The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) has submitted a Part 1 application to the CRTC asking it to move to an audit-based system for television compliance that would only require the filing of a monthly log report upon request.

The change to filling requirements would apply to all private television stations and discretionary services, with the CAB’s recommendations coming following consultation with its members.

Television providers are currently obligated to file minute-by-minute logs of all programming and commercial content, including program titles, categories, captioning status, and Canadian program identifiers, on a monthly basis.

“Our members report that the monthly filing of logs creates significant administrative burden, particularly when the Commission’s log filing system regularly generates ‘error reports’ that prevent the submission of monthly logs,” the CAB stated in its application.

The CAB is recommending the commission adopt an audit-based approach, similar to the process used in the review of radio stations. Instead of cumbersome monthly filings, the CAB proposes that compliance be monitored by requesting logs for one random month. Licensees would be deemed compliant for the broadcast year if there are no shortfalls in that log.

If a submitted log identified a shortfall, the commission could require the broadcaster to file a supplementary report and request further dialogue with the licensee to complete the information required for compliance purposes. The CAB says the approach is consistent with the “gradual compliance approach” described in the commission’s Modernization of radio processes policy framework.

The organization says the change would reduce duplicative reporting and associated costs for broadcasters; streamline the commission’s own data-management workload; modernize oversight to focus on outcomes and compliance risk; and support the CRTC’s broader red-tape reduction objectives.

The deadline for interventions is Jan. 30.