Thank you, Mr. Chair, and I'd like to thank the witnesses for coming out this morning.
I guess I'll start with Mr. Goldberg. When we look at satellite transmission providers worldwide, as you mentioned, there are four major players. You're the fourth player. The three others are considerably larger, and what we're seeing more and more of, with the liberalization of transmission in different vehicles, is consolidation. Telesat would be a great acquisition for one of these larger ones, and it would be a nice addition to their portfolio.
The concern I have is for Canadian users of the service. I understand that article 28 protects transmitters. Does it mention anything about the cost of the service? I'm concerned about northern Canada, which you now service, which is very important, because they rely on satellite service quite heavily.
When we look at southern Canada, the northern United States, and as far down south as you can go, what we see is a much denser population. The density is there. What is there to prevent a satellite company from redirecting its transponders so that it can service a larger, more densely populated area that is likely more profitable?
My concern is that we have a service--and sure, it's out there and it is up in our airspace--but suddenly it is directed somewhere else that is much more profitable, whether that's southern Canada or the northern United States. It doesn't make a difference because the people up in northern Canada still aren't getting the service they require. What's preventing that from happening?