Weekly News (Apr. 3rd – 8th)

Communications Governance in the News

Compiled by Charnjot Shokar and Sumana Naidu

Research Assistants, Communications Governance Lab

Canadian News: Mar. 26 – Apr. 1

• [DEFAMATION] Judge rejects defamation suit against The Globe (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Federal government to limit large carriers in wireless spectrum auction (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Masse: Why the CRTC’s great wireless non-decision is good news for consumers (Financial Post)
• [NEWS FUNDING] Lindgren: How Ottawa should spend its $50 million to support local news (National Post)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATION] Trudeau government prepares push on bills to reform how elections fought, conducted(Toronto Star)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Quebec Liberals’ major investment in the arts catches CAQ flat-footed (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] BC Greens say AggregateIQ worked for party, no evidence data was misused(Globe & Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Quebec budget: Netflix must begin charging QST in 2019(Montreal Gazette)

International News: Mar. 26 – Apr. 1

• [ADVERTISING REGULATION] Facebook accused of failing to tackle discrimination in housing ads (Guardian)
• [ELECTION MANIPULATION] Facebook says it’s making progress in election preparedness(Washington Post)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATION] Cambridge Analytica parent company manipulated Nigeria’s 2007 election, documents show (Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATION] Records reveal AggregateIQ and SCL Group’s plan to influence politics in Trinidad and Tobago (Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTION MANIPULATION] Cambridge Analytica, AggregateIQ failed to undermine African democracy(Globe & Mail)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATION] Rawnsley: Politicians can’t control the digital giants with rules drawn up for the analogue era (Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] Facebook overhauls its privacy tools (CTV)
• [PRIVACY] Three users sue Facebook over collection of call and text history (CNBC)
• [PRIVACY] Facebook could be listening through your smartphone microphone, whistleblower says (National Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Amazon sheds $52-billion in market value after report on Trump threat(Globe & Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Judge dismisses case against social media after club rampage(Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Haggart: Why not nationalize Facebook?(National Post)
• [PORNOGRAPHY REGULATION] UK website age checks could create Facebook of porn, critics warn(The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] Under Armour says data breach affected about 150 million MyFitnessPal accounts (CNBC)
• [CYBERCRIME] Russian sent to US on charges he hacked Dropbox, others (ABC)

Press Releases and Decisions: Mar. 26 – Apr. 1

Federal Court of Appeal

• Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright) v. Canada2018 FCA 58

Senate of Canada

• Banking, Trade, and Commerce
• Study on issues and concerns pertaining to cyber security and cyber fraud
  • Ali Ghorbani, Director (Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity, University of New Brunswick)
  • Consideration of a draft agenda (future business)

House of Commons

• Ethics Committee [ETHI]

• Privacy of digital government services
• Net Neutrality
• Industry, Science, and Technology [INDU]
• Broadband connectivity in rural Canada

CRTC

• CRTC to protect more Canadians with wireless alerts

–  Christianne Laizner to the Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Association of Wireless Internet Providers (CanWISP)

• Broadcasting Decisions
• 2018-107 – APPROVED – Corus Entertainment Inc., on behalf of 7202342 Canada Inc. – Across Canada – Application to revoke the broadcasting licence for the national, English-language discretionary service Sundance Channel
• Telecom Decisions
• 2018-109 – Saskatchewan Telecommunications – Application for forbearance from the regulation of residential local exchange services – Public record: 8640-S22-201711648
• 2018-108 – CRTC Interconnection Steering Committee – Consensus reports on a proposed wireless public alerting test alert schedule and methodology – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08
• Open Consultations
• Broadcasting
• Notice of hearing – 31 May 2018 – Gatineau, Québec
• 2017-0880-2

3305670 Nova Scotia Company

• 2017-1025-2

5777152 Manitoba Ltd.

• 2017-0749-9

Aujourd’hui l’Espoir

• 2017-0549-3

Golden West Broadcasting Ltd.

• 2017-0566-7

Golden West Broadcasting Ltd.

• 2017-0079-0

International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association Inc.

• 2017-0918-0

International Harvesters for Christ Evangelistic Association Inc.

• 2017-0958-6

Kebaowek First Nation (SDEC)

• 2017-1026-0

Newcap Inc.

• 2017-1077-3

Northern Radio Corp.

• 2017-1183-8

Rogers Media Inc.

• 2017-1027-8

WOW Unlimited Networks Inc.

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Facebook allegations underscore deficiencies in Canada’s privacy laws

Facebook

• Hard Questions: What is Facebook Doing to Protect Election Security?
• It’s Time to Make Our Privacy Tools Easier to Find

Upcoming Events

Senate of Canada

• No sitting days this week

House of Commons

• No sitting days this week

CRTC

• Anticipated releases for the week of 3 April to 6 April 2018
• Broadcasting Decisions
• Parrsboro Radio Society
  • CICR-FM Parrsboro – Licence renewal
  • Public record for this application: 2016-0994-2

Upcoming Hearings:

• April 30, 2018 – Gatineau, Quebec
  To Consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2017-365, 2017-365-1and 2017-365-2
  View hearing documents (2017-365)