just a wash replacing one the other,” she said. It is also unclear what future revisions to the fund’s eligibility criteria will look like, or if it could ultimately exclude certain 9.1(1)(h) services. If it does, it is also unclear how those services will be supported once the wholesale regime ends. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has identified the OSA as a trade irritant, and Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) has softened the government’s stance on how the feds will approach the act’s future in the forthcoming Canada-U.S.-Mexico-Agreement (CUSMA) review. Miller has previously admitted the OSA will be discussed at the CUSMA negotiating table. If the OSA gets scrapped to appease the U.S., the SEIF will likely meet its demise along with it. If the fund dies, there is no clear plan for how the industry will proceed. Neither Dickenson or Ille are aware of a plan B. If the fund gets cut, “it’ll be a very, very dark day,” Ille said. “I don’t know, I mean, how will we survive?” mcollins@thewirereport.ca

‘What we do matters’: CRTC’s new services of exceptional importance fund brings relief, questions about next steps

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By Maria Collins
|May 26, 2026

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