4.2 Access to Digital Television Services

Internet (and wireless) access is only one part of ensuring that Canadians have the full access to digital services. Future access to digital television services (which can be HDTV or simply digital equivalents to the quality of analog TV today) is another important area of concern as broadcasters make the transition to digital platforms. In fact, the advent of digital technologies may decrease the level of TV services available to Canadians, since many Canadians will lose the local TV signals they still obtain via analog cable or from off-air reception of analog signals. There is a public policy issue as to how the government should ease this transition by broadcasters from analog to digital transmission.

The CRTC has set 2011 as the analog shut off date. By this time it is planned that broadcasters will cease to broadcast in the analog NTSC standard and replace their signals with new digital (typically HDTV) standards. However, the cost for broadcasters to replace all their analog transmitters is enormous – several hundred million dollars. The CRTC can suggest methods of managing this change, but it is outside of its mandate to provide government subsidies for individual TV household conversion or to set parameters for universal access to digital TV services. TV households will need to acquire a digital antenna to capture the off-air digital transmission, or a satellite dish and decoder to bring in a satellite signal containing local programming.

Canadian policy has in the past risen to challenges in terms of TV service extension to all Canadians – from the accelerated coverage plans extending CBC to the far reaches of Canada, to the development of private sector solutions to the transmission of U.S. networks by satellite to communities unable to access these signals by microwave tower. Through existing and new satellite technology, Canada can do the same today – but only with the appropriate regulatory and financial incentives in place.

Introduction of digital radio services

There is a parallel challenge for radio stations and networks in terms of a transition to digital, although there is less urgency. Radio signals will ultimately convert to digital, although unlike television there is little pressure to do so from the US marketplace. Radio licensees have been awarded digital spectrum, but only in a few major markets has the radio industry invested in the digital transition equipment required to transmit in digital format.

Some would argue that the digital spectrum awarded to radio should be developed, or used in a way to link radio to the mobile wireless networks. While there have been radio industry advocates of innovation in digital broadcasting it has not generally taken hold in Canada, unlike Europe. As the radio industry is important to the music industry in Canada, the future development of this digital spectrum could have an impact on Canadian music. For these reasons, digital radio should be considered as part of a national digital strategy.