Bell Media seeks appeal to CRTC's renewal of broadcast licences

A person navigates social-media pages of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) on a cell phone in Ottawa on Monday, May 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — After asking the federal telecommunications regulator to waive local news and Canadian programming requirements for its television stations, BCE Inc.'s media arm is seeking to appeal a CRTC decision that renewed its broadcast licences for three more years.

In an application to the Federal Court of Appeal, Bell Media says the renewal happened without a public hearing and could result in the regulator prejudging the issues it outlined in its applications to the CRTC last June.

The CRTC released the decision Aug. 8 announcing the administrative renewals of broadcasting licences for major companies including Bell until August 2026.

Bell's asks on programming, which have yet to be ruled upon by the CRTC, include reducing its spending obligation on Canadian content and dropping requirements for a set number of hours per week of local news broadcasting.

It has said its local television stations and broadcast news services are under financial strain that requires regulatory action.

The CRTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CTV News is a division of Bell Media.