Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Telecom giant says U.S. channels need to be included in smaller basic cable

Darpan News Desk Canadian Press, 11 Sep, 2014 12:54 PM

    One of Canada's biggest cable service providers is rejecting the idea of allowing Canadians to pick TV channels one at a time.

    Rogers Communications has told the country's broadcast regulator it agrees with a proposal to offer its customers a smaller basic service.

    But it says the price for that service should not be capped, and it should include channels from the major American TV networks.

    The company has also strongly rejected a proposal to ban the simultaneous substitution of Canadian advertising over American ads.

    The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is holding two weeks of public hearings on how Canadians receive TV programming and how they pay for it.

    One proposal on the table, which is being promoted by the federal government, would see a so-called pick-and-pay system established.

    The proposal, if enacted, would allow Canadians the ability of picking individual channels, on top of a smaller basic service made up of Canadian channels.

    The CRTC is also debating the notion of capping the cost of basic service at between $20 and $30 per month.

    Rogers also slammed a proposal to include the online revenues of broadcasters in the definition of broadcasting revenue.

    Rogers executive Keith Pelley said that would put Canadian online services at a competitive disadvantage to non-tradition online broadcasters, such as Netflix.

    The Ontario and Quebec governments, along with the CBC and cultural organizations, have suggested that the CRTC regulate Netflix and other online video services to force them to contribute to Canada's television content production system.

    But the Harper government has warned the CRTC that it will reject any attempt to created what it has dubbed a "Netflix tax."

    Rogers executive Phil Lind, who has been with the company for decades, told the commission that the current set of hearings are the most important for Canada's television industry that he's seen in his career.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    9-Year-Old Surrey Girl Abducted From Bedroom, Sexually Assaulted

    9-Year-Old Surrey Girl Abducted From Bedroom, Sexually Assaulted
    SURREY, B.C. - Police say a nine-year-old girl was abducted from her bedroom while she slept and sexually assaulted by a man who then left her in a nearby yard in Surrey, B.C.

    9-Year-Old Surrey Girl Abducted From Bedroom, Sexually Assaulted

    Tour Bus Rolls Over On B.C. Highway, Dozens Of Passengers Injured

    Tour Bus Rolls Over On B.C. Highway, Dozens Of Passengers Injured
    MERRITT, B.C. - RCMP say dozens of people have been injured, six of them critically, after a tour bus rolled over on a mountain highway in British Columbia.

    Tour Bus Rolls Over On B.C. Highway, Dozens Of Passengers Injured

    Way To Go Flo! Alberta Athlete, 101, Wins Silver In Javelin At Seniors Games

    Way To Go Flo! Alberta Athlete, 101, Wins Silver In Javelin At Seniors Games
    SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. - Florence Storch held the javelin high with her right hand and balanced herself with the other by gripping her walker.

    Way To Go Flo! Alberta Athlete, 101, Wins Silver In Javelin At Seniors Games

    Charge Against Mountie From Jail-Sex Incident Under Review In B.C.

    Charge Against Mountie From Jail-Sex Incident Under Review In B.C.
    KAMLOOPS, B.C. - A judge wants to hear arguments from lawyers about the legality of the charge against an RCMP corporal accused of breach of trust in connection with a jail-sex incident in Kamloops, B.C.

    Charge Against Mountie From Jail-Sex Incident Under Review In B.C.

    'Simple kid' hopes PGA Tour membership does not change him

    'Simple kid' hopes PGA Tour membership does not change him
    After spending years to complete his primary mission in life, Adam Hadwin is embarking on a new one.

    'Simple kid' hopes PGA Tour membership does not change him

    Man charged with possessing child porn after items seized at B.C. home: police

    Man charged with possessing child porn after items seized at B.C. home: police
    Charges of possessing and distributing child pornography and obstructing justice have been laid against a 39-year-old Abbotsford, B.C., man.

    Man charged with possessing child porn after items seized at B.C. home: police