What do you expect of the “new” CRTC?

Guy Fournier

Thursday, 20 July, 2017 05:00

UPDATE
Thursday, 20 July, 2017 08:24

Look at this article

The Council of the radio and telecommunications a new skin. It was time, because prior to the appointments of Tuesday, as announced by the minister for Heritage, Mélanie Joly, there were only five members out of 13 who had not completed their mandate.

Ian Scott, the new chairman of the CRTC, Caroline Simard, the new vice-president in charge of broadcasting, and Christianne Laizner, appointed for one year vice-president of telecommunications, are not of the same flour as their predecessors.

Scott, that will be familiar to people from telecom, but very few of those of the broadcasting, is not the man edged, stubborn and obstinate that it was the ex-chairman Jean-Pierre Blais. He is a man of most self-effacing that not brassera not the cage as did his predecessor. It will also allow for more margin of manoeuvre in its two vice-presidents. May be will there too to the officials and technocrats of the government. It will be based of the past president, but it will not necessarily be to the advantage of the consumer.

THEY ARE THERE FOR FIVE YEARS

What do we need to wait for decisions by the CRTC in the next five years ? For businesses of telecom and broadcasting, surely more flexible, but probably less of a long-term vision. If the producers and the artists look forward to the start of Blais, is that they lend themselves to the newcomers more than the knowledge that they have of the realities of the radio and tv.

If the expertise of Scott and Ms. Simard in telecommunications is undeniable, it is not on the same wavelength in terms of broadcasting. The future of this industry is very uncertain, weakened as it is by the globalization of content and the preponderance of growing content americans. Decisions almost immediate waiting for the new commissioners, a record number of queries that have been sent to the cabinet in the wake of recent decisions of the CRTC.

The CULTURAL EXCEPTION

The renegotiation of the NAFTA reassures a person of the cultural, still less the French-speaking people to which the principle of “cultural exception” is vital. At the conference of the first ministers of the provinces, this week, Philippe Couillard was the only one to declare that his government would defend the “cultural exception” with the same determination that the supply management in the agricultural sector. Other prime ministers have not appeared worried, even if they should be.

All hope is not lost for the world of broadcasting. While Konrad von Finckenstein was the chairman of the CRTC, Ian Scott was one of his counselors in broadcasting. May be will he be good advice from Caroline Simard, who will have to do his classes in this area.

In the good soldier that he should be, Scott will continue the fight undertaken by Ottawa under the minister, conservative James Moore for more competition and better rates in wireless telephony, for internet service expanded, faster and less expensive. Up where he will be able to force the big three, Bell, Rogers and Telus, to “share” their infrastructure ? It remains to be seen. Sure thing, Scott knows the intricacies of these companies, having worked at Telesat and Telus.

RDS HAS THE BEARD !

But on what grass I market ? It is quite obvious that RDS was not born in 2004 as I wrote inadvertently in my review of Tuesday. The Sports Network has the beard for years, as he was born in 1989.

TÉLÉPENSÉE OF THE DAY

It has been 35 voters for Saint-Apollinaire becomes the navel of the world.