"The CRTC's previous refusal to grant Fox News a license had been contested by some Canadians, as well as American fans of the channel, who believed the decision to be politically motivated."
A license had already been granted for the same service. Until CanWest and Fox pulled the plug on the Canadian version, the CRTC didn't really have a legitimate choice. Once they waved the white flag, didn't they (FNC) get the OK for carriage?
Perhaps if FNC channel gets enough viewers in Canada they'll explore applying for another Canadian version. It would be nice to see some homegrown pundits addressing Canadian issues from a conservative view.