The CRTC also regulates which channels broadcast distributors must or may offer.

In fact, the commission does not require licences at all for telephone companies, and CRTC approval is therefore not generally required for the sale of a telephone company, unless said company also owns a broadcast licence.

Following unprecedented foreign led and domestic political interference with the CRTC's quasi-judicial independent regulatory process, within 6 months of its original decision, an abrupt CRTC " review " of its policy on third-language foreign services determined to drop virtually all restrictions and adopt a new " open entry " approach to foreign controlled " third language " ( non-English, non-French ) channels.

In May 2010, the CRTC ruled that Bell could not implement its usage-based billing system until all of its own retail customers had been moved off older, unlimited downloading plans.

Under the Broadcasting Act, a network is defined as " any operation where control over all or any part of the programs or program schedules of one or more broadcasting undertakings is delegated to another undertaking or person " and must be licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ).

In fact, in its CRTC application to shut down all of its analog television transmitters, the CBC communicated its opposition to use of subchannels, citing, amongst other reasons, costs.

In Canada, cable operators that offer FM cable services are required by the CRTC to distribute all locally available AM stations in this manner.

AM radio stations have the additional protection that cable companies which offer cable FM services are required by the CRTC to distribute all locally available AM stations through conversion to a cable FM signal, but cable FM only accounts for a small percentage of radio listeners in Canada.

This practice is now prevented by CRTC regulations stipulating CanCon percentages must be met between 6 am and 6 pm, rather than allowing a station to save all their Canadian content for off-peak hours.

On April 9, 2007, Omni Television owner Rogers Communications applied to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) to purchase all of the A-Channel stations ( including CFPL ), CKX-TV and several cable channels being put up for sale in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group.

Although licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) as a single national service, for all intents and purposes it is equivalent to a collection of four regional sports networks, each simulcast in both standard definition and high definition, and each covering a different region of Canada.

Since CTV already owned local stations in all Citytv markets ( including Toronto, where CTV owns and operates CFTO ), the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) stipulated the sale of the Citytv stations as a condition for the approval of the CHUM purchase.

On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Rogers Communications has filed with the CRTC to purchase all of the A-Channel stations, including CFPL, CKNX, CKX-TV, Access Alberta and several cable channels being put up for sale by CHUM Limited in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group.

On April 9, 2007, it was announced that Rogers Communications filed with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) to purchase all of the A-Channel stations, including CKNX, CKX-TV, Access Alberta and several cable channels being put up for sale in the wake of CTVglobemedia's pending acquisition of the CHUM group.

In November 2000, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) granted approval to former NHL executive Jim Gregory on behalf of a corporation to be incorporated ( formed later as The NHL Network Inc .) to launch The Hockey Channel, described as " a national English-language Category 2 specialty television dedicated exclusively to all aspects of the game of hockey ".

In November 2000, a partnership between Stornoway Communications and Cogeco called Stornoway Communications Limited Partnership, was granted approval from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) to launch a television channel called The Dance Channel, described as " a national English-language Category 2 specialty television service devoted to all aspects of dance.

In a policy decision released on October 30, 2008, the CRTC decided that all Category 1 digital services as well as all analog pay and specialty channels would be renamed Category A services, effective September 1, 2011.

* CRTC list of all 21 original category 1 licensees

In a policy decision released on October 30, 2008, the CRTC decided that all Category 2 services would be renamed Category B services, effective September 1, 2011.

On April 30, 2010, it was announced that all Corus Québec stations, with the exception of CKRS, will be sold to Cogeco for $ 80 million, pending CRTC approval.

Then as now, all radio station format changes in Canada must be approved by the CRTC.

He vowed to fight on behalf of all Canadians and his fellow MPs to reverse the CRTC decision, coining it the " Giga-Tax "

Plans have been shelved for any additional ExpressVu satellite expenditures assuming pending CRTC and Industry Canada approval for Dish Network to use all 32 transponders on Nimiq 5.

Although its original Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) licence called for Fox Sports World Canada to carry soccer, cricket and rugby as their core sports, cricket and rugby matches all but disappeared from the channel after the first few years.

Unlike in the United States, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) and Industry Canada have not set any requirement for maintaining AMPS service in Canada.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC, French: Conseil de la radiodiffusion et des télécommunications canadiennes ) is a public organisation in Canada with mandate as a regulatory agency for broadcasting and telecommunications.

The CRTC was originally known as the Canadian Radio-Television Commission.

In 1976, jurisdiction over telecommunications services, most of which were then delivered by monopoly common carriers ( for example, telephone companies ), was transferred to it from the Canadian Transport Commission although the abbreviation CRTC remained the same.

The CRTC reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for the Broadcasting Act, and has an informal relationship with Industry Canada, which is responsible for the Telecommunications Act.

In many cases, such as the cabinet-directed prohibition on foreign ownership for broadcasters and the legislated principle of the predominance of Canadian content, these acts and orders often leave the CRTC less room to change policy than critics sometimes suggest, and the result is that the commission is often the lightning rod for policy criticism that could arguably be better directed at the government itself.

Complaints against broadcasters, such as concerns around offensive programming, are dealt with by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ( CBSC ), an independent broadcast industry association, rather than by the CRTC, although CBSC decisions can be appealed to the CRTC if necessary.

The CRTC argues that allowing free trade in television stations would overwhelm the smaller Canadian market, preventing it from upholding its responsibility to foster a national conversation.

In May 2011, in response to the increase presence of Over-the-Top ( OTT ) programming, the CRTC put a call out to the public to provide input on the impact OTT programming is having on Canadian content and existing broadcasting subscriptions through satellite and cable.

The evidence was inconclusive, suggesting that an increased availability of OTT options is not having a negative impact on the availability or diversity of Canadian content, one of the key policy mandates of the CRTC, nor are there signs that there has been a significant decline of televisions subscriptions through cable or satellite.

* Satellite radio: In June 2005, the CRTC outraged some Canadian cultural nationalists ( such as the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting ) and labour unions by licencing two companies, Canadian Satellite Radio and Sirius Canada to offer satellite radio services in Canada.

The two companies are in partnership with American firms XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio respectively, and in accordance with the CRTC decision will only need to offer ten percent Canadian content.

The CRTC contends that this low level of Canadian content, particularly when compared to the 35 % rule on local radio stations, was necessary because unlicenced U. S. receivers were already flooding into the country, so that enforcing a ban on these receivers would be nearly impossible ( see below ).

* 2008 Ottawa radio licences: On November 21, 2008, federal Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore issued a statement calling on the CRTC to review its approval of two new radio stations, Frank Torres ' CIDG-FM and Astral Media's CJOT-FM, which it had licensed in August 2008 to serve the Ottawa-Gatineau radio market.

* CBC Digital Archives-Ruling the Airwaves: The CRTC and Canadian Content

It has also tried to protect Canadian culture by setting legal minimums on Canadian content in many media using bodies like the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ).< ref >

In 2003, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ( CRTC ) rejected a Canadian Cable Telecommunications Association ( CCTA ) application to bring Fox News to Canada because Fox News U. S. and Global Television were planning to create Fox News Canada ( a combination of U. S. and Canadian news ).