Weekly News (March 21, 2023)

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

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(March 14 -March 20, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/BILL C-18] Fight between tech giants and Ottawa over paying for news could have global impacts (National Post)  
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/BILL C-18] Google’s top execs to testify at committee (Toronto Star) / [ONLINE NEWS ACT/C-18]  Google invite ses cadres supérieurs à se présenter en commission parlementaire  (Le Devoir)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/BILL C-18] MPs move to summon Mark Zuckerberg over Facebook plans to end news sharing under C-18  (The Globe and Mail) / [ONLINE NEWS ACT/C-18] Mark Zuckerberg convoqué par un comité des Communes (La Presse)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS]Proposed law could require Internet providers to disclose more accurate average speeds (The Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOM REGULATION/CYBERSECURITY] Ottawa makes little progress shoring up Crown corporations’ cybersecurity  (The Globe and Mail) 
• [BROADCAST REGULATION/BILL C-11] About 96% of Canadian adults use YouTube. Here’s why YouTube Canada head Andrew Peterson says niche content is the ‘new mainstream’ (Toronto Star) 
• [PRIVACY] RCMP starts rolling out long-promised body cameras for officers (The Globe and Mail) 
• [PRIVACY] CBC staff shocked to discover confidential religion, sexual orientation details in online HR files  (National Post) 
• [BROADCAST REGULATION/BILL C-11] Opinion: Jenna Scholz: Protect children from porn content (Toronto Star)  
• [CYBERSECURITY] Opinion: Monika Freunek: The Internet of Things exposes us all to the biggest cyber threats (Toronto Star) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Opinion: Michael B. McNally and Kris Joseph: Want cheaper phone bills? Overhaul allocation of telecommunications spectrum (The Globe and Mail) 

International News

• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/CONTENT MODERATION] YouTube Restores Donald Trump’s Account Privileges (The New York Times) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] Brazil looks to regulate monetized content on Internet (Reuters) 
• [COPYRIGHT] Online-Books Lawsuit Tests Limits of Libraries in Digital Age (Wall Street Journal) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] U.S. Copyright Office says some AI-assisted works may be copyrighted (Reuters) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / S 230] AI chatbots won’t enjoy tech’s legal shield, Section 230 authors say ; Sen. Wyden and former Rep. Cox’s reading would open companies to lawsuits (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] Courts Side With Big Companies Including Amazon and Experian in Privacy Appeals (Wall Street Journal) 
• [DISINFORMATION/DEFAMATION] Is Sean Hannity a journalist? Role of hosts is key in Fox News lawsuit (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] What you should do about TikTok’s potential sale or ban  (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] Grindr app data mined to expose gay priests (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY] Dutch court finds Facebook misused data in class action suit (Reuters) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] Silicon Valley Bank collapse poses challenge for cybersecurity defenders, firms ; Scammers are getting ready to pounce in the wake of the bank’s collapse, experts say. (Washington Post) 
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Julia Angwin: How to Fix the TikTok Problem (The New York Times) 
• [A.I.] Opinion: Editorial Board: Who’s responsible when ChatGPT goes off the rails? (The Washington Post) 

(March 14 -March 20, 2023)

Supreme Court of Canada

• Judgments in Leave Applications:
  • Granted:
    • [INFORMER PRIVILEGE / OPEN COURTS] Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, et al. v. His Majesty the King, et al. (40371)
    • The applications for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal of Quebec (Montréal), Number 500-10-007758-228, 2022 QCCA 984, dated July 20, 2022, are granted.
    • The motion by Lucie Rondeau, in her capacity as Chief Justice of the Court of Quebec, to be added as an intervener on the applications for leave to appeal and on the appeals is granted. The intervener is permitted to serve and file a factum not to exceed ten (10) pages in length and book of authorities, if any, within six (6) weeks following the date of service of the appellants’ factums, and is granted permission to present oral argument not exceeding five (5) minutes at the hearing of the appeals. The request to include in the intervener’s factum certain elements from the records of the trial court or the Court of Appeal is dismissed, without prejudice to the intervener’s right to file a motion under Rule 59(1)(b) of the Rules of the Supreme Court of Canada.

CRTC

• Telecom and Broadcast Decisions
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-80
    [2023-03-17 11:00:00]
    Dufferin Communications Inc. – Brampton, Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the commercial ethnic AM radio station CHLO Brampton
  • Telecom order 2023-79
    [2023-03-17 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff applications: CityWest Cable (North) Corp., TN 3 and Saskatchewan Telecommunications, TN 375 and TN 375A
  • Telecom decision 2023-78
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    Forbearance from the regulation of high-capacity / digital data services interexchange private line services on certain additional routes – Public record: 8638-S1-01/98
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-77
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    Various licensees – Across Canada – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the community radio stations set out in the appendices to the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-76
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    Various licensees – Across Canada – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the campus radio stations set out in the appendices to the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-75
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    Fairchild Radio Group Ltd. – Richmond, British Columbia; and Toronto, Ontario – Fairchild Radio (Vancouver FM) Ltd. – Vancouver, British Columbia – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the ethnic commercial radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-74
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    ZoomerMedia Limited – Cobourg, Collingwood and Toronto, Ontario – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial specialty radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-73
    [2023-03-16 11:00:00]
    2345771 Ontario Inc. – Windsor, Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the ethnic commercial specialty radio station CINA-FM Windsor
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2023-72
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 28 June 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec – Deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers: 14 April 2023
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-71
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Cogeco Media Acquisitions Inc. – Montréal, Quebec; – Cogeco Media Inc. – Various locations in Quebec – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the commercial radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-70
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Pattison Media Ltd. – Various locations in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-69
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Rogers Media Inc. – Various locations in British Columbia and Ontario – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-68
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Golden West Broadcasting Ltd. – Various locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the English-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-67
    [2023-03-15 11:00:00]
    Arsenal Media Inc. – Various locations in Quebec – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the French-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• The facts of life for teens: Privacy and sexting

Twitter

• An update on two-factor authentication using SMS on Twitter

Microsoft

• Is Russia regrouping for renewed cyberwar?

Senate of Canada

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The Senate plans to sit this week.
  • March 21, 2023 9:00 AM ET         Transport and Communications
    • Bill S-242, An Act to amend the Radiocommunication Act 
    • Birket Foster, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Storm Internet Services 
    • Madeleine Redfern, President CanArctic Inuit Networks Inc. 
    • Gregory Taylor, Associate Professor, University of Calgary As an Individual 
    • Andreas Tornow, Vice President, Network Infrastructure Storm Internet Services 
    • Consideration of a draft agenda (future business)
  • March 22, 2023 6:45 PM ET         Transport and Communications
    • Bill S-242, An Act to amend the Radiocommunication Act
    • Clause-by-clause consideration

House of Commons

• Planned and Possible Sitting Days: The House of Commons plans to sit this week.

CRTC

·       Broadcasting Decision: Decisions relating to the following applications considered under the Commission’s Part 1 process

• Upcoming Hearing:
• April 17, 2023 – Whitehorse, Yukon: Call for comments – Telecommunications in the Far North, Phase II – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2022-147, 2022-147-1, 2022-147-2 View hearing documents (2022-147)

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Public Consultations:

• CRTC
  • Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-39 – Call for comments – Development of a regulatory framework to improve network reliability and resiliency – Mandatory notification and reporting about major telecommunications service outages  
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 
  • Consultation on the future of competition policy in Canada (November 17, 2022 to March 31, 2023) 
  • Strategic Intellectual Property Program Review (November 15, 2022 to March 31, 2023) 
  • Visible minority concept consultative engagement (October 11, 2022 to June 30, 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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