Thank you.
I found your presentation very interesting and very different from that of our previous witness. Mr. von Finckenstein said we shouldn't assume there's a problem. Maybe I had my facts wrong, but it seemed to me somewhere over the years the mandate of the CRTC changed, because now the market handles itself. Ms. Fusca said the market was a construction, and it was constructed with section 19.1 of the IncomeTax Act, which created a specific incentive for the broadcasters. It was used with the CRTC. I can't set up my own TV or radio network. It's an exclusive club. They shut down competition.
When the cable giants were afraid of competition, they were allowed to jack up their prices, and then when they jacked up their prices too much, rather than give the money back we created a media fund. Now they're the guys who control the media fund and now they're the same people who get to take the money out for another broadcast. So there is a market construct. There's nothing wrong with a constructed market, but we won't have access to that market.
Mr. von Finckenstein told us the pipes are dumb. But you're telling me the pipes are the gatekeepers, that the cable and satellite and telephone companies decide what people get to see and you have to negotiate with them, and now you have to negotiate with them when they're competing with you. So what are the steps we need in place so you get fair access to this market that's been constructed for the benefit of Canadians?