The ANNOTICO Report

A HUGE victory for the substantial Italian Canadian community that permits
a greater "bridge" to Italy, by permitting the Italian Network to be
accessed in Canada through cable giant Rogers as a digital Channel.

The homegrown Canadian  Italian-language network Telelatino was protected,
and must also be provided.

This Italian Community victory will also allow applications by other "Third
Language" (Besides English and French) communities.

Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC)
Arts
Fri, 13 May 2005

OTTAWA - Canada's broadcast regulator will allow the Italian network RAI
into Canada as a digital channel, it was announced Friday.

The approval came after cable giant Rogers made a second attempt to get
approval to offer RAI International, the national public broadcaster of
Italy.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission attached
one condition to the decision: the homegrown Italian-language network
Telelatino must also be provided.

Heritage Minister Liza Frulla said she is "extremely happy" with the
decision.

According to Frulla, the ruling gives lovers of Italian programming the
diversity of RAI content while protecting Canadian stations at the same
time.

"So that's why I feel that it's quite balanced. Plus, it helps other
third-language television to now come in and use the same parameters," she
told the Canadian Press.

Last year, after protests in the Italian community over the CRTC's initial
decision to keep the channel out of Canada, the federal agency revised its
policies to make it easier for foreign broadcasters to secure a spot in the
digital tier – providing their programming is in a language other than
English or French.

It's expected that other third-language broadcasters will be permitted into
the country under the same condition, being tied to the carriage of a
domestic network.

Rogers said it would begin offering RAI to subscribers on June 2, which
marks Festa Della Republica, Italy's national holiday.

"We are thrilled that the CRTC has made their decision to include RAI
International on their list of eligible channels in Canada. We will be able
to satisfy pent up demand for this programming," Phil Lind, a Rogers
executive, said.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/
national/2005/05/13/Arts/rai050513.html