Canada's broadcast regulator said today it won't force cable providers to start charging subscribers new fees for conventional television stations.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission rejected the subscriber fees as part of a review of cable and satellite distribution services, saying it wasn't ``convinced'' by the conventional broadcasters' case.

The agency, based in Gatineau, Quebec, held three weeks of hearings last April to review the issue. It also reviewed the size of basic-cable packages and whether domestic television channels should continue to be protected from foreign competitors.

CanWest Global Communications Corp. and Quebecor Media Inc. are among companies that have sought additional sources of revenue as they lose viewers to premium channels. Those firms, whose channels are available for free over the airwaves, were asking for the same treatment as specialty channels, which get paid for every cable or satellite client that subscribes to their service.

To contact the reporter on this story: Theophilos Argitis in Ottawa at targitis@bloomberg.net