Newsletter: September 8, 2021

Weekly News (September 8th, 2021)

Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertlerwith 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.

(August 31- September 7, 2021) 

Canadian News  

• [ELECTIONS/INTERNET POLICY] For years, the Liberals pushed for lower mobile and internet rates. Now they’ve dropped it. What changed? (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York) 
• [ELECTIONS/TELECOM POLICY] Conservatives look to stoke the fires of competition within Canadian telecom market(Globe and Mail) (McMaster; York) 
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Paul Audley: The future of CBC/Radio-Canada is at stake in this election (Toronto Star)  (McMaster; York) 
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Appel à transformer la «culture interne» de Radio-Canada (Le Devoir) 
• [BROADCASTING POLICY/ POLITICAL COMMUNICATION] OPINION: PIERRE-OLIVIER ZAPPA, Encore des millions pour Radio-Canada ? (Journal de Montréal) 
• [COPYRIGHT/PUBLISHING] Quebec’s book industry calls for a Copyright Act that protects our creators and our culture, without exception! (Financial Post) (McMaster; York) 
• [DEFAMATION] OPINION: DANIEL BERNHARD Les trolls anti-Trudeau, un mème devenu réel (La Presse) 
• [PRIVACY LAW] Opinion: Rossi & Dessanti: Ontario risks falling behind on privacy reform (St. Catherine’s The Standard) (McMaster; York) 
• [PRIVACY/COVID-19/EMPLOYMENT] Opinion: Howard Levitt: Why vaccination discrimination is perfectly legal and not a human rights violation (Financial Post) (McMaster; York)
   

International News 

• [AI/PATENT] Only humans, not AI machine can get U.S. patent (BNN Bloomberg)  (McMaster; York) 
• [PRIVACY/VOICE ASSISTANT] Apple Must Face Claim That Siri Violates Privacy, Judge Rules (BNN Bloomberg; Similar Article with Washington Post) (McMaster; York) 
• [DEFAMATION] Australian court rules media liable for Facebook comments (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York) 
• [COPYRIGHT/NONPROFIT] Free TV service Locast suspends operations after legal loss (Toronto Star) (McMaster; York) 
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] Apple hit with antitrust case in India over in-app payments issues (Reuters) (McMaster; York) 
• [PRIVACY] Ireland Fines Facebook’s WhatsApp Over Data Transparency (New York Times) (McMaster; York) 
• [DEFAMATION] Singapore PM wins more defamation suits against bloggers (Reuters) (McMaster; York) 
• [PRIVACY] U.K. Asks Companies to Tweak Internet Privacy Language So Kids Can Understand (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York) 
• [LABOUR/PLATFORM REGULATION] U.S. labor agency probes two complaints from Apple workers (Reuters) (McMaster; York) 
• [PRIVACY] House Panel Requests McCarthy’s Phone Records Be Preserved in Jan. 6 Inquiry (New York Times) (McMaster; York) 
• [DATA BREACH/PERSONAL INFO] SEC Sanctions Brokerages Over Email Break-Ins (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ELECTIONS] Russia’s Internet censor demands Google, Apple remove an opposition app from their stores (Washington Post) (McMaster; York) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/COMPETITION] Apple offers small concession in easing App Store rules for Netflix, others(Reuters) (McMaster; York) 
• [TELECOM REGULATION] Where are President Biden’s telecom picks? (Washington Post) (McMaster; York) 
•  [TECH REGULATION/PRIVACY] As Google, Microsoft and Amazon Seek Bigger Defense Role, Some Are Leery (Wall Street Journal) (McMaster; York) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Network Effects Are Overrated (New York Times) (McMaster; York) 
• [CENSORSHIP/LGBTQ+] Banned and blocked: LGBT+ websites censored from Russia to Indonesia (Reuters) (McMaster; York) 
• [INTERNET REGULATION] Amazon.com goes for jugular in FCC spat with SpaceX’s Musk (Reuters) (McMaster; York) 

 

(August 31- September 7, 2021) 

YouTube 

• Free Speech and Corporate Responsibility Can Coexist Online 

CRTC 

News Releases: 

• Telecom order 2021-318
  [2021-09-03 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc, TN 1136 
• Telecom order 2021-317
  [2021-09-03 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Fido Solutions Inc., TN 28 
• Telecom order 2021-316
  [2021-09-03 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: SSI Micro Ltd., TN 3 and TN 3A 
• Telecom order 2021-315
  [2021-09-03 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada (Bell MTS), TN 835 
• Telecom order 2021-314
  [2021-09-03 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Bell Aliant, a division of Bell Canada, TN 549 and Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 833 
• Telecom decision 2021-313
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Cochrane Telecom Services – Application for forbearance from the regulation of residential local exchange services – Public record: 8640-C1-202102747 
• Telecom order 2021-312
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1130 
• Telecom order 2021-311
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1129 
• Telecom order 2021-310
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1128 
• Telecom order 2021-309
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1127 
• Telecom order 2021-308
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: TELUS Communications Inc. on behalf of Mascon Communications Inc., TN 2 and Rogers Communications Canada Inc., TN 71 
• Telecom order 2021-307
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Bell Canada, TN 966 and TN 7633, Bell Aliant, a division of Bell Canada, TN 550 and TN 836, Northwestel Inc., TN 1132 and Télébec, Société en commandite, TN 520 
• Telecom order 2021-306
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Northwestel Inc., TN 1134 and TN 1135 
• Telecom order 2021-305
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Bell Canada, TN 965 and TN 7631 
• Telecom order 2021-304
  [2021-09-02 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1133 

 

Senate of Canada   

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate is dissolved. 
  The 43^rd Parliament has been dissolved.  

Canadian House of Commons   

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week, with possible extension of sitting hours: The House of Commons is dissolved. 

CRTC   

Open Proceedings  

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings  

• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings  
  
  Regulatory Policies  
  
  Broadcasting   

• 2021-215 – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0124 and 1011-NOC2021-069  
  
  Telecommunications  
• 2021-215 – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0124 and 1011-NOC2021-069  
  
  Anticipated releases for the week of September 7-10, 2021  
  
  The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week. This is subject to change without notice. 
  
   Public Hearings  

• To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2021-218 (View hearing documents (2021-218) (September 9, 2021)  

 

Open Public Consultations:  

• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: Consultation on a Modern Copyright Framework for AI and IoT (July 16-September 16, 2021)