The CRTC has postponed the CBC’s licence renewal hearing to an as-yet undetermined date, according to a Feb. 1 notice of consultation from the Commission.

In July 2011, the CRTC had announced that the licence renewal hearing for the CBC’s French- and English-language services would be postponed from September 2011 to June 2012, and that a new date would be announced on Feb. 1.

In a letter to the CRTC dated Jan. 31, the CBC requested that the Commission’s existing timetable for the licence renewal process be postponed in light of potential cuts to the pubcaster’s funding in the upcoming federal budget.

The CBC received just over $1.1 billion in federal funding for 2011.

“The Corporation anticipates that this narrow window will not be sufficient to allow it to reflect on and operationalise its plans given that its budget is expected to be announced in late February or March. The Corporation respectfully submits that more time is needed to establish its future operating budget prior to imposing license conditions,” wrote Steve Guiton, CBC VP and chief regulatory officer, media technology services and regulatory affairs.

In its decision, the CRTC also stated that it would be inappropriate to set a hearing date until the CBC has had an opportunity to establish its future operating budget.