Surprise move

The prospect of a mass of Canadian telecommunications and broadcast programming interests piling up as they negotiate entry onto the information highway has been at least mitigated – if not removed – by the crtc’s surprise decision to open up the industry in Canada.

Taking the side, it seems, of those who feel over-regulation is an impediment and that a freer marketplace is required to keep pace with change, the crtc appears to have accepted that the converging world of cable, telephone and satellite delivery of electronic information is moving ahead with a will of its own.

For the advocates of more open competition, the crtc’s landmark decision is a welcome green light.

It is encouraging that the agency in charge of regulating telecommunications has acknowledged that advancing technologies have changed the playing field forever and that the rules governing it in Canada must change to adapt to this new reality.

At an infohighway: carriers/content panel at the recent Toronto International Film Festival Symposium, Canadian Cable Television Association president Ken Stein pointed out that a big concern continues to be competing with what comes over the border. ‘Every year it’s a battle to make sure we can give opportunities to Canadian producers.’

Stentor Telecom Policy president Jocelyn Cote-O’Hara cautioned that the development pace in the u.s. and export potential means there is a short window of about six months for getting ready here. Later, she replied to an audience member questioning the wisdom of the crtc’s recent specialty services decision: ‘We weren’t even given the chance to fail.’ The sentiment struck a chord with the audience, judging from the enthusiastic applause.

If both cable and telephone carriers were allowed to blaze a path into the living rooms of Canadians, O’Hara believes carriage would become a low-cost commodity, and that content providers would have many more options to present to Canadian audiences.

Meanwhile, back in the broadcast mainstream with producers becoming broadcasters and broadcasters in the u.s. poised to become producers (or being absorbed by big production studios to then also become producers who are broadcasters who are also producers), the market continues to become even more blurred. And once-clearly-defined walls, separating these interests, are gradually tumbling down.

Independent production-based companies are finding a place for themselves somewhere in the middle.

One broadcaster/producer described the new order as the ‘Eaton’s store concept, with shelf space being offered to thousands of packagers, and technology allowing more access to the consumer.’

Now all that’s missing is the granting of enough shop-opening permits to keep Canadian players in the game.

One recurring observation that kept getting repeated throughout the symposium, in one form or another was: it’s now or forget about it. Technology and the u.s. gray market rollouts wait for no policy decision.