TV service might end in some Canadian communities next year: advocate

Some Canadian communities, especially in rural and remote regions, might not have television services by Jan. 1, 2023.

That's the day that CommScope, a U.S.-based firm and third-party technology provider, will terminate support of Shaw Broadcast Services' Quick Take Plus (QT+) system, according to a memo circulated by Shaw to affected cable providers.

it's through the QT+ system that TV signals are provided via satellite to cable companies typically located in more remote and rural parts of Canada, according to Jay Thomson, the CEO of the Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA) which represents more than 100 independent companies.

"It may very well be that these communities will lose access to television," Thomson said.

"And that is incredibly important because Canada's broadcasting policy is all about ensuring that Canadians, wherever they live, have equal and equitable access to high levels of really robust, strong communications services."

Shaw also said there were no viable technology replacements for the CommScope-managed platform to enable Shaw to continue supporting QT+ services beyond December 31, 2022.  

When contacted by CBC News, a spokesperson for CommScope said it was directing all media inquiries back to Shaw.

Thomson said the affected companies heavily rely on the QT+ service because satellite technology is needed to get TV signals in certain regions of Canada.

Bell is another provider of satellite delivery of TV signals, he said.

However, he said Bell uses very different equipment and it would be "very, very costly" and "simply cost prohibitive" for small cable companies to transition from their existing equipment to Bell's equipment — hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases.

Thomson said the other reason small cable providers rely on this service is because they don't have access to a fibre link and access to broadband services in rural Canada is a real challenge.

He said with low-speed internet service, many communities don't have the alternative to turn to a streaming service.

"If they lose their TV, they lose all of their programming options," he said.

In Saskatchewan, the companies the CCSA represents include Regina-based Access Communications, which provides TV to more than 235 communities and rural areas across the province.