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Removing RT from Canadian airwaves alone will have limited impact, ECGL says

Moscow, Russia – March 1, 2015. Buses broadcaster Russia Today near March of the opposition. March to the memory of Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition leader who was assassinated on the eve of

  1. Ethnic Channels Group Limited (ECGL) says removing RT from Canadians’ TV screens won’t mean the English-language news channel funded by the Russian government can’t be accessed elsewhere.

The comments came after the Governor in Council asked the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to determine RT’s future in Canada. Interveners had just five days to file comments, as a report is due by March 17th at the latest.

In its filing, ECGL says RT is still available through entities operating on the internet, as they don’t need approval from the CRTC to work in Canada. RT can also share the channel through websites it owns. “If the purpose of the current process is to prevent distribution of the RT Services in Canada, it may not succeed,” CEO, Slava Levin, writes in the intervention.

ECGL also says other state-owned or sponsored Russian-language news are available in Canada, such as Channel One Russia. It’s the “most viewed Russian language service in Canada” offered by local BDUs, Levin writes. But this channel, and others like it, aren’t part of the current discussion.

If “the purpose of the current process is to prevent distribution of Russian-state controlled information and news content within the ‘regulated’ BDU environment, it also may not succeed.”

Comments filed by Rogers also highlight the need to remove other channels backed by Russia, such as Channel One Russia and RTR Planeta.

Levin also notes the current process is being taken “after the fact” as several companies already removed RT from channel lineups, including Bell, Shaw, and Telus.

This was done without consultation from the CRTC or other government entities and was “non-transparent.” Levin says the power BDUs have to remove a service themselves could be extended to other shows in the future and exposes
“potential weakness in our system.”

Shaw also filed comments, stating it was not in a position to argue why RT should stay on the air. BCE or Telus did not file comments at the time of writing. The CRTC’s website shows 373 interventions were filed by the deadline.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: ECGL

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CRTC collecting comments on RT’s presence on Canadian airwaves

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is collecting comments on the presence of RT in Canada.

RT is an English-language news channel financed by Russia. The CRTC made the move after receiving a request from the Governor in Council requesting the CRTC to determine if RT should remain an option in Canada.

A report is due on March 17th at the latest. Interveners have until March 8th to provide comments.

The move comes after various Canadian broadcasters, including Bell, Roku, and Rogers removed RT from their channel lineups. The CRTC authorized RT for distribution in 2009.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on February 28th the government was going to ask the CRTC to review the presence of RT on Canadian networks. The House of Commons passed a motion to issue the order on the same day.

“The Government of Canada has concerns as to whether programs broadcast by [RT] would violate regulations made by the Commission under the Act, if those programs had been broadcast by a licensed Canadian programming undertaking,” the CRTC’s states in its call for comments.

Source: CRTC

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Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Shaw remove Russian network RT from channel lineups

Moscow, Russia – March 1, 2015. Buses broadcaster Russia Today near March of the opposition. March to the memory of Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition leader who was assassinated on the eve of

Russian state-funded channel RT is no longer available to Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Shaw customers.

The move came after Minister of Heritage Pablo Rodriguez said the government is considering options to get the network off the air.

According to the Globe and Mail, the channel was no longer available to Bell customers as of Sunday. Rogers and Telus told the publication the removal of the channel will take effect Monday on their networks.

Shaw confirmed the same through a tweet on Sunday night, stating channel subscribers will receive a credit to use on their next bill.

The changes come days after Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, causing thousands of residents to desperately flee.

The move is crucial Ihor Michalchyshyn said. The chief executive of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress told the Globe and Mail Russia is using the network to legitimize the invasion of Ukraine.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Globe and Mail