December 16, 2011
Mr. John Traversy
Secretary General
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0N2
Subject: Industry Canada Advisory Letter — Moratorium on the Use of Television Channel 51
Dear Mr. Traversy,
To promote deployment of wireless broadband services in the lower part of 700 MHz (A Block), Industry Canada is taking action to prevent further interference that could be caused by TV broadcasting on channel 51. The Department would like to inform the Commission that it will no longer grant new broadcasting certificates for applications based on the use of television channel 51. This decision applies to all regular power and low power TV applications and is effective immediately. This moratorium affects only the applications for new or modification to facilities predicated on increased usage of the spectrum. It does not affect existing regular power or low power television stations on channel 51. Those stations may continue to operate previously authorized facilities.
Industry Canada would also like to inform that following this decision, all existing allotments on channel 51 in the DTV post-transition plan will be removed from the Departmental database.
I trust that this information will clarify channel 51 usage as we move toward the next stages of planning the spectrum for the future.
Sincerely yours,
Helen McDonald
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister
Spectrum, Information Technologies
and Telecommunications
c.c. Mr. Roger Poirier, General Manager, RABC