CBC Television

===History===
In 2006, the CBC submitted a plan to the CRTC for [[Digital television in Canada|transitioning the over-the-air television]] signals from analogue to digital. In this submission, the CBC stated that its 654 analogue transmitters reached 98% of the population, and that it planned on installing 44 digital transmitters, reaching 80% of Canadians.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120307104239/http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/submissions/crtc/2006/OTA-ENG-Sept28.pdf CBC/Radio-Canada Fact Sheet Over-the Air Transmission and the Transition to Digital/HD], January 16, 2011.</ref>

The CRTC decided to impose a mandatory transition date switching over-the-air television signals from analogue to digital, following consultation with CBC and the public. The CBC had requested during this consultation that broadcasters be given four years to transition. Following the consultation, on May 17, 2007, the CRTC imposed a transition timeline of four years, resulting in a transition deadline of August 31, 2011, and requiring that over-the-air analogue transmitters be shut off by that date.

On July 6, 2009, the CRTC limited the August 31, 2011 [[Digital television in Canada|transition deadline]] to certain mandatory markets, greatly reducing the number of transmitters needing to be transitioned. In CBC's 2009–2010 Corporate Plan, the corporation stated that it planned on having 30 transmitters broadcasting in digital by the deadline, costing $30 million.

On August 6, 2010, the CBC issued a press release stating that due to financial reasons, the CBC and Radio-Canada would only transition 27 transmitters total, one in each market where there was an originating station (i.e. a CBC or Radio-Canada television station located in that market). Further, the CBC stated in the release, that only 15 of the transmitters would be in place by August 31, 2011, due to lack of available funds, and that the remainder would not be on the air until as late as August 31, 2012.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120307104259/http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/20100806.shtml CBC/Radio-Canada releases plan for the transition to over-the-air digital television], January 11, 2011.</ref> Additionally, the CBC stated in the release that it was asking the CRTC for permission to continue broadcasting in analogue until the identified transmitters for transition were up and running. At the time of the press release, only eight of the corporation's transmitters (four CBC and four Radio Canada) were broadcasting in digital.

On November 30, 2010, the CBC's senior director of regulatory affairs issued a letter to the CRTC regarding CBC's plans for transitioning to digital. The letter states, "CBC/Radio-Canada will not be converting its analogue retransmitters in mandatory markets to digital after August 31, 2011."<ref>[https://services.crtc.gc.ca/pub/DocWebBroker/OpenDocument.aspx?Key=7&Type=Notice Refer to file: "DM#1480736 – 2010-169 CBCSRC Reply Letter_DTV Transition Update_30Nov10.pdf"]</ref> On December 16, 2010, some months after the CRTC issued a bulletin reminding broadcasters that analogue transmitters had to be shut off by the deadline in mandatory markets, the CBC revised the documents accompanying its August 6, 2010, news release to state that it had the money for and is striving to transition all 27 transmitters by August 31, 2011.

On March 23, 2011, the CRTC rejected an application by the CBC to install a digital transmitter serving Fredericton, New Brunswick in place of the analogue transmitter serving Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick, which would have served only 62.5% of the population served by the existing analogue transmitter.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 23, 2011 |title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-203 |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-203.htm |access-date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Crtc.gc.ca}}</ref> The CBC issued a press release stating "CBC/Radio-Canada intends to re-file its application with the CRTC to provide more detailed cost estimates that will allow the Commission to better understand the unfeasibility of replicating the Corporation's current analogue coverage."<ref>{{Cite web |title=CBC/Radio-Canada remains committed to serving the Province of New Brunswick |url=http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/20110323.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404042344/http://www.cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/20110323.shtml |archive-date=April 4, 2012 |access-date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Cbc.radio-canada.ca}}</ref> The press release further added that the CBC suggests coverage could be maintained if the CRTC were to "allow CBC Television to continue providing the analogue service it offers today – much in the same way the Commission permitted recently in the case of [[Yellowknife]], [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]] and [[Iqaluit]]."

On March 29, 2011, the CRTC added the following condition of licence to over-the-air stations owned by CBC: "Unless otherwise authorized by the Commission, the licensee shall not transmit analogue television signals after 31 August 2011 in mandatory markets designated as such by the Commission in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2011-184 or transmit television signals on channels 52 to 69".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 29, 2011 |title=Broadcasting Decision 2011-215 |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-215.htm |access-date=October 31, 2011 |publisher=Crtc.gc.ca}}</ref>

On August 18, 2011, the CRTC issued a decision that allows CBC's mandatory market rebroadcasting transmitters in analogue to remain on-air until August 31, 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 16, 2011 |title=Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2011-494 |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2011/2011-494.htm |access-date=August 18, 2011}}</ref> Before that deadline, the CBC's licence renewal process would take place and CBC's digital transition plans would be examined as part of that process. The requirement remains for all of CBC's full-power transmitters occupying channels 52 to 69 to either relocate to channels 2 to 51 or become low-power transmitters. In some cases, the CBC has opted to reduce the power of existing transmitters to low-power transmitters, which will result in signal loss for some viewers.

On April 4, 2012, the CBC released its budget plans, in which it announced that all of its approximately 620 analogue television transmitters would be shut down on July 31, 2012, which was earlier than planned, due to funding reductions from the federal government.<ref name="radio-canada" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120415035823/http://cbc.radio-canada.ca/newsreleases/20120404.shtml CBC/Radio-Canada outlines extent of budgetary challenge and its plan to address it]</ref><ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-384 Revocation of licences for the rebroadcasting stations CBIT Sydney and CBKST Saskatoon and licence amendment to remove analog transmitters for 23 English- and French-language television stations], ''CRTC'', July 17, 2012</ref>

On July 17, 2012, the CRTC approved the shut down of CBC's analogue transmitters, noting that "while the Commission has the discretion to refuse to revoke broadcasting licences, even on application from a licensee, it cannot direct the CBC or any other broadcaster to continue to operate its stations and transmitters."<ref>[http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2012-384]</ref> On July 31, 2012, at around 11:59&nbsp;p.m. in each time zone, the remaining 620 analogue transmitters were shut down, leaving the network with 27 digital television transmitters across the country, and some transmitters operated by some affiliated stations.