CRTC tax could mean $100 million hike in cable/sat tv rates

[dogpatchkid]

The masters of the universe at Can West and BCE dont like it. We already have a public broadcast entity. Let the others face moral hazard.

Fly your freak flag, which has transformed from long hair into a GH antenna.

[Blackburst]

My advice is to go digital OTA if you can. It's free, and the CRTC can take a flying hike with this nonsense. Asking consumers to fund local stations while at the same time cutting down the number of local hours to be aired, shows that this is not a issue to save local TV.

Just thinking... It would have been better to use the 100 million collected to have the government purchase the stations that CTV & Global want to kill, hire a firm to turn those stations around, and then offer a IPO on those stations to the public. At least we would see our money well used. And actually show some sort of profit.

This CRTC plan just forces consumers to throw good money towards bad situations, with a no ending in site.

Honestly, look at what you can do to go OTA. It won't work for eveybody that doesn't live near the US border. But, it can help some people. I see no reason why the Canadain public should be financing bad companies, bad mangers.

[trask]

Can someone please tell me what this $100 million buys us?

That's the $100 million dollar question Hugh.

Evidently the answer is nothing. It's a bailout for CTV and Canwest on the backs of the consumers and nothing more.

What we have here is consumers being forced to pay for channels they already get both from BDU's and over the air, that are already being subsidized by the Canadian Television fund, and who run their business' with reckless abandon.

The hypocrisy of this whole situation is laughable. We are paying more so these channels can produce more Canadian programming, when in actuality, the money will go to pay for all the American programming they are not forced to buy. If these channels were truly Canadian, and used all their resources to fund Canadian programming, then they wouldn't be in the position they are.

Problem is, without the American programming, nobody would watch them and they'd make little money. So there is your overall problem: They spend millions to acquire American programming, because that's the only way they can turn any kind of meaningful profit, while sticking their hands out for more funding to supposedly keep local programming afloat.

Not only should we not be giving them anymore money, but we should be suing for fraud. Only in Canada.

[SportsFan]

Originally Posted by Insomniac

Subscribing to a BDU might be optional in flat Sask, but here you are forced to subscribe to get any Canadian programming at all. OTA, I only get reasonable reception on US stations.

Of course, I could move to Saskatchewan. Perhaps they need more seal clubbers?

Yes, lots of less populated areas don't have access to OTA, but aren't you glad you have an option? Maybe Bell's free satellite service will be approved.

Are you a seal clubber? Do you know Michaëlle Jean? There aren't many seals in Saskatchewan.

[Greg Moore]

Canadian television companies buying American programming has become accepted practice but it is completely wrong. Canadian broadcasters should be forced to up their Canadian content and put out stuff people will watch, or die trying.

The argument that people won't watch Canadian shows doesn't hold up. Canadians will watch any television if it is good. We are a country that has tremendous artistic talent that goes wasted because we give our tax money towards stupid programs like this topics.

It's a shame. Shows like Corner Gas and The Hour could be the norm instead of the exception if money was disbursed effectively.

[Michael DeAbreu]

Originally Posted by Mr.TV

Whats funny is Shaw, Rogers etc, have been advertising on their websites and national newspapers "the unfairness" claim brain washing tactics to get in the minds of consumers. As if they dont have excess profits to pay local stations but can use the $$ saved by not paying for the free signal to advertise on their own poverty,.... they monopolize their market, and now using their windfall $$ to advertise a claim, that will get them more money. There is something wrong with this model of social responsibility.... they should bail themself out as opposed to looking to us consumers to do the work for them.

It cuts both ways.

[admin]

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[nakedgord]

Please note that everyone is entitled to their opinion however calling other members derogatory names or making fun of people from a particular city and / or province is unaccpetable

Can I still insult Ivan Fecan?

[Lindsay649]

It is difficult to find answers but would suspect the harmonized sales tax in Ontario next July will add a few more cents to the cost of home entertainment.

[hugh]

Bell TV is now informing its customers that rates will rise in September by 1.5%

In late October 2008, the CRTC created the Local Programming Improvement Fund (LPIF) to take effect in September 2009 and to be paid via a 1% charge applied to the TV revenues of satellite and cable companies. The LPIF was initially designed to subsidize the production of additional local programming in small communities by TV stations.

More recently, on July 6, and before the LPIF takes effect on September 1, the CRTC increased this tax to 1.5%. Furthermore, the CRTC has now decided that funds generated by the LPIF tax need not be spent by TV stations on additional local programming and, in some cases, has lowered the local programming obligations of TV stations.

Bell is extremely disappointed by the CRTC's latest decisions regarding this TV tax and, in order to meet the CRTC's orders without impacting the current and future quality of its products and services, Bell will apply a monthly fee to customer billing which will not exceed 1.5% of Bell TV charges incurred on and after September 1, 2009.

The CRTC also supports an additional new TV tax, commonly called fee-for-carriage, which Bell opposes. This additional tax would see satellite and cable consumers pay more for access to TV stations that have always been available free over the air. If implemented, this new fee-for-carriage TV tax will result in further increases to customers' bills. The CRTC is holding a public hearing related to this new tax in the fall.

[ScaryBob]

Furthermore, the CRTC has now decided that funds generated by the LPIF tax need not be spent by TV stations on additional local programming and, in some cases, has lowered the local programming obligations of TV stations.

This is the section that has me hopping . It's basically a tax on BDUs to subsidize OTA. Since the only cities being adequately served by OTA are a few centers such as Toronto and Vancouver, it's just wrong.

[Walter Dnes]

Originally Posted by ScaryBob

This is the section that has me hopping . It's basically a tax on BDUs to subsidize OTA. Since the only cities being adequately served by OTA are a few centers such as Toronto and Vancouver, it's just wrong.

This tax revenue is only available to small/medium market stations. It will NOT go to stations in Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver/Calgary/Edmonton.

[ScaryBob]

That is some consolation. I wonder if CTV and Canwest small market stations quality. If so, the money is still going to the wrong stations, IMHO. I guess CTV's threats worked on the CRTC. No doubt they will be back with more demands soon.

[sixer]

And sometimes I wish everyone was stealing satellite so these companies wouldn't have any revenue, forcing them to finally secure their signal.

Then we'd maybe see a cheaper rate.

In the meantime, we'll keep paying for this insanity.

CRTC, thanks for nothing!

[hugh]

This tax revenue is only available to small/medium market stations. It will NOT go to stations in Toronto/Montreal/Vancouver/Calgary/Edmonton.

But it will go to the owners of those small market stations who "lo and behold" are often owned by CanWest, CTV etc. Anyway you look at it, this is $100 million dollars of corporate welfare to companies that spent billions over the last few years on buying specialty channels and other companies.

The CRTC is simply giving them more money for more takeovers.