Satellite Radio in Canada

Recently, the CRTC announced that it intends to examine three applications for satellite radio service in Canada. Two of the three applications are in partnership with existing US satellite radio providers. Each applicant would provide service across Canada, and would offer signals from at least 50 radio stations. Satellite radio is similar in many ways to the radio and television signals received by many Canadians though their satellite services from Bell ExpressVuâ„¢ or StarChoiceâ„¢. However, satellite radio is intended primarily for use in a car or in other portable devices. Unlike the Bell ExpressVuâ„¢ service, which has a stationary dish for receiving signals from an orbiting satellite, the antenna of a satellite radio receiver can be oriented in any direction, and it can be moved and still function. Since there is currently no similar satellite radio service in Canada, the CRTC has announced that it will hold a public hearing in the autumn to examine the public policy issues that may come into play. Comment from the public is being invited on the following issues: Canadian content, the development of Canadian talent, public accountability, competitiveness and commercial viability, and the impact on other audio services of licensing any subscription radio service. A competitive technology to satellite radio is DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) which is already in use in Canada. Some newer motor vehicles have DAB radios installed in them, and the quality of the signal is much better than a conventional FM signal. DAB is broadcast from the ground, like conventional radio, but the signal is digitized into bits, unlike an analogue signal, and a vehicle-mounted DAB receiver re-assembles the bits to produce an audio stream. The CRTC plans to specifically address how satellite radio will affect the roll-out of DAB in Canada. For the CRTC Notice on Satellite Radio, see: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Hearings/2004/n2004-6.htm. View the CBC News Report at: http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/07/08/canada/radio_satellite040708. Summary by: James Kosa