OTTAWA – Consumer rights group the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) urged the CRTC today to keep basic television service affordable by not asking consumers to pay for “unnecessary” mandatory carriage services.
At a Commission hearing today on applications for mandatory distribution on basic television service, PIAC appeared on behalf of the Consumers’ Association of Canada (CAC), Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of British Columbia (COSCO), and National Pensioners and Senior Citizens Federation (NPSCF). PIAC asked the CRTC to grant mandatory distribution only in exceptional cases so that consumers would not be burdened with higher costs for TV service.
“Canadian consumers are concerned about the increasing cost of basic television services,” said Janet Lo, counsel for PIAC, in a release. “Each additional service the CRTC requires distributors to carry leads to higher prices for consumers and restricts consumers’ ability to select the broadcasting services they want.”
PIAC’s presentation called on the CRTC to scrutinize basic television service prices offered to consumers, noting the trend of increased cost and size of basic television service packages offered in the market.
“Television providers have said to the Commission that approval of any services for mandatory distribution would significantly increase consumer cost and reduce consumer flexibility,” Lo said. “Canadians deserve transparency if the television providers will use this excuse to increase the cost of basic service.” Lo further noted, “Television providers themselves control the level of packaging flexibility offered to consumers.”
In its remarks to the Commission, PIAC supported mandatory carriage of only a few services, including: Canadian Public Affairs Channel, Accessible Media Inc. Television, Accessible Media Inc. Audio, and the Legislative Assemblies of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
It conditionally supported other applicants with reservations about their proposed wholesale rates: the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network, Canal M, AMI-tv Français, Avis de Recherche, and All Points Bulletin.
