Weekly News (June 7, 2022)

Compiled by 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.

(May 31 – June 6, 2022)

Canadian News 

• [ONLINE NEWS] Google warns every MP, senator not to fast track Canadian online news bill (Global News)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Competition watchdog failed to demonstrate Shaw takeover would reduce competition in wireless market, Rogers says (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM POLICY/MEDIA OWNERSHIP] Les bébés et la concurrence en télécoms (La Presse)
• [CRTC] Le prochain président du CRTC sera bilingue, assure le ministre du Patrimoine (Le Devoir)
• [PRIVACY/DATA PROTECTION] Protection des renseignements personnels : Ottawa devrait s’inspirer de la loi québécoise, selon le commissaire sortant (La Presse)
• [PRIVACY] Tim Hortons’ app committed ‘mass invasion’ of Canadians’ privacy, watchdog finds (Financial Post) / Tim Hortons : Une appli mobile responsable d’une « atteinte massive » à la vie privée (La Presse)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Man seeking historical records told it would cost feds $21 million to process request (The Star)
• [OFFICIAL LANGUAGES] New federal language laws could cost $240M in compliance costs: PBO report (National Post)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] BlackBerry’s $600-million patent sale hits a snag (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Health PEI reports privacy breach after laptop reported stolen in early April (The Star)
• [PRIVACY] OPINION: Clark: Why francophone Quebeckers should worry about Bill 96 (Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] OPINION: Bannerman and Ahmed: Online Streaming Act claims to level the playing field … but for whom? (The Conversation)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY/CRTC] OPINION: Rioux Soucy: Le diapason culturel (Le Devoir)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] OPINION: Labonte: We still need a vaccine patent waiver, but not the one on offer at the World Trade Organization meeting (The Conversation)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Supreme Court puts Texas social media law on hold while legal battle continues (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM LIABILITY/DEFAMATION] Google Is Liable for Defamatory Videos Targeting Lawmaker, Court Rules (WSJ)
• [PRIVACY] Google settles lawsuit with Illinois residents for $100M after photo app privacy concerns (USA Today)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] India says new social media laws in response to rights violations (Reuters)   
• [CYBERSECURITY] The U.S. isn’t getting ahead of the cyber threat, experts say (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Google’s plan to talk about caste bias led to ‘division and rancor’ (Washington Post)               
• [DIGITAL ADVERTISING] Sandberg Built Facebook Ad Machine Now Under Attack (WSJ)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Amazon employees protest the sale of books they say are anti-trans (Washington Post)   
• [LIBEL] Sarah Palin’s Bid for New Libel Trial Against The Times Is Denied (NYT)
• [PRIVACY] Period apps gather intimate data. A new bill aims to curb mass collection (Washington Post)
• [CONTENT MODERATION] Bills meant to check Big Tech’s power could lead to more disinformation (Washington Post)               
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Russia Says U.S. Mistreats Its Journalists, Threatens Retaliation (WSJ)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Trolling and safety fears plague many young women online, UK study finds (Reuters)
• [ISLAMOPHOBIA/HATE SPEECH] Nupur Sharma: Prophet Muhammad controversy tests India-Islamic world ties (BBC)

(May 31 – June 6, 2022)

Supreme Court of Canada

The Supreme Court of Canada deposited with the Registrar judgments in the following leave applications.

• [TRANSLATED COMMUNICATIONS]  Ahmed Abdullahi v. Her Majesty the Queen (Ont.) (Criminal) (As of Right / By Leave) (40049) (DISMISSED)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Anton Oleynik v. Memorial University of Newfoundland, et al. (N.L.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40033) (DISMISSED)

Supreme Court of the United States

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] NetChoice, KKC v. Paxton (No. 21A720): decided date: May 31, 2022 (DISMISSED)

House of Commons

Hansard

• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 30, 2022: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] May 31, 2022: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] June 1, 2022: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts

Canadian Heritage

• Governments of Canada and New Brunswick support French-language post-secondary education in New Brunswick

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Government of Canada to announce new CanCode investment
• Government of Canada to make an important announcement about high-speed Internet
• Governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island to make an important announcement about high-speed Internet
• Government of Canada launches consultation on making more spectrum available for high-quality wireless services
• Government of Canada invests $55 million to bring high-speed Internet to nearly 11,000 households throughout New Brunswick
• Every home in Prince Edward Island to get connected to high-speed Internet thanks to federal-provincial partnership
• Government of Canada announces successful applicants for next phase of Strategic Science Fund

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Information Commissioner assumes privacy duties on interim basis
• OPC officials appear before parliamentary committee examining Bill S-7
• OPC signs information-sharing agreement with the data protection authority of Abu Dhabi
• Commissioner appears before the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics for the last time before the end of his mandate
• Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien to appear before ETHI for the last time before end of mandate
• Tim Hortons app violated privacy laws in collection of ‘vast amounts’ of sensitive location data
• Remarks by Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding investigation of Tim Hortons
• Privacy protection authorities to release findings following investigation into Tim Hortons app

Copyright Board of Canada

• SOCAN Tariff 18 – Recorded Music for Dancing (2018-2022)
  • Reasons, June 3, 2022
  • Tariff, June 4, 2022

Google

• Advancing security across Central and Eastern Europe

Apple

• App Store stopped nearly $1.5 billion in fraudulent transactions in 2021

CRTC

    Broadcasting Decisions

• 2022-144 – 2190015 Ontario Inc. – Hamilton, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of CHCH-DT Hamilton
• 2022-143 – Radio Nord-Joli inc. – Saint-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Quebec – Application to change the authorized contours of the French-language community radio station CFNJ-FM
• 2022-141 – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Ottawa, Ontario and Maniwaki, Quebec – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the French-language radio station CBOF-FM Ottawa, in order to operate a new transmitter in Maniwaki, to rebroadcast the programming of the national French language network service ICI Radio-Canada Première

Senate of Canada

·         Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The Senate sits all week.

• OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
  • June 6, 2022, 5 PM ET: Study matters relating to Francophone immigration to minority communities
• NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENCE
  • June 8, 2022, 12 PM ET: Bill S-7, An Act to amend the Customs Act and the Preclearance Act, 2016

Canadian House of Commons

·         Planned & Possible sitting days this week: The House sits all week

• CANADIAN HERITAGE
  • June 6, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Bill C-11, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
• OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
  • June 6, 2022, 3:30 PM ET: Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

CRTC

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions and/or regulatory policies in the week of 6 to 10 June 2022. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting Notice of Consultation

·         Call for licence renewal applications – Submission of renewal applications for broadcasting licences of radio stations expiring on 31 August 2023

Telecom Decisions

·         Rogers Communications Canada Inc. – Application for non-discriminatory and timely access under reasonable terms and conditions to the multi-dwelling unit at 70 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto, Ontario
Public record: 8622-R28-202105304

·         Bell Canada – Application to review and vary and stay Telecom Order 2021-182 regarding the routing of competitive local exchange carrier 800/888 calls
Public record: 8662-B2-202105106

Public Consultations

• CBC/Radio-Canada engaging with Indigenous communities across Canada about better reflecting Indigenous cultures (April 26 – September 27, 2022)

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