Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to follow up in the same vein, but probably not in an adversarial manner, because I appreciate the contribution the private broadcasters make to Canadians in general.
You've made a number of statements. I've also had a chance to review The Future Environment facing the Canadian Broadcasting System, a report prepared by the CRTC. One of the issues you raised has to do with some of the regulatory obstacles your industry faces. I'd like to quote from item 280 of that report. You made pretty extensive submissions to that hearing. I'll just quote that item.
The CAB, supported by the CCSA, added that HDTV provides a ready example of the load shouldered by conventional broadcasters due to regulatory expectations. The CAB noted that “the Commission’s framework for digital and HD television is a highly detailed set of regulatory expectations relating to timelines, technical standards, and content quotas. These obligations will have a significant impact on the cost of the digital and HD transitions for broadcasters.
So it's a general statement of unease with the regulations that you have to comply with. Then you also made the statement today at our committee meeting that you would like to see CBC withdraw from reliance on advertising revenues. We also had testimony at this table from quite a number of witnesses that they feel there is a significant underfunding of CBC. When you put those last two points together, it means essentially what you're calling for is an even significantly greater subsidy of public broadcasting in Canada, well above the current $1 billion, or there's going to have to be some other model on which a new mandate for the CBC can be funded.
My question to you is this. Very briefly, just articulate some of the regulatory challenges you face that you'd like to see addressed. Even more importantly, could you answer whether your industry is prepared to be a contributor to solving the funding problems CBC apparently faces, whether by way of contributing to that funding or some other mechanism by which CBC can continue to be sustained as the mirror in which Canadians see themselves?