ASL – What questions is the Commission asking? (2 of 3)
Video is also available in Langue des signes québecoise (LSQ).
Video Transcript
What questions is the Commission asking?
Q1. Should the application process for funding the participation of public interest groups be the same in both telecommunications and broadcasting proceedings?
Q2. If so, should the Commission or an independent third party process the applications?
Q3. What are the barriers, if any, to using the same process in telecommunications and broadcasting proceedings? How can these be addressed?
Q4. If funding is managed by a single independent third-party fund, would the BPF be the right organization to administer funding?
Q5. If so, what changes would be required to broaden its mandate and funding processes?
Q6. If a different organization would be more appropriate, how could the Commission ensure that individuals and public interest groups continue to receive funding to participate in proceedings while this new organization is being established?
Q7. How can the Commission’s eligibility criteria be streamlined or improved?
Q8. How can the Commission make it easier for parties that have not historically participated in Commission proceedings to participate? Are there specific considerations pertaining to equity-deserving groups, Indigenous rights holders, official language minority communities, or academics?
Q9. Should individuals and public interest groups have to demonstrate that they meet the eligibility criteria every time they apply for funding? If not, at what intervals should they have to?
Q10. Should funding be available for informal Commission activities that take place before or outside of formal Commission proceedings (for example, the CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee meetings, informal consultations, and roundtable meetings)? If so, which activities should be eligible for funding?
Q11. What costs should be eligible for reimbursement? Do the Commission’s rates need to change? If so, how?
Q12. Should the Commission use a different way to determine how much a party should receive? If so, explain how and why.
Q13. If the current costs model is maintained, how could the process be simplified?
Q14. If funding is collected through a third-party fund like the BPF:
- who should be required to contribute to the fund?
- how should the Commission calculate who pays and how much they should pay?
Q15. If the companies that are required to pay the costs awarded to public interest groups are identified on a proceeding-by-proceeding basis:
- who should be responsible for paying the costs in each proceeding?
- could the Commission’s current process be simplified, for example, by:
- increasing the minimum contribution any one company must pay? (The current minimum is $1,000.)
- establishing at the outset (for example, every year or at the beginning of each proceeding), which companies should pay, and the amounts they could be expected to pay? If so, on what basis should those amounts be calculated?
Q16. In general, what can the Commission do to issue funding decisions more quickly?
Q17. How can the Commission simplify applications for interim costs so that applicants can obtain funding earlier in a proceeding?
Q18. Should the Commission require that individuals and public interest groups provide an attestation that they and anyone who worked with them during the proceeding have not engaged in hate speech?
Q19. What other mechanisms can the Commission put in place to ensure that public interest funding does not support hate speech?
Q20. Should the Commission establish different processes to fund the participation of Indigenous groups, such as Indigenous organizations and governments, in Commission proceedings? If so, what should those processes be?
Q21. Should the Commission establish different processes for funding for official language minority communities? If so, what should those processes be?
Q22. Are there any additional matters that the Commission should consider to support participation in proceedings that take place under the Online News Act?
This consultation will explore new ways to fund the participation of groups that represent the public interest in CRTC proceedings to help ensure a diverse range of perspectives are reflected in its public records.
This video in sign language shows all the questions the Commission posed in the Notice of Consultation – A new approach to funding public interest participation in Commission proceedings.
Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-94
Consultation on improving public interest participation
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