Last month, the CRTC made a surprising move to stop radio licences from expiring, to prevent broadcasters from having to go through a rigorous process that results in mostly a fait accompli. But to station owners, that was only a start.

Now the Canadian Association of Broadcasters has filed a formal complaint to the Commission, accusing it of forcing them to fill out endless paperwork, forms and other bureaucratic documents for no reason.

"According to the CAB in a letter sent via email on November 13, broadcasters are forced to file “dozens of annual financial reports,” duplicate ownership filings, monthly television logs, emergency alert tests, music lists, diversity reports, and a long list of other obligations the CRTC rarely even looks at. The group says the situation has become so absurd that small and medium-sized stations can’t keep up."

The letter outlines the number of extra chores the rules bring with it, and you can read it here. Check some of them out:

• Dozens of annual financial reports (“annual returns”) – many of which are duplicative – certain large groups also must submit aggregated annual returns
• Multiple ownership reports
• Annual television programming log evaluation reports
• Monthly programming logs (for television)
• Local news audits for television
• Independent production report
• Regional production reports and plans
• Women in production report
• Emerging and Indigenous artist reporting (for radio)
• Tangible benefits reports and additional post ownership transaction reports
• Emergency alert testing reports
• Annual Digital Media Survey
• Accessibility plans and progress reports
• Cultural diversity annual reports
• DV exemption reports (certain groups)
• CC reports on quality and accuracy rates • Alcohol advertising reports
• Monthly 120-days reports (for dispute resolution)

And that's just a partial list!

They're asking for relief from the burdens, but it's unclear whether the Commission will grant the request for relief.

CRTC Buries Broadcasters in Endless Reports—Here’s the Absurd List