CRTC hears from the public in ongoing TV sessions

The CRTC has kicked off the public portion of hearings into the fee-for-carriage/compensation for signal TV battle being waged between Canadian television providers andbroadcasters.

After hearing from industry players such as CTVGlobemedia, Rogers, CBC, Bell, Canwest and Quebecor in Gatineau, Que., in November, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission opened the floor to individuals and public groups on Monday.

A wide range of parties have signed on to appear before CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein and his fellow commissioners from those supportingcable and satellite companies(known as broadcast distribution undertakings, or BDUs), to individuals angry that their local television stations have been closed, or community groups such as food banksthat rely on local broadcasters as vocal supporters.

Oral presentations by these groups are slated to continue in Gatineau this week.

The CRTC says it has received more than 190,000 comments about the bitter, contentious debate.

Nearly 115,000 comments arrived via the broadcasters's "Local TV Matters" campaign, while approximately 49,000 were sparked by the "Stop the TV Tax"initiativeintroduced by the cable and satellite companies.

Other campaigns resulted in 8,300 comments. Meanwhile, the broadcast regulator has received an additional 16,700 comments sent directly to its website.

In September, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore directed the CRTC to share its findings with the government following the hearings, suggesting that his preference was to see a report before the end of the year.