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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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