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

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

(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)

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