The considerable interest and the ‘complexity of the issues’ surrounding the Canadian Television Fund have prompted the CRTC to postpone its decisions on the embattled funder until December.

The report was to be handed down Monday, but in a Friday press release the commission stated it will instead issue its decision ‘before the end of December.’

The regulator is weighing the recommendations of its task force on the CTF, which were published in June, as well as the views of Canadians and stakeholders on how to increase the fund’s efficiency.

The task force recommended that the CTF’s mandate be altered to reflect a more commercial and market-oriented approach when divvying up funds for productions collected through the contributions of BDUs and the federal government.

Fronted by CRTC broadcasting vice-chair Michel Arpin, the task force was established after Shaw Communications and Videotron briefly suspended their monthly support of the CTF earlier this year. The vocal CEO of the Alberta cabler, Jim Shaw, has continually blasted the funder for the way its money is managed and allocated.

Meanwhile, the CRTC on Monday will begin public hearings in Gatineau, QC on the issue of diversity of voices in the Canadian broadcasting system, in relation to large ownership groups such as CTVglobemedia, CanWest Global Communications and Astral Media, although this endeavor will not look to produce a ruling on these companies’ mega-acquisition deals that have already been announced.

Initially, the CRTC was to look at the matter of media concentration when it reviewed the purchases of CHUM and Alliance Atlantis, but chair Konrad von Finckenstein felt the issue merited its own review.