Weekly News (February 14th, 2023)

Compiled by Brad McNeil, Kyle Wyndham-West, and Beatrice Sunderland, with Sara Bannerman  and Fenwick McKelvey

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(February 7 -February 13, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [BROADCAST POLICY] What to expect from Canadian TV in the world of the Online Streaming Act world (The Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCAST POLICY] Québec exige un droit de regard (La Presse)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC signals plans to go full streaming, ending traditional TV and radio broadcasts (The Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM POLICY/CONSUMER PROTECTION] Le CRTC davantage du côté des consommateurs, promet Ottawa (Le Devoir)
• [COMPETITION/TELECOM POLICY] Globalive asks CRTC to suspend agreements between Rogers, Videotron (The Globe and Mail)
• [COMPETITION/TELECOM POLICY] NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh urges Ottawa to block Rogers’s takeover of Shaw (The Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM POLICY] Quebecor, Rogers mull cutting roaming rates amid Shaw merger scrutiny – Globe & Mail (Reuters)
• [BROADCAST POLICY] Get Chinese ‘authoritarian broadcasters’ off Canadian airwaves, says foreign affairs critic (The Toronto Star)
• [POLICING DATA] Longueuil, other Quebec police slow in implementing race-based data framework (The Globe and Mail)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Government official warns subordinates to be careful about what they write on McKinsey audits (The CBC)
• [ARTS AND CULTURE] Comedian Samantha Bee to host Canadian Screen Awards (The CBC)
• [BROADCAST POLICY] OPINION:COYNE The concept of CanCon is pure folly. That’s the problem at the heart of Bill C-11 (The Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCAST POLICY] OPINION: Pour que l’éléphant n’accouche pas d’une souris ! (La Presse)
• [AI] OPINION:GILL No, artificial intelligence isn’t coming for your jobs – but that’s not a good thing (The Globe and Mail)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: WHITE: Oui au virage numérique de Radio-Canada/CBC, mais accessible à tous (Le Devoir)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] OPINION: Brousseau-Pouliot: Payer deux fois pour Radio-Canada (La Presse)
• [CULTURAL POLICY] OPINION:NANOS Data Dive with Nik Nanos: What’s the next act for Canada’s arts and culture sector? (The Globe and Mail)
• [CYBER WARFARE] OPINION:MEYER As satellite use grows, geopolitical conflicts could spill into outer space (The Globe and Mail)

International News

• [TECH POLICY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Biden’s State of the Union address to take aim at Silicon Valley (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Twitter access restored in Turkey after talks (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Maryland is the latest state to weigh online safety rules for kids (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Florida drops menstruation reporting from student sports forms after backlash (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Biden puts children’s privacy at the forefront, again (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Colorado AG says fight to rein in tech giants only just beginning (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] GOP lawmakers allege Big Tech conspiracy, even as ex-Twitter employees rebut them (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] U.S., U.K. team up to sanction 7 members of Trickbot ransomware gang (The Washington Post)
• [COPYRIGHT] Are brands protected in the metaverse? Hermès and NFT artist spar in US court (The Guardian)

(February 7 -February 13, 2023)

Senate of Canada

• Opinion: Marty Klyne: Canada’s digital divide hurts Indigenous and rural communities: Senator Klyne 

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Government of Canada helps youth build the digital skills they need for the evolving digital economy 
• Minister Champagne announces final direction to the CRTC placing affordability and consumer rights at the forefront of its future decisions 

Canadian Heritage 

• New CRTC Chair’s Leadership Will Help Shape the Future of Canada’s Communication System 

CRTC

• Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Letter addressed to The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, P.C., M.P., Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant and The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P., Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry 

• Telecom Decisions
  • Telecom decision 2023-27 [2023-02-10 11:00:00] Revocation of basic international telecommunications services licences
  • Telecom order 2023-26 [2023-02-10 11:00:00] TELUS Communications Inc. – Tariff Notices 567 and 644 – Destandardization of DS-0 and DS-1 services and Tariff Notice 568 – Destandardization of DS-0 and DS-1 competitor digital network services – Public records: Tariff Notice 567; Tariff Notice 644; Tariff Notice 568
  • Telecom order 2023-25 [2023-02-09 11:00:00] Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Northwestel Inc., TN 1174 and TN 1175
  • Telecom order 2023-24 [2023-02-07 11:00:00] Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: Télébec, Société en commandite, TN 528 and TN 528A
  • Telecom decision 2023-23 [2023-02-03 11:00:00]
    Competitive Network Operators of Canada – Application to review and vary Telecom Regulatory Policy 2021-239 – Public record: 8662-C182-202107185
  • Telecom order 2023-21 [2023-02-01 11:00:00] Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: TELUS Communications Inc., TN 577

• Broadcasting Decisions
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-6-2 [2023-02-10 11:00:00] Notice of hearing – 3 May 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec – Amendments to the Preamble – Correction to Item 4 – Addition of Item 9
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-22 [2023-02-03 11:00:00] Bell Media Inc. – Across Canada – Complaint by Bell Media against Videotron alleging undue disadvantage and preference regarding the distribution of VRAK and Z

Supreme Court of Canada

• Judgments to be rendered in leave applications:
  • [Freedom of expression/Defamation] 40317  Glassdoor, Inc. v. Echelon Environmental Inc., et al.  (Ontario) (Civil) (By Leave) 

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate sits from Tuesday, February 14 to Thursday, February 16, 2023, with a possible sitting day on Friday, February 17 2023.
  • Bills on the Agenda: Bill C-18 at Second Reading in the State  
  • Transport and Communications (TRCM): Wednesday, February 8, 2023, 6:46 PM E: Study the impacts of climate change on critical infrastructure in the transportation and communications sectors and the consequential impacts on their interdependencies 

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The House of Commons sits from Tuesday, February 14 to Friday, February 17, 2023
  • Standing Committee on National Defence (NDDN): Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 3:30 p.m.: Cybersecurity and Cyberwarfare  
  • Standing Committee on Industry and Technology (INDU): Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 4:30 p.m: Bill C-294, An Act to amend the Copyright Act (interoperability) 
  • Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI): Tuesday, February 14, 2023, 3:30 p.m.: Third Edition of the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct  

CRTC

•   Anticipated Releases for the week of 13 to 17 February 2023:
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    •    Findings regarding market capacity in the Yellowknife radio market Public record: 1011-NOC2021-0374
    • Publication of aggregate data collected in response to the Annual Digital Media Survey Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0090

• Upcoming Hearing:
• February 23, 2023 – National Capital Region To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-331, 2022-331-1 View hearing documents (2022-331)

Open Proceedings

•  CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
•    CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public Consultations:

• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• Strategic Intellectual Property Program Review (November 15, 2022 to February 15, 2023) 
• Consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada (Nov 17, 2022 to Feb 27, 2023
• Consultation on the Spectrum Licence Renewal Process for Wireless Communication Services (WCS) Licences (January 31, 2023 to March 14, 2023)  
• Consultation on Amending CPC-2-0-20 — Radio Frequency (RF) Fields – Signs and Access Control (January 31, 2023 to March 20, 2023) 
• Consultation on the Spectrum Licence Renewal Process for Wireless Communication Services (WCS) Licences (January 31, 2023 to March 14, 2023) 

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

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