Newsletter: December 1, 2020

Weekly News (December 1st, 2020)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 10-16, 2020)

Canadian News

• [PRIVACY] Canada’s Proposed Privacy Overhaul Leans Toward European-Style Rules (The Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Revenue hardships mar news industry (The Toronto Star; Similar story available also at The Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Peter Menzies: Prosperity for Canada’s film and TV industry threatened by new CRTC powers (The Hamilton Spectator)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Government has the right to keep info from MPs, says top civil servant (The National Post)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Opinion: Fred Youngs: In a scramble for dollars, CBC is putting its journalistic credibility on the line (The Hamilton Spectator)
• [WHISTLEBLOWING/NATIONAL SECURITY] Watchdog urges spy policy gaps be closed; Whistleblowers (The Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] News ‘Clearly, we were doing it wrong’: Toronto police are doing far fewer strip searches under strict new rules, Interim chief says (The Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Satellite operators want Ottawa to pay them to vacate spectrum to be used for 5G  (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/LABOUR] California’s gig worker battle reveals the abuses of precarious work in Canada too (The Conversation via National Post)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING] Going Deepa into Sri Lanka (The National Post)
• [PRIVACY] ‘(It’s) been a frequent request’: Municipal COVID-19 data will be provided starting Nov. 30 (The Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Ronald J. Deibert: We’ve become dependent on a technological ecosystem that is highly invasive and prone to serial abuse (The Globe and Mail)
• [DATA GOVERNANCE/COMPETITION] Toronto real estate board walks back questions about posting of sold data (The Toronto Star)

International News

• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to leave agency next year (The Washington Post; Similar story at The Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Supreme Court Weighs Breadth of Computer Hacking Law (The Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION] New UK tech regulator to limit power of Google and Facebook (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION] Digital Markets Unit: what powers will new UK tech regulator have? (The Guardian; Similar story available at the Vancouver Sun)
• [PRIVACY] Europe Doubles Down on Data Protection to Ward Off Silicon Valley, Chinese Influence (The Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/RACIAL BIAS] U.N. Panel: Technology in Policing Can Reinforce Racial Bias (The New York Times)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Nigerian court hears blasphemy conviction appeals in northern city Kano (Reuters)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] France’s new national security bill could jeopardize freedom of expression (The Washington Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] France’s new national security bill could jeopardize freedom of expression (The Washington Post)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] U.S. agency blocks path to in-flight airline cellphone (Reuters)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] FCC affirms ZTE poses U.S. national security threat (Reuters)
• [INTERNET POLICY] Social Media’s Liability Shield Is Under Assault (The Wall Street Journal)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] ABC opposes quotas as Coalition plans to force Netflix to make more Australian content (The Guardian)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CENSORSHIP] Vietnam steps up online crackdown, jailed activists at record high – Amnesty (Reuters)
• [CENSORSHIP] Thailand Turns to Feared Tool to Quell Criticism of Monarchy (The New York Times)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CENSORSHIP] Musicians, writers, painters and Black activists peacefully challenge Communist government’s grip on expression (The Wall Street Journal; Similar story available at Reuters)
• [PRIVACY/SURVEILLANCE] Next Step in Government Data Tracking Is the Internet of Things (The Wall Street Journal)
• [SPECTRUM POLICY] Defense officials lukewarm on 5G spectrum-leasing plan (The Washington post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/E-WASTE] Amazon and Apple ‘not playing their part’ in tackling electronic waste (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY] Microsoft productivity score feature criticised as workplace surveillance (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/LABOUR] Amazon unions from Brazil to Germany plan Black Friday protests; Labour; Range of issues (BNN Bloomberg)
• [DEFAMATION] Justice Department appeals, seeking to replace Trump in suit(The Toronto Star)
• [DEFAMATION] Opinion: Erik Wemple: Fox News settles suit with parents of Seth Rich for promoting heinous conspiracy theory (The Washington Post)
• [DEFAMATION] UK judge refuses Depp permission to appeal libel ruling (The Toronto Star)

(November 24-30, 2020)

Canadian Heritage

• Advancing Equity, Improving Lives: Minister Bardish Chagger Launches LGBTQ2 Survey and Engagement on Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Ian Scott to the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
• Public alerting tests to be conducted in Canada on November 25
• Companies involved in the mobile app industry must avoid practices that could harm consumers

Competition Bureau Canada

• Competition Bureau statement on the application of the Competition Act to no-poaching, wage-fixing and other buy-side agreements
• Opportunity in the Face of Challenge: A Competitiveness Agenda for Canada’s Future

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Ottawa and Quebec invest close to $15 M to offer a more reliable and accessible network in the Nord-du-Québec region

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

●        Companies involved in the mobile app industry must avoid practices that could harm consumers

●        Joint letter from federal enforcement agencies to remind mobile app industry of obligations associated with Canada’s anti-spam legislation

Instagram

●        Deconstructing Disclosures: Do Creators Need To Say When They’re Getting Paid?

Twitter

●        Nation states exerting power online – sharing data can guard against it

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting decision 2020-383
  [2020-11-27 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Radius Holdings Inc. – Kelowna, British Columbia – Application to acquire the assets of the English-language commercial radio station CKOO-FM Kelowna and for a new broadcasting licence to continue the operation of this station – DENIED – Request for an exception to the payment of tangible benefits as set out in Broadcasting Regulatory Policy 2014-459
• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2020-382
  [2020-11-27 11:00:00]
  Call for licence renewal applications Submission of renewal applications for broadcasting licences for radio stations expiring 31 August 2021 – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0382
• Broadcasting decision 2020-381
  [2020-11-27 11:00:00]
  RENEWED – Various licensees – Across Canada – Broadcasting licences for the radio stations set out in the appendix to the decision from 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022
• Broadcasting decision 2020-380
  [2020-11-27 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Prince George and Bella Coola, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of CBYD-FM Bella Coola, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the English-language radio station CBYG-FM Prince George (Radio One)
• Telecom decision 2020-379
  [2020-11-25 11:00:00]
  CISC Canadian Steering Committee on Numbering – Consensus reports CNRE129A and CNRE130A regarding updates to the Canadian NPA Relief Planning Guideline – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08
• Telecom order 2020-378
  [2020-11-24 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc. TN 1099

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: December 1-4, 2020
  Upcoming committee meetings:
• [SOCI] (November 30, 2020) Social Affairs, Science and Technology
• [RIDR] (December 1, 2020) Human Rights

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: December 1-December 4, 2020
  Upcoming committee meetings:
• [CHPC] (November 30, 2020) Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage: Challenges to Art, Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors caused by COVID-19
• [CIIT] (November 30, 2020) Standing Committee on International Trade: Trade between Canada and the UK
• [CACN] (November 30, 2020) Special Committee on Canada-China Relations
• [CACN] (December 1, 2020) Special Committee on Canada-China Relations

 CRTC

Public Hearings

• [BROADCASTING] (December 3, 2020) To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2020-344: View hearing documents (2020-344)

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of November 30-December 4, 2020

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

Broadcasting Decision:

Decision relating to the following application considered under the Commission’s Part 1 process:

• Radio Blanc-Sablon inc.
  CFBS-FM Lourdes-de-Blanc-Sablon – Technical changes
  Public record for this application: 2020-0167-6

Open Public Consultations:

• Planned consultation (Treasury Board Secretariat): Reviewing access to information (December 12, 2020)
• Creating Canada’s 5th National Action Plan on Open Government (Deadline for replies: December 18, 2020)
• Justice: Modernizing Canada’s Privacy Act – Public Consultation (January 17, 2021)
• Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for Licence-Exempt Use in the 6 GHz Band(January 19, 2021)
• CRTC: Share your views and ideas on telecommunications services in Northern Canada: Nov 2, 2020 to Jan 20, 2021