'Pick-and-pay' cable may not make it to most of Nunavut

A new "pick-and-pay" model for Canadian cable TV may not be an option across most of Nunavut.

Changing the way cable television is offered is one of the main topics at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's current "Let's Talk TV" hearing in Ottawa.

But Rod Wilson, who oversees Arctic Co-operative's 4,000 cable TV customers, says new CRTC pick-and-pay changes may work for digital subscribers in Iqaluit, but not analog customers in Nunavut communities.

"Within the analog system, it's much less flexible and much more rigid," he said. "Basically once the cable is connected to a house, whatever signals are being carried or transported are all available at that household, unless manual filters are applied."

Outside of Iqaluit, the co-op's cable markets have as few as 30 subscribers. Wilson says that makes it difficult to tailor cable packages and still turn a profit.