Weekly News (July 30, 2019)

Compiled by Ian Steinberg with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

 

Communications Governance Observatory Monthly Podcast Series

Podcast Episode 8: Platform Regulation Part 1 with Dr. Tamara Shepherd (17 min)

Podcast Episode 9: Platform Regulation Part 2 with Dr. Tamara Shepherd (17 min)

Canadian News (July 23-29, 2019)

• [PRIVACY] Federal judge rules IRS free to nab US tax cheats in Canada (CP/CBC)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; CONSUMER PACKAGING AND LABELING] Federal Court orders removal of ‘Product of Israel’ labels from West Bank wines(Globe and Mail)
• [COMPETITION / PLATFORM REGULATION] Watchdog monitors tech giants for anti-competitive behavior (Star)
• [BROADCAST REGULATION] Opinion: Rethinking the CBC’s mandate (Spectator)
• [CANCON] Arts workers launch pressure campaign ahead of fall vote (Star)
• [RURAL BROADBAND] Canada invests $85M into advanced satellites to connect rural, remote regions (National Post)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Opinion: For Huawei, as with China, 5G is the end game (Star)
• [ALGORITHMIC GOVERNANCE] Companies turn to AI to tackle gender bias (Star)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS] New political players dominate on Facebook (Star)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS] Liberals seek to probe into e-mails from third-party conservative groups (Globe and Mail, paywall)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS] Feds spent $17.7 million on advertising in lead up to election moratorium (Star)
• [PRIVACY] Data breach reveals ‘gaps’ in training, NDP MPP says (Star)
• [FINANCE] Infrastructure bank not blacklisting media, official says (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Canada urged to condemn Egyptian minister’s remarks that critics will be sliced up (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Activists should be allowed to speak on behalf of animals in court, lawyer argues (National Post)
• [CORPORATE CONCENTRATION] Quebecor raises competition concerns over Bell acquisition (Globe and Mail)

International News (July 23-29, 2019)

• [TELECOM POLICY / COMPETITION] Sprint, T-Mobile merger approved (Washington Post, paywall)
• [PRIVACY / PLATFORM REGULATION] Privacy group files legal challenge to Facebook’s $5B FTC settlement (Business Times)
• [PRIVACY / PLATFORM REGULATION] In Facebook privacy case, regulators settled for less (Washington Post, paywall)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Bringing big tech to heel: how do we take back control of the internet? (Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Hughes makes case for breaking up Facebook, a ‘monopoly’ he helped start (Washington Post, paywall)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Amazon’s profit edges higher as US regulators eye its growing clout (Washington Post)
• [ELECTION COMMUNICATIONS] Iranians, others take Russian cue in election disinformation efforts (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Content moderators see it all – and suffer (Washington Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Equifax agrees to $700M settlement for 2017 data breach in US (AP/Global)
• [PRESS FREEDOM] Russia warns British media after TV channel fined over coverage of former spy’s poisoning (Reuters/Globe and Mail)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Capital One target of massive data breach (CTV)

Press Releases and Decisions (July 23-29, 2019)

Federal Court of Canada

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; CONSUMER PACKAGING AND LABELING] Kattenburg v. Canada (Attorney General),  2019 FC 1003 – 2019-07-29

Canadian Heritage

• Supporting Indigenous Languages in Atlantic Canada
• Minister O’Regan to Make an Announcement About the Preservation and Revitalization of Indigenous Languages

Competition Bureau Canada

• Competition Bureau’s 2019-2020 Annual Plan places focus on digital economy

CRTC

News Releases:

Broadcasting decisions:

• 2019-265 – APPROVED – Caper Radio Incorporated – Sydney, Nova Scotia – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power, English-language campus FM radio station
• 2019-266 – APPROVED – Exploits Valley Community Radio Inc.
  Grand Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador
  Application for a broadcasting licence to operate a low-power, English-language community FM radio station in Grand Falls-Windsor

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Parliamentary Secretary Mendicino announces new CanCode investment

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• New videos to help Canadians and businesses protect privacy rights

Apple

• Apple to acquire the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business

Facebook

• FTC Agreement Brings Rigorous New Standards for Protecting Your Privacy

Google

• Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism: An update on our progress

Microsoft

• Ag-Analytics helps farmers and researchers use AI to prepare for climate change
• Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism: An update on our progress two years on

Upcoming Events

Senate of Canada

• No fixed and possible Senate sitting days this week; Senate reconvenes on September 17, 2019

Canadian House of Commons

• No fixed and possible House of Commons sitting days this week; House reconvenes on September 16, 2019

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Consultation on a Policy and Licensing Framework for Spectrum in the 3500 MHz Band

CRTC

Broadcasting Decisions:

Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various radio stations

Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various television stations

Decisions relating to the following applications considered under the Commission’s Part 1 process:

• • Native Communication Inc.
    CINC-FM Thompson – New transmitter in Dauphin
    Public record for this application: 2019-0398-0
  • Bell Media Inc.
    Bell Media Inc. – Deletion of transmitters
    Public record for this application: 2019-0088-7

Decisions relating to the following applications considered by the Commission at the 19 March 2019 public hearing:

• • Exploits Valley Community Radio Inc.
    Community radio station in Grand Falls-Windsor
    Public record for this application: 2018-0954-2
  • Caper Radio Incorporated
    Campus radio station in Sydney
    Public record for this application: 2018-1056-5

 

Telecom Regulatory Policy:

• • The Internet Code
    Public record: 1011-NOC2018-0422

Upcoming Public Hearings:

• • September
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-225. View hearing documents (2019-225)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings