Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-272-1

Reference: 2025-272

Gatineau, 1 December 2025

Call for comments – Removing barriers to identifying and accessing programming – Confirmation of procedure

On 16 October 2025, the Forum for Research and Policy in Communications (FRPC) submitted a procedural request asking the Commission to confirm if it will:
- add other materials to the record of this proceeding; and
- use the telecommunications costs awards process for this broadcasting proceeding.
On 23 October 2025, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre filed a letter in support of the FRPC’s requests.

The FRPC noted that this proceeding is similar to those initiated by Broadcasting Notices of Consultation 2024-137 and 2024-138, as all three aim to identify, remove and prevent barriers to access for persons with disabilities. The FRPC asked whether the Commission is including the records of those proceedings on the record of this proceeding.
The Commission notes that, while all three proceedings are intended to help further accessibility for persons with disabilities, each of them address different rules or requirements and different types of barriers. While the other proceedings focus on the accessibility of the programming itself (i.e., through the provision of content with closed captioning, described video, and audio description), this proceeding addresses issues related to equipment, software or other technology used to access programming.^{Footnote 1}
In light of the above, the Commission is not adding materials to the record of this proceeding.

The FRPC noted that the Broadcasting Participation Fund has announced that it would stop accepting funding claims as of 24 October 2025, and that no new funding mechanism has been developed or could be certain to be operational by 2 February 2026, the reply deadline for this present proceeding. As such, the FRPC asked whether qualified public interest participants could submit applications for costs through the Commission’s telecommunications costs award process.
The Commission recognizes the importance of public interest participation in its proceedings. However, the Commission’s authority to award telecommunications costs awards comes from section 56 of the Telecommunications Act. This present proceeding exclusively involves matters under the Broadcasting Act. As a result, the Commission cannot accept applications under the telecommunications costs award regime for this proceeding.
Given the importance of public interest participation in broadcasting proceedings, the Commission’s approach to funding public interest participation in these proceedings is being considered through Broadcasting and Telecom Notice of Consultation 2025-94, for which the public record closed on 17 November 2025.

Secretary General