As the United States’ broadcast regulator takes steps toward deregulation, an even more dramatic parallel is emerging to the north. Canada’s counterpart to the FCC has announced that radio stations will no longer need to apply for license renewals.
As of October 10, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is giving stations indefinite broadcasting licenses for the first time in the nation’s history. The CRTC said it would replace the traditional seven-year renewal process with routine audits to ensure compliance, citing that most stations were already in good standing.
The agency estimates indefinite licenses will reduce the paperwork and administrative strain of processing more than 300 renewals each year.
“Radio is in a period of transition,” the Commission said in a statement, adding that the move reflects an industry “adjusting to the growing presence of online streaming services in the broadcasting environment.”
While the CRTC’s reforms are framed around efficiency, they represent a striking philosophical shift that closely mirrors ideas now being discussed in Washington. FCC Chair Brendan Carr has signaled his possible reevaluation of the entire concept of public interest obligations in US broadcasting. As to whether his desire to deregulate and reduce paperwork will lead to a mirror of Canada’s new broadcast policy remains to be seen.
In addition, the CRTC is introducing a rule change that the US has had for some time in the name of revitalizing ownership on the AM band. For the first time, Canadian broadcasters will be permitted to simulcast AM content on FM frequencies within the same market.
The timing of Canada’s deregulation coincides with a renewed effort in the US to codify AM radio’s public safety role through Congressional legislation, not FCC rulemaking. The bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, now boasting more than 300 House sponsors and a Senate supermajority, seeks to ensure all new vehicles include AM receivers.
Both the FCC and CRTC appear to be navigating the same dual challenge: protecting traditional broadcasting’s viability while minimizing state involvement. For Canada, that means indefinite licenses and relaxed simulcast rules. For the US, it may soon mean license competition without public interest obligations and relaxed ownership caps; shifts that would represent the most significant structural deregulation in the FCC’s 90-year history.
With reporting by Adam R. Jacobson
