Weekly Newsletter: April 5, 2022

Weekly News (April 5, 2022)

Compiled by Kyle Wyndham-West, Bradley McNeil, Fizza Kulvi, Meaghan Wester, and Nick Gertler with Sara Bannerman, Fenwick McKelvey, Guillaume Dandurand, Marek Blottière, and Kevin Morin
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(March 29 – April 4, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [PLATFORM REGULATION/NEWS FUNDING] Canada’s legislation compelling big tech to pay news outlets is on its way. Here’s how we got here (The Toronto Star)
• [MUSIC INDUSTRY REVENUES/CULTURAL FUNDING/PLATFORM REGULATION] Des redevances records en musique, mais combien pour les Québécois? (Le Devoir)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Une complotiste à la radio (Le Devoir)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ MISINFORMATION] Les institutions démocratiques menacées (La Presse)
• [CYBER SECURITY] Canada the target of ‘thousands’ of cyberattacks every day, CSIS reveals (The National Post)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Federal official blocked residential school survivor group’s effort to identify missing children (CBC)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Ford government appeals to Canada’s top court to keep premier’s mandate letters secret (CBC)
• [ACCESS TO INTERNET] Federal government to announce high-speed internet for low-income seniors, families (CBC)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] OPINION: KAREDEGLIJA CRTC shouldn’t be ‘umpire’ in revenue sharing between big tech and Canadian media: critic (The National Post)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: CONTRIBUTORS ‘The stuff of dystopian sci-fi’: Bill 88 needs to go further to protect the privacy rights of workers (The Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] How many Hamilton teachers have been investigated for misconduct? School boards don’t have that answer (The Hamilton Spectator)
• [FREEDOM OF SPEECH] A fierce defender of freedom of speech (The Toronto Star)

International News

• [CENSORSHIP] Florida governor Ron DeSantis signs ‘don’t say gay’ bill into law (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Twitter’s ‘safety mode’ could shield politicians from harassment. It could also silence critics. (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Democrats are calling on LinkedIn to crack down on misinformation, too (The Washington Post)
• [MISINFORMATION] Facebook’s most popular posts show how it’s vulnerable to exploitation, report finds (The Washington Post)
• [BROADCAST POLICY/CENSORSHIP] The real reason Will Smith’s Oscars outburst was censored on U.S. broadcasts (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Meta’s encryption plan has human rights benefits, report says (The Washington Post)
• [HATE SPEECH/FREEDOM OF SPEECH] OPINION: CONTRIBUTORS Cancel Russia and the tricky business of neutrality: Is there a cost to the disappearance of non-political spaces? (The Toronto Star)
• [TECH WORKERS RIGHTS] OPINION: REICH After Amazon workers’ union victory the Fed must stop tipping the scales for bosses (The Guardian)

(March 29- April 4, 2022)

House of Commons

• Introduction and first reading: Bill C-18: An Act respecting online communications platforms that make news content available to persons in Canada (Online News Act)

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Government of Canada announces affordable high-speed Internet to help connect low-income families and seniors

CRTC

    News Release and Speeches

• CRTC Broadband Fund to introduce or improve Internet access services for 10 communities in British Columbia and Alberta (News Release)
• CRTC Broadband Fund second call: projects selected in March 2022 (Backgrounder)

    Decisions

• Broadcasting decision 2022-92 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Across Canada – Renewal of the Broadcasting licences for the English- and French-language audio and audiovisual services set out in the appendix to the decision

• Telecommunications decision 2022-91 – CISC Emergency Services Working Group – Consensus report ESRE0094 – Updates to the wireless location accuracy benchmarks set out in Telecom Decision 2019-120 – Public record: 8669-C12-01/01
• Telecomunnications decision 2022-89 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for TELUS Communications Inc.’s mobile project in the central interior of British Columbia – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-88 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for East Shore Internet Society’s access project in British Columbia – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-87 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access project in Alberta (Fox Lake) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-86 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access project in Alberta (John D’Or Prairie) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-85 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access project in Alberta (Garden Creek) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-84 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access project in Alberta (Peerless Lake and Trout Lake) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-83 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for ATG Arrow Technology Group Limited Partnership’s access projects in Alberta (Peerless Trout First Nation and Little Red River Cree Nation) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-82 – Broadband Fund – Project funding approval for South Kountry Cable Ltd.’s access project in British Columbia – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372
• Telecommunications decision 2022-81 – Broadband Fund – Second call for applications – Introductory decision regarding the March 2022 round of project funding approvals – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate sits all week.
  • April 6, 2022 4:15 PM ET Legal and Constitutional Affairs    Bill S-210, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material
    • Colin McKay, Head, Public Policy and Government Relations Google Canada
    • Pierre Trudel, Professor at the Centre for Research in Public Law, Faculty of Law, Université de Montréal As an Individual
    • Kevin Westell, Member, Criminal Justice Canadian Bar Association

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House meets all week.
  • CHPC –  Impact on Local News of Rogers Communications Takeover of Shaw Communications Arts, Culture, Heritage, and Sport Sector Recovery from the Impact of COVID-19 Committee Business: April 6, 2022 3:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
  • PROC – Inclusion of Indigenous Languages on Federal Election Ballots: April 27, 2022 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EDT)

CRTC

Broadcasting Decision:

•  Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CFPR Prince Rupert and its transmitter CBUK-FM Kitimat – Technical changes
  Public record: 2022-0036-9 

Telecom Decision:

• Updates to national wireless carriers’ GSM-based wholesale mobile wireless roaming tariffs to incorporate seamless hand-off and 5G roaming
  Public records: 8740-B38-202104628, 8740-R28-202104636 and 8740-T66-202104884

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public consultations

• Stakeholder engagement on fair revenue sharing between digital platforms and news media: Closed Consultation 
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office fee adjustment (Open – Accepting Input)

Have a suggestion? Email Sara Bannerman at banners@mcmaster.ca 

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