Newsletter: October 29, 2019

Weekly News (October 29, 2019)

Compiled by Ian Steinberg and Kim Payne with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

Canadian News (October 22-28, 2019)

• [DEFAMATION] Supreme Court throws out United Soils anti-SLAPP appeal (The Star)
• [POLICY] Ontario to ban promotion of vaping products in convenience stores (The Star)
• [POLICY] B.C. Indigenous rights bill paves the way for a new relationship between province, First Nations. Here’s what could change when it passes (The Star)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Manitoba man loses court fight to get back banned ASIMIL8 licence plate (National Post)
• [POLICY] English Montreal School Board files legal challenge to Quebec’s religious symbols law (National Post)
• [SIDEWALK LABS] Sidewalk Labs offered ‘trinkets’; Indigenous elder describes consultation as ‘hollow and tokenistic’ (The Star)
• [SMART CITY] A group of academics, business leaders and experts have sent a letter calling on Waterfront Toronto to disclose the details of private meetings with Sidewalk Labs… (The Star)
• [SMART CITY] Deadline looms in talks between Sidewalk Labs and Waterfront Toronto (The Star)
• [DEFAMATION] Patrick Brown tries new tactic to block defamation lawsuit filed by Tory MPP Fedeli (The Star)

 International News (October 22-28, 2019)

• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/CRYPTOCURRENCY] ‘You’re trying to help drug dealers’: Zuckerberg faces angry lawmakers at Libra hearing (Guardian)
• [ALGORITHM GOVERNANCE] Trump housing plan would make bias by algorithm ‘nearly impossible to fight’ (Guardian)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Ocasio-Cortez stumps Zuckerberg with questions on far right and Cambridge Analytica (Guardian)
• [CYBERSECURITY] TikTok app poses potential national security risk, says senior Democrat (Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] School apps track students from the classroom to bathroom, and parents are struggling to keep up (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Australia proposes face scans for watching online pornography (NYT)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Dissent erupts at Facebook (NYT)
• [TECH REGULATION] The FCC Chairman on regulating the big tech companies (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNACE] Opinion (Alex Hern): Facebook isn’t going to influence the next election—until it does (Guardian)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Opinion (Jessa Crispin): Billionaires rule the American art world. A radical response? Nationalize museums (Guardian)

(October 22-28, 2019)

Supreme Court of Canada

Judgments in leave applications:

• [DEFAMATION] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Gillian Findlay, Morris Karp and David Studer v. AARC Society (Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre) (Alta.) (Civil) (By Leave) (38675) The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Alberta (Calgary), Number 1801-0257-AC, 2019 ABCA 125, dated April 8, 2019, is dismissed with costs. It is not necessary to decide the applicants’ motion to strike.

CRTC

News Releases:

• Telecom notice of consultation 2019-57-1
  [2019-10-28 11:00:00]
  Notice of hearing – Review of mobile wireless services – Changes to procedure – Revised public hearing commencement date: 18 February 2020 – Revised deadline for further comments: 22 November 2019 – Deadline for parties to reply to the Commissioner of Competition’s economic studies: 13 January 2020 – Revised deadline for final submissions: 23 March 2020
• Broadcasting decision 2019-356
  [2019-10-28 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – 10679313 Canada Inc. – Sainte-Marie, Quebec – Application for a broadcasting licence to operate a French-language commercial FM radio station in Sainte-Marie
• Anticipated releases for the week of 28 October to 1 November 2019
  [2019-10-25 20:00:00]
  The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week.
• Telecom regulatory policy 2019-354
  [2019-10-24 11:00:00]
  Review of the reseller registration obligation – Public record: 1011-NOC2017-0450

 Competition Bureau

• Competition Bureau takes action on false or misleading marketing practices in online flight sales
• Competition Bureau hosts American and Mexican counterparts with a focus on fostering a competitive digital economy

 Copyright Board of Canada

• Notice from the Secretary General, October 25, 2019

 Elections Canada

• The 43rd Federal Election by the Numbers

 Global Affairs Canada

• Announcement of new diplomatic appointments

 National Film Board

• An immersive VR lab and residency for Indigenous artists from across Turtle Island. NFB, CFC Media Lab and the Ford Foundation launch VR doc lab OPEN IMMERSION II

 Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• International privacy guardians urge legislators to reaffirm commitment to privacy as a right and value in itself

Federal Trade Commission

• FTC Staff Offers Comment on NIST’s Proposed Privacy Framework

 Federal Communication Commission

• Chairman Pai Statement on New Rules to Protect Communications Networks on October 28, 2019 – News Release
• FCC Requires 911 Fee Parity for VoIP & Traditional Phone Service on October 25, 2019 – News Release
• FCC Takes Steps to Enforce Quality Standards for Rural Broadband on October 25, 2019 – News Release

 Facebook

• Introducing Facebook News
• Connecting People With Health Resources
• Privacy Matters: Facebook’s Preventive Health Tool

 Google

• Bringing Wi-Fi to the residents of Celilo Village

Microsoft

• Microsoft releases biannual digital trust reports
• New cyberattacks targeting sporting and anti-doping organizations

Twitter

• Twitter builds partnership with UNESCO on media and information literacy

“The 42nd Parliament was dissolved on September 11, 2019.

Dissolution occurs when the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, issues a proclamation putting an end to the current Parliament, which triggers a general election.

In practice, as soon as Parliament is dissolved, all committee activity ceases and, as such, all orders of reference and committee studies lapse. No committee may sit during a dissolution.”

Senate of Canada

• No fixed and possible Senate sitting days this week.

Canadian House of Commons

• No fixed and possible House of Commons sitting days this week.

 CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week. This list may be incomplete and is subject to change without notice.

Telecom Decision:

• 9315-1884 Québec inc. – Implementation of local competition for TELUS Communications Inc. in the exchanges of Courcelles and Lambton, Quebec
  Public record: 8663-L2-201811224

Upcoming Public Hearings:

• 2019-217 Co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy
• November 5, 2019 – Gatineau, Quebec
  To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-303
  View hearing documents (2019-303)
• December 3, 2019 – Gatineau, Quebec
  To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-341
  View hearing documents (2019-341)
• February 12, 2020 – Montréal (Québec)
  To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC CRTC 2019-358
  View hearing documents (2019-358)
• February 18, 2020 (previously 13 January 2020) – Gatineau, Quebec
  Review of mobile wireless services. Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2019-57 and 2019-57-1
  View hearing documents (2019-57)

Copyright Board of Canada

Upcoming hearings:

• Non-Commercial Radio
  [CMRRA: 2003-2010; CSI: 2011-2018; Re:Sound: 2013-2018]
  Hearing: Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., Copyright Board hearing room.
  Schedule of Proceedings;
  Directive on Procedure
• Background Music
  [SOCAN: 2012-2018; Re:Sound: 2014-2018]
  Hearing: Tuesday, December 8, 2020, at 10:00 a.m., Copyright Board hearing room.
  Schedule of Proceedings;
  Directive on Procedure

 

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings