OTTAWA, JULY 17, 2001 (Zenit.org).- After years of fighting with federal regulators, Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) has received approval to be broadcast in Canada, according to LifeSite News.
The Canada Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) had turned down the U.S.-based Catholic station in previous years, while allowing the Playboy Channel and other pornographic fare.
CRTC spokesman Denis Carmel said that previous decisions against EWTN were based on not allowing “single-faith” programming. That decision changed, in part, he said, with a larger market of channels now available.
Canadians´ access to EWTN is not guaranteed, however. The final decision lies in the hands of cable companies. The companies must decide to include EWTN in an extra package of stations to which their customers must subscribe, in addition to their regular cable service.
LifeSite said the best way to encourage cable companies to include a new station is for subscribers to include the request for the specific station with their bill payments. The CRTC notice allowing EWTN is at http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2001/PB2001-82.htm.
