The Federal Court of Appeal has decided not to hear an appeal from Montreal-based Independent Community Television (ICTV) of a May CRTC decision which renewed a mandatory-carriage license for ethnic broadcasting for Rogers Communications Inc.’s OMNI channel. ICTV had asked the court to hear its appeal on grounds that CRTC chairman Ian Scott and vice-chair of broadcasting Caroline Simard -- in meeting with representatives from Rogers and BCE Inc. -- had given rise to a “reasonable apprehension of bias.” Rogers told the court in July the meetings were unrelated to OMNI. In a...
