In a formal letter of complaint to the CRTC, PrideVision TV is alleging that Shaw Communications is discriminating against the diginet. The Category 1 gay-themed service, owned by Headline Media Group, has also asked subscribers who want the channel at the end of the current free preview to sign up with a company other than Shaw Cable or Star Choice.

The complaint specifically alleges Shaw has placed a number of ‘secondary trap’ requirements to any viewer wanting to sample the channel, as opposed to the open preview under which all the other diginets are being offered.

In Vancouver and Calgary, for example, a potential viewer interested in Pride must navigate several screens on their television to activate the service. One of the screens includes a message describing Pride as a pay-per-view service and another warning viewers that a charge of $0.01 plus fees/taxes will apply. A viewer has to go through the same steps each time they want to tune in to the preview.

‘In our view, Shaw is being a prejudicial gatekeeper, barring access and preventing viewers from choosing PrideVision TV,’ says Anna McCusker, VP of marketing for the network.

In its response to the CRTC, Shaw admits that PrideVision may receive less favorable treatment on Shaw than on other distributors, but that it has nevertheless met its regulatory obligations. While a fee warning does appear on a viewer’s television screen, no such fee is charged and the announcement is due to a technical problem.

Shaw also says it has come up with the current process of ordering channels as a way to deal with ‘overwhelming expressions of concern from our customers.’ Some Pride programming is not suitable for children, Shaw says. The cabler points to the station’s own warnings on its website, as well as some of the diginet’s sexually explicit programming.

Shaw and Star Choice have about half of all digital subscribers in Canada.