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McCarthy Tétrault Lawyers Publish Seminal Communications Texts

Members of the Communication Group at McCarthy Tétrault have recently published three authoritative texts in the areas of broadcasting and telecommunications. The Communications Law and the Courts in Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook, and the Regulatory Guide to Canadian Television are available for purchase on the firm’s website.

Communications Law and the Courts in Canada

Communications Law and the Courts in Canada is an annotated guide to judicial decisions related to the regulation of communications and copyright in Canada. Over 500 judicial decisions from the earliest times to the present are carefully analyzed and indexed. This guide includes all cases involving judicial review of the CRTC and the Copyright Board of Canada, up to the beginning of 2010.

Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook

The Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook was first issued 17 years ago and is now in its 10th edition. It is the standard reference in Canada to broadcasting regulation, including the regulation of Canadian radio and TV stations and networks, specialty and premium TV programming services, and cable television, direct-to-home satellite systems and other broadcast distribution systems (other than documents solely relating to radio). The 10th edition completely updates all the documents in the previous nine editions, and is updated to April 1, 2010.

In recognition of the impact of convergence between telecommunications and broadcasting matters, the handbook contains the text of the Radiocommunication Act and the Telecommunications Act. The handbook also contains the full text of the industry self-regulatory codes.

This handbook is an indispensable reference tool for those in the broadcasting industry and those appearing before the CRTC.

Regulatory Guide to Canadian Television

The Regulatory Guide to Canadian Television is a companion volume to the Canadian Broadcasting Regulatory Handbook. Now in its fifth edition, this publication provides regulatory, ownership, financial and other information on each of Canada’s television programming services. It includes detailed information on conventional (free-to-air) TV stations and networks, Canadian specialty services, pay television, pay-per-view and video-on-demand services.

The information includes a summary of the chronology of licensing for the service; the applicable conditions of licence; expectations, commitments and undertakings made by or relating to the service that are still applicable; excerpts from past Canadian Radio-television & Telecommunications Commission licensing decisions; financial and subscriber information regarding the service; and ownership charts for the services. Over 175 television services are covered and all the information has been updated to April 1, 2010.

The handbook will be of interest to broadcasters, distribution undertakings, program producers, applicants, interveners, and many others who have occasion to study the Canadian broadcasting system, and to participate in CRTC proceedings.

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