Source : National Post

Re: The CRTC's Four-Decade Time Warp, Lorne Gunter, Jan. 18.

Columnist Lorne Gunter breezily dismisses concerns about the concentration of media ownership as mere "hysteria." He cites the proliferation of specialty channels launched by the big media behemoths as proof that we should all stop worrying and learn to love consolidation.

Sorry, not buying it. In a TV marketplace dominated by a few major players, the largest of which own not only cable or satellite systems, but also telephone services, Internet providers and a range of television stations, viewers have legitimate cause to wonder just how diverse Canadian television really is.

It matters little whether there are a thousand specialty channels serving every conceivable market niche: If a handful of big companies exercise near-total control over content, delivery and access, then consumer choice is largely illusory.

It is not the job of the federal regulator to supplant the role of the market. And, contrary to what Mr. Gunter suggests, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission does not propose to do so.

What the television system needs, rather, is smarter and more effective regulation that allows competitive forces to do their work while maintaining the diversity of programming choices that viewers in this country have come to appreciate. By seeking to define reasonable limits on cross-media ownership that will prevent any single company from exercising monopolistic power, the CRTC has taken a much-needed step in this direction.

Bill Roberts, president and CEO, S-VOX, Toronto

© National Post