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CRTC INTERVENTION RE: COMMUNITY TV POLICY

Documents/Telile_Submission_re_Community_Television.pdf

Below is additional information to further explain Telile Community TV’s position in the upcoming policy review. You may want to consider when reading the note below that since Telile is the only source of local programming in our area, the CRTC should provide funding like it would in urban areas.  This concept is addressed in the notes below.

Thank you for your continued support of Telile. Nous vous remercions pour votre soutien. Ce texte est en Anglais mais notre soumission au CRTC sera dans les deux langues et les lettres de soutien peuvent être en Anglais ou en Français.

CRTC Policy Review of the Community Television Policy Framework

Notes for Participants

Background
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (“CRTC”) is conducting a public review of its community television policy.  Anyone with an interest in community television is welcome – and encouraged – to participate. 

The CRTC’s community television policy is directly relevant to Telile and its viewers.  The CRTC’s stated objective in reviewing its policy is to ensure that the policy “supports the development of a healthy community broadcasting sector”.  Telile supports this objective. 

The CRTC’s policy review presents an opportunity for Telile and our viewers to affirm the importance to our community of Telile and the local programming we provide – all of which is made possible by the CRTC’s existing policy.  This policy review also provides the opportunity for us to suggest changes to the CRTC’s policy that will better position Telile for the future.

We encourage you to go on line to view the CRTC’s policy consultation document at www.crtc.gc.ca .  Click on “broadcasting proceedings open for comment”, and then on “2009-661” under the “notice” column.

Please feel free to make your submission to the CRTC following the instructions provided by the CRTC in its notice of consultation.  You can make your submission on line, by fax or mail.  All submissions must be received by the Commission by February 1, 2010. 
Submissions should be in your own words and explain why community television is important to you, and how the CRTC’s policy can better support community television.

This is your chance to have an impact on how community television serves you.

Key Issues for Telile
1. Access to Funding to Support Local Programming
The CRTC has asked specifically whether the CRTC’s Local Program Improvement Fund (“LPIF”) should be used to fund the production of programming on independent community-based television stations, such as Telile. 

The LPIF is in its first year of operation and is set to provide more than $100 million of direct funding to local television stations across Canada to produce local programming.  But, community-based television stations like Telile are currently not eligible for funding. 

A small contribution to community-based programming from the LPIF could have a huge impact on Telile and the programming we offer.  If only 1% of the LPIF were allocated to independent community-based television stations, and if Telile were provided with only one-tenth, or 0.1% of the LPIF, this would amount to an additional $100,000 of direct program-related funding to Telile.

We estimate that this amount of funding would allow us to produce 80 hours of new programming directly relevant to Isle Madame and the surrounding areas.  This would have a profound impact on the television service we provide, and the level of information available to community members to be better citizens.

2. New Media
The CRTC  has asked whether there are benefits to a “new media” (i.e. Internet) presence for community television and whether, if a community channel does not have a “new media” presence, users can obtain the same content from other sources on the web.

In Telile’s case, we do not yet provide our programming through the Internet.  One reason is the cost of preparing digital versions of our television productions for Internet broadcast.

The fact is that there is no “new media” alternative to the kind of programming to Telile offers now, and could offer more of in the future with only a fraction of the kind of funding available to larger-market commercial broadcasters.

Also, in our community, many people still do not have access to the kind of high speed Internet service that is required to download television programs from the Internet: both due to cost and technical availability.  Community-based over-the-air television continues to be the most important source of community programming.

While the Internet presents opportunities for Telile and others to reach out to a broader audience, it is important to put the community television broadcaster first.  Telile may soon have an opportunity make its programming available over the Internet.  But, if Telile did not first have a presence on over-the-air television, it would be impossible to provide programming on the Internet.

3. Service to Official-language Minority Communities
The CRTC has asked for more information regarding the role that community television plays in reflecting the “realities, needs and concerns” of what it calls “official language minority communities” or “OLMCs”.  Telile has since its launch in 2002 strived to offer French-language programming to better serve Isle Madame’s Acadian population.  The vitality of the French-language on Isle Madame is a key concern for many in our community and Telile has a role to play to reflect and advance the use of French in and around Isle Madame.

Community television on Isle Madame provides the only television source for French-language television programming by and about our community.  There is no other source of such programming. 

The CRTC has asked specifically whether “new media” presents opportunities for community broadcasting to reach OLMCs and, if so, why there is a “lack of openness” to embrace new media.  We think that new media, and the Internet in particular, does present an opportunity for community broadcasting.  But, first and foremost, it is important to enter the new media space from a strong footing.  The CRTC is mistaken, in our case at least, in suggesting that there is a lack of openness to use new media.  The simple fact is that it costs money to do so, and our resources are fully consumed with the production and operation of our television service.

Also, given the cost and limited availability of high speed Internet service throughout our service area, we are not convinced that new media distribution will necessarily reach the audience that we wish to serve -- at least not yet.

The CRTC has also asked how it can encourage the production and broadcast of community programming directed to and produced by OLMCs.  We believe that the simple answer is to recognize that such programming is, at heart, local programming directed to a local community.  It should be eligible for the same kind of funding that is made available to much larger commercial broadcasters and the CBC.  Access to an extremely small proportion of available LPIF funding would allow Telile to greatly enhance our French-language programming.

4. Get Involved!
Telile is in discussion with other community broadcasters and organizations to identify other issues of concern, and possible solutions, regarding the CRTC’s policy for community television. 

We urge all who are interested to consult the CRTC’s notice of public consolation and to provide the CRTC with their views on this important issue.  It’s your broadcasting system and Telile is here to serve you and the whole community in and around Isle Madame.

The CRTC’s notice of consultation, Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-661, can be found at the following link:  http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-661.htm

Also, by locating Notice of Consultation 2009-661 through the “broadcasting proceedings open for comment” link on the CRTC home page (www.crtc.gc.ca), you will be directed to the notice and some related materials published by the CRTC.

You may file your comments on line using the comments link (on line) at paragraph 46 of the notice of consultation.  Written comments may also be sent by fax to the CRTC at 819-994-0218, or by mail to CRTC, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2.  You should address your comments to the Secretary General of the CRTC.  All comments must be received by the CRTC by February 1, 2010 to be considered.

Please contact Gloria Hill at 226-1928 or gloria@telile.tv  if we may be of any assistance to you to participate in this important CRTC proceeding.

A copy of the CRTC’s notice of consultation (Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-661) can be found on the CRTC website at the following link:  http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2009/2009-661.htm .