Canadian Heritage committee  Reciprocity would be a step forward, because right now, the rules are not reciprocal.

Canadian Heritage committee  There are ongoing discussions. At the moment, I think that the key focus is the fact that all Canadian TV package subscribers receive multiple U.S. services, whereas only a very small percentage of American stations do.

Canadian Heritage committee  —for everything they produce, and obviously local television is a creative industry. They employ people in the creative—

Canadian Heritage committee  From our perspective, the Broadcasting Act reports through the Minister of Canadian Heritage, so we think that your study is very important and timely, and the model we're advocating, which is a retransmission consent model, would make new revenues available for Canadian broadcasters as well—

Canadian Heritage committee  —and it will help bolster the sagging local state of television and offset some of the losses by creating these new commercial revenues.

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, we can.

Canadian Heritage committee  I see your point. That's exactly right.

Canadian Heritage committee  It would be my pleasure. Thank you.

Canadian Heritage committee  That's an excellent question. Really, it's not a comparative market. All Canadian TV subscribers receive over-the-air American services in their packages, whereas in the U.S., it's limited to approximately 40 to 45 designated market areas, so only an estimated 500,000 to a million U.S.

Canadian Heritage committee  Exactly. Yes, sir.

Canadian Heritage committee  I don't think I would be in a position to comment on radio as a—

Canadian Heritage committee  I think the larger and more interesting question coming forward will be that as the Americans implement this next generation's new TV standard, it's important to appreciate that for the first time, broadcast transmissions will be available not only for fixed receivers, such as your television in your living room, but for mobile receivers, including things like your phone, your autonomous vehicle and things like that.

Canadian Heritage committee  If that's okay with you, I will answer in English. The border stations themselves are program rights owners, so they own the program rights—

Canadian Heritage committee  The Canadian retransmission regime is a hybrid, and it grew out of that subsidy model. Initially it was to provide cable subscribers with content outside the border. It goes back to a policy in the early 1970s, called the equalization of viewing policy, that we had at the time. It just meant that people across Canada were entitled to the Windsor television package, no matter where they lived.

Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you.