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January 19,
2005
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC), announced today that it will move forward with a plan
to jam radio signals entering Canada from commercial radio stations
originating inside the United States.
The $125 million project is expected to take 3 years to
complete.
The Commission has contracted a Cuban technology company
to provide and install 38 radio frequency jamming stations in every
province.
At this time, the CRTC is focused on blocking signals
from American AM broadcasters, due to the long range transmission
ability of stations utilizing the AM band.
"The use of electronic devices to defeat this effort
shall be subject to penalties outlined in the criminal code of Canada,"
said commission chair Charles Dalfen.
The CRTC came under heavy criticism for a recent decision
that made receiving satellite signals from US providers illegal. The
CRTC says it has no plans to jam satellite signals from US providers, at
this time, due to the high cost involved and limited
access, however, Mr. Dalfen indicated the relatively low cost of
protecting Canadians from 'propaganda' originating from the US on the AM
band is "feasible and needed".
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one official from
the CRTC told the Globe and Mail that blocking satellite signals from US
providers may become a reality in the future.
The Globe and Mail quoted their source as saying, "If the
federal government of Canada enters into an agreement with the US on the
North American Missile Defense System, (commonly referred to as star
wars), the CRTC will push to have these defense satellites piggy-back a
device that can block commercial US TV satellite signals from entering
Canada."
In related news, the CRTC refused to renew the
broadcasting license of CHOI-FM, a French-language commercial radio
station in Quebec. The commission based their decision on offensive
comments made by the hosts over the station's airwaves.
Incredibly, the CRTC also granted permission for Canadian
cable and satellite TV providers to broadcast Al Jazeera, an
Arabic-language news and public affairs service.
"We have a duty to protect Canadians from broadcasters
who promote hate, and provide offensive content. Our recent decision to
deny a license to a Quebec radio station and to block US AM radio
broadcasters, demonstrates our commitment to properly regulate the
information Canadians are exposed to, said Charles Dalfen in a
statement.
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