The Canadian Association of Broadcasters is asking Canada’s broadcast regulator to fast-track the process for licensing and launching new Canadian specialty and pay TV services so that distributors don’t have to turn to U.S. or other foreign services for programming.

The submission was presented by the CAB earlier this month to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

It also calls for access rules that ensure Canadian programming services have maximum exposure to Canadian subscribers and reiterates a point made at last fall’s CRTC television policy review that U.S. specialty services broadcasting in Canada should pay for the privilege, just as Canadian services do.

CAB further supports this view with CBC audience research, compiled by Nielsen Media Research, which indicates that Canadian specialty services generate twice the viewership of U.S. satellite services – 13.7% to 7.5%, respectively.

The CRTC hearing is also considering whether digital or analogue licensing for new services would be more appropriate.