With six out of the 13 commissioner spots at the CRTC now vacant, some for more than two years, industry-watchers are starting to wonder if the short-handed federal regulator will be able to keep up with its workload and when, or if, the Prime Minister’s Office will get around to hiring some new blood.

Commissioner-at-large Jean Marc Demers ended his term at the end of January, following the departure of telecommunications vice-chair David Colville, who stepped down in December. Commissioner spots for the Atlantic and B.C./Yukon regions are also empty, and broadcasting vice-chair Andrée Wylie is due to leave in August.

‘Basically it means you have an industry looking for regulation and not being able to call on or arrange discussions with decision-makers,’ notes Glenn O’Farrell, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.

Later this year, the CRTC is expected to lay down rules for the digital migration of specialty channels, and is also set to address several key radio and telecom issues. As recently as a few months ago, CRTC head Charles Dalfen was pushing his team to work faster. And yet, observers say things are slowing down.

Commissioners are named by the prime minister – increasingly famous these days for ‘dithering’ on important decisions – often on the advice of the ministers of heritage and industry. Marc Roy, a spokesperson for the PMO, argues that the delay has been caused by the more stringent appointment rules laid down by Paul Martin last year.

‘Filling these vacancies is a top priority… but the appointment process is much more rigorous than it used to be,’ says Roy, adding that some spots should be filled in the ‘very near future.’

O’Farrell believes that pressures of a minority government, and the need to reach across party lines on appointees, is also a factor. He expects to see at least a few new commissioners within a few months.

Ian Morrison, spokesperson for the lobby group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, adds that a leaner CRTC might actually work better than one that is fully staffed, noting that the FCC manages to regulate all of U.S. television with just five commissioners.

‘We’ve always felt that quality as opposed to quantity is where we ought to focus,’ says Morrison.

With files from Brad Farrell

-ww.crtc.gc.ca

-www.cab-acr.ca

-www.friends.ca