OTTAWA - The broadcast industry will get a hearing from the country's top court in a dispute over regulatory fees imposed by federal authorities.
In a decision released without comment Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada granted permission for broadcast networks, cable and satellite operators to appeal an earlier ruling that went against them.
At issue are fees of about $100 million a year levied on the industry by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.
The Canadian Association of Broadcasters, along with the major private TV networks and a number of cable and satellite firms, contended the fees amounted to an illegal tax.
A Federal Court trial judge agreed and ruled in favour of the industry in 2006, but the Federal Court of Appeal reversed that finding earlier this year and upheld the federal levies as valid regulatory fees.
The CRTC stopped collecting the money after the initial court decision in 2006, pending a final outcome in the appeal process.
