CRTC Calls for Comments on Possible New Radio Stations in Brampton and St. Johns

The CRTC has received applications for broadcasting licences to operate new commercial radio stations to serve Brampton, Ontario. The Commission is seeking comments on market capacity and the appropriateness of issuing a call for radio applications to serve Brampton. The Commission encourages interested persons, as well as the applicants, to submit additional information, which it will take into consideration before making a final determination on whether it should proceed with a call for applications.

The deadline for filing interventions is 5 December 2016. Only parties that file interventions may file a reply to matters raised during the intervention phase. The deadline to file replies is 15 December 2016.

The Commission expects persons interested in serving the Brampton radio market to express their interest during the intervention period. If little or no interest to serve that radio market is expressed, the Commission may publish the application for consideration during the non-appearing phase of a public hearing rather than issue a call for applications.

The Commission set out its procedure for issuing calls for applications for broadcasting licences to operate radio stations. According to that procedure, applications for new radio stations in markets of all sizes will generally result in a call for applications with the following exceptions:

• proposals with very little or no commercial potential or impact, including some low-power applications;
• proposals to provide the first commercial service in a market;
• proposals by the sole commercial operator in a market to improve service to the market, either through an AM to FM conversion or a new station;
• proposals to provide the first commercial service in the other official language in a market or to convert the only station in the other official language from AM to FM; and
• proposals to convert stations from AM to FM in markets with two or fewer commercial operators.
• The Commission will also take into account the availability or scarcity of spectrum when considering applications that propose to use one of the last known frequencies in a market. Such applications will not be eligible to be considered under one of the exceptions to the issuance of a call.

Applications for Brampton

The Commission announces that it has received the following applications for broadcasting licences to operate new commercial radio stations to serve Brampton, Ontario: