Newsletter: May 11, 2021

Weekly News (May 11, 2021)

Compiled by Fizza Kulvi and Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(May 4 – May 10, 2021)

Canadian News

• [BROADCASTING POLICY/FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Bill C-10 put on hold as MPs seek clarity on whether it violates rights of social media users (Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Heritage, Justice ministers called to defend Bill C-10 changes to Broadcasting Act (Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Former CRTC chair says Bill C-10 ‘should not be passed in its present form’ (Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Yakabuski: Baptême de feu (Le Devoir) [BROADCASTING POLICY] Liberal amendment avoids free speech concerns: expert; Bill C-10; Proposed boundaries for regulation (National Post)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Steven Guilbeault: Modernizing the Broadcasting Act: standing up with Canadian creative workers against web giants (Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Daniel Bernhard: Free speech is not at risk by supporting changes to the Broadcasting Act (Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Loreena McKennitt: Protecting music industry from tech giants(Toronto Star)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Dutrisac: Contrer l’hégémonisme culturel (Le Devoir)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY/] OPINION: Simard and Trudel: Pas de risque pour la liberté d’expression avec le projet de loi C-10 (Le Devoir)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: St-Onge and Prégent: Projet de loi sur la radiodiffusion – Une réforme essentielle pour le milieu culturel (La Presse)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Les vidéos de chats au cœur d’une querelle à Ottawa (Le Devoir)
• [MEDIA REGULATION]Ottawa urged not to forget independent media outlets (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] Canada’s privacy watchdog investigating Pornhub over alleged non-consensual content (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] Pornhub visé par une enquête fédérale (Le Devoir)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Appeal court throws out ruling on labelling wine made in West Bank (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] PM plans sales tax on streaming services (Toronto Star)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Wireless carriers cut some prices to meet Ottawa demand, but end other plans targeted for reduction (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS POLICY] Accès sans fil en itinérance – Bell poursuit Vidéotron pour 50 millions (La Presse)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Governments across Canada withholding COVID-19 data to regulate public reaction to pandemic, says access-to-information advocate(Toronto Star)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Accès à l’information : une loi « rendue désuète » (La Presse)
• [COMPETITION] Competition Bureau gets a budget boost, but is it enough to make companies think twice? (Financial Post)
• [COMPETITION] OPINION: Karim Bardeesy: Market competition has suffered during the pandemic. Should we call time on the game of monopoly? (Toronto Star)
• [PATENT/COVID VACCINE]  Canada to take part in talks over COVID-19 vaccine patent waivers, but won’t state its position (Globe and Mail)
• [CULTURAL FUNDING]  Artist/Creatives survey to inform Canadian Heritage policy, programs and support (Toronto Star)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Cybersécurité – 80 millions sur quatre ans pour financer la recherche et le développement (La Presse)

International News

• [PATENT/COVID VACCINE] Biden’s reversal on COVID-19 patents divides G7 (Globe and Mail)
• [PATENT/COVID VACCINE] EU says US stand on patent virus waiver is no ‘magic bullet’ (Toronto Star)
• [PATENT/COVID VACCINE] Pharma industry fears Biden’s patent move sets precedent (Financial Times)
• [DISINFORMATION] G7 to consider mechanism to counter Russian ‘propaganda’, UK’s Raab say (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE]  Facebook tried to outsource its decision about Trump. The Oversight Board said not so fast. (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE]  Facebook ruling on Trump renews criticism of oversight board (The Guardian)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Biden Plans an Order to Strengthen Cyberdefenses. Will It Be Enough? (New York Times)
• [NET NEUTRALITY] Internet Providers Faked Opposition To Net Neutrality, New York State Says (New York Times; Similar article in Washington Post)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/VIOLENT MESSAGES] Far-Right French Leader Acquitted Over ISIS Posts (New York Times)
• [ANTITRUST] Epic Games vs. Apple Trial, Week One: Everything You Need to Know(Wall Street Journal)
• [PATENT] Qualcomm Attacks EU’s Apple ‘Bias’ in $1.2 Billion Court Clash(Bloomberg)
• [COPYRIGHT] Meghan wins remainder of copyright claim against U.K. tabloid(Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY]  Data Scraping in EU Regulators’ Sights As Spain Orders Equifax to Delete Information (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY]  European Authorities Scrutinize Data Flows to U.S (Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY LAW] State Data Privacy Bills Stumble (Wall Street Journal)
• [AI/DEFENSE] Pentagon Weighs Ending JEDI Cloud Project Amid Amazon Court Fightcrosoft controversy (Wall Street Journal)
• [CHILD PRIVACY] AGs urge Facebook to drop ‘Instagram for kids’ proposal(Washington Post)
• [TELECOM REGULATION]  AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile Challenge Rule Targeting Robocalls (Wall Street Journal)
• [CHILD EXPLOITATION CONTENT]  German police shut one of world’s biggest darknet child abuse images sites (The Guardian)
• [PRIVACY]  Privacy Chiefs Say Patchwork Data Laws Mean Lawyers Must Work Alongside Engineers (Wall Street Journal)
• [DATA LOCALIZATION]  Microsoft to allow EU customers to process, store data in the region (Reuters)
• [ALGORITHMIC BIAS]  Google pressed to conduct racial equity audit (The Hill)
• [CENSORSHIP]  Facebook’s Book-Banning Blueprint (Wall Street Journal)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION]  Brazilian indigenous leaders subpoenaed for criticizing government (Reuters)

(May 4 – May 10, 2021)

Canadian Heritage

• Canadian Heritage Launches the Canadian Artists and Content Creators Economic Survey
• Minister Chagger Helps Launch Virtual LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund Project in Manitoba
• Government of Canada Confirms More Than $3 Million in Funding for Official Languages in Eastern Ontario
• The Government of Canada Increases Support for Official-Language Minority Communities in New Brunswick Through the Action Plan for Official Languages

Global Affairs

• Minister Ng to highlight science, technology and innovation excellence at virtual kickoff of celebrations for 50th anniversary of Canada-Germany co-operation

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• $62.8 million to provide high-speed Internet access to more than 15,000 households in the Laurentides region by September 2022
• $50M to provide high-speed Internet access to almost 7,000 households in the Centre-du-Québec region by September 2022
• Government of Canada invests nearly $1 million to bring high-speed Internet to 4,557 more homes in the Durham region
• $6.3 million to provide high-speed Internet access to more than 2,500 households in the Côte-de-Beaupré RCM by September 2022
• Government of Canada investing to position Canada as a global leader in cyber security

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

• Commissioner shares views on Facial Recognition Technology with Parliament
• Commissioner appears before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to discuss the 2021-22 Main Estimates

Facebook

• Oversight Board Upholds Facebook’s Decision to Suspend Donald Trump’s Accounts

Microsoft

• Answering Europe’s Call: Storing and Processing EU Data in the EU

Twitter

• A better way to publish and read on Twitter

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting Decision CRTC  2021-160
  [2021-05-05 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Shaw Cablesystems Limited – Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – Application to revoke the broadcasting licence issued to ShawCablesystems Limited for the terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertaking serving Sault Ste. Marie
• Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2021-159
  [2021-05-05 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Fairchild Radio (Vancouver FM) Ltd. – Vancouver, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the commercial ethnic radio station CHKG-FM Vancouver
• Telecom Decision CRTC 2021-166
  [2021-05-06 11:00:00]
  Iristel Inc. – Application for the Commission to order Rogers Communications Canada Inc. to refrain from manipulating caller location identification information – Public record: 8622-J64-202004662
• Telecom Decision CRTC 2021-158
  [2021-05-04 11:00:00]
  Forbearance from the regulation of high-capacity / digital data services interexchange private line services on certain additional routes – Public record: 8638-S1-01/98
• Telecom Decision CRTC 2021-157
  [2021-05-04 11:00:00]
  Fibernetics Corporation – Application for relief regarding unjustifiable conduct relating to local network interconnection between the company and Bell Canada – Public record: 8643-F27-202004183

Senate of Canada

• No planned sitting days this week.

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: Monday, May 10 – Friday May 14
• Upcoming Meetings:
  [ETHI] (May 10) The use and impact of facial recognition technology

CRTC

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of May 10 to 15 2021

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 Decisions:

Decision relating to the following application considered by the Commission at the 30 March 2021 public hearing:

• Mohawk Multi Media
  Kanesatake/Oka, Quebec
  Application to acquire the assets of the low-power English- and Mohawk-language Indigenous radio station CKHQ-FM Kanesatake/Oka
  Public record: 2020-0751-7

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

• Byrnes Communications Inc.
  Fort Erie, Ontario
  CFLZ-FM Fort Erie – Licence amendment 
  Public record: 2020-0541-2

Open Public Consultations:

• Consultation on Amending CPC-2-0-03 – Radiocommunication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems (May 17, 2021)
• Responsible use of AI: https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/digital-government/digital-government-innovations/responsible-use-ai.html
• Consultation on Amending CPC-2-0-03 – Radiocommunication and Broadcasting Antenna Systems (May 17, 2021)
• Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission: 2019-217 Co-development of a new Indigenous Broadcasting Policy
• 2021-132 – Call for comments – Imposition of an administrative monetary penalty on Bell Canada in relation to the processing and granting of access permit applications for support structures in accordance with its National Services Tariff – Public record: 1011-NOC2021-0132 (May 17, 2021)
• Canadian Heritage: Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for Online Intermediaries (May 31, 2021)
• Access to Information Review Public Engagement: Reviewing access to information – https://atiareview.ca (March 31, 2021-July 31, 2021)