CRTC told to study TV unbundling
Frustrated consumers angry over having to buy unused channels
The Conservative government has given Canada’s national broadcasting regulator marching orders to undertake a full examination of the impact the unbundling of television channels could have on consumers.
The order to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission comes after the Conservatives promised in last month’s throne speech it would require cable and satellite companies to offer Canadians individual channels for subscription.
Heritage Minister Shelly Glover said the request to the CRTC was in no way an indication the government was having second thoughts about unbundling.
“We are committed to unbundling. There’s no two ways about it,” she said in an interview from Victoria. “We just want to see a full and comprehensive report that tells us what the impacts are and tells us how we might move forward.”
While some may say the government put the cart before the horse by ordering a study of the possible impact on consumers only after promising to force television unbundling, Glover was not concerned.
“Canadians have been very vocal about wanting to unbundle and they’ve been very vocal about wanting choice,” she said. “And that’s what unbundling is, it gives them choice.”
There is no denying public anger over television bundles.
Dozens of people have written to the CRTC over the past three weeks complaining about the issue as the national regulator has been conducting a public dialogue on the future of television.
“There are a dozen channels I watch, but (I) am forced to purchase several others I don’t watch because they are bundled together with the ones I do,” wrote Brad Yetts of Ottawa.
Yetts said he pays more than $115 per month for a package just so he can watch HBO Canada.
“However, there are approximately 40 channels within this package that I do not want or watch, but am forced to pay (for) because the channels are bundled that way.”
Some correspondence is more polite than others, revealing the anger and frustration many Canadians feel when it comes to their television packages.
“It is finally time for the cable companies to stop ripping off their consumers by hosing them for channels they don’t watch,” wrote Penelope Taylor of Toronto. “Cable bundling is highway robbery and we need to be able to cherry-pick the channels we watch.”
Some even specifically mentioned the throne speech and the government’s promise to tackle bundles.
‘This report may come back with some suggestions that could even create jobs. We don’t know.’
SHELLY GLOVER Heritage minister, discussing the CRTC report
“What (the) government announced in the (throne) speech is what we need and it is already overdue for we seniors are being taken to the dry cleaner and the regulators are allowing it,” wrote Eray Karabilgin from Richmond, B.C.
CRTC spokesman Guillaume Castonguay said the regulator has been hearing complaints about bundling for years, “so we’re not surprised it’s being raised by a lot of Canadians.”
He added that whether or not the Conservative government’s promise to tackle bundling helped make the issue a major focus for Canadians during the consultations, “we’re happy (Canadians) are participating.”
It’s unclear what role the feedback received through the CRTC’s Let’s Talk TV consultations, which run through Nov. 22, will play in the regulator’s report on bundling to the government.
Some experts have warned that the forced unbundling of television channels will result in higher prices and fewer channels, which could threaten the 60,000 Canadian jobs associated with the country’s television industry.
But Glover was optimistic the government would be able to both force unbundling while protecting jobs, as was also promised in the throne speech.
“We believe that as we proceed forward, the CRTC will provide us with the information we need to be able to provide unbundling while protecting Canadian jobs,” she said. “This report may come back with some suggestions that could even create jobs. We don’t know.”