News 

Weekly Newsletter for September 19, 2023

Ian Steinberg

Weekly News (September 19, 2023)

Compiled by Kyle Wyndham-West and Ian Steinberg with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(September 13 – September 19, 2023)

Canadian News 

·         [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube (CTV News)

·         [SMART CITIES] OPINION: O’Kane: When my book Sideways was adapted for the stage, I learned the art of transforming non-fiction into fiction (The Globe and Mail)

International News

·         [PRIVACY/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe’s strict data privacy rules (AP News)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION] Tech titans meet US lawmakers, Musk seeks ‘referee’ for AI(Reuters)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] Google’s Antitrust Trial to Set ‘Future of the Internet,’ DOJ Says (The Wall Street Journal)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] Google’s Defense in Landmark Antitrust Case Hinges on Lawyers Who Took on Microsoft (The Wall Street Journal)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION/ANTITRUST] U.S. claims Google pays more than $10-billion a year to maintain search dominance as antitrust trial opens (The Globe and Mail)

·         [CENSORSHIP] Red states quit nation’s oldest library group amid culture war over books (Washington Post)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION/ONLINE SAFETY] Judge blocks California law meant to increase online safety for kids (The Washington Post)

·         [PLATFORM REGULATION/WORKPLACE SAFETY] Regulators struggle to rein in Amazon on safety for warehouse workers (The Washington Post)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/LAWFUL ACCESS/PRIVACY] Under Musk, Twitter is handing over more data to investigators (The Washington Post)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE / ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to meet Elon Musk amid antisemitism storm (Reuters)

·         [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: LEDERMAN: Elon Musk reaches a new low by targeting the Anti-Defamation League (The Globe and Mail)

·         [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] OPINION:CROSS AI may not be as big a threat to our jobs as you think (The Globe and Mail)

(September 12 – September 19, 2023)

Canadian Heritage

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

  • Policy announcements:
    • 2023-306 – Standard conditions of service for licensed discretionary services, national news discretionary services and mainstream sports discretionary services, and exemption order for exempt discretionary services – Modifications to the advertising time limit requirement
  • Broadcasting and Telecoms:

o    Telecom decision 2023-319
[2023-09-15 11:00:00]
Revised implementation date for area code 879 in relief of area code 709 in Newfoundland and Labrador – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08 

o    Telecom order 2023-318
[2023-09-15 11:00:00]
Determination of Costs – Award Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding that led to Telecom Decision 2023-317 – File numbers: 8662-T117-202300268 and 4754-710

o    Telecom decision 2023-317
[2023-09-15 11:00:00]
TekSavvy Solutions Inc. – Application to address alleged undue preference arising from off-tariff agreements – Public record: 8662-T117-202300268 

o    Broadcasting decision 2023-316
[2023-09-13 11:00:00]
Harvard Broadcasting Inc. – Edmonton, Alberta – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial radio station CKEA-FM Edmonton 

o    Broadcasting decision 2023-315
[2023-09-13 11:00:00]
Corus Radio Inc. – Hamilton, Ontario – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio station CING-FM Hamilton

Copyright Board

Global Affairs

Office of the Privacy Commissioner

Amazon

Meta

Microsoft

TikTok

Senate of Canada

House of Commons

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

Competition Bureau

Consultations:

CRTC

·         Call for comments – Proposed new Broadcasting Fees Regulations – Deadline: 22 September 2023

Canadian Heritage

·         Regulations Respecting the Application of the Online News Act, the Duty to Notify and the Request for Exemptions: 30-day consultation – open to October 2, 2023 (Canada Gazette)

·         Engagement sessions with Canadian book publishers and book industry stakeholders – Planned: May 30, 2023 to Sept 29, 2023 

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

·         Creating Canada’s 6th National Action Plan on Open Government – Planned: Sept 1, 2023 to Oct 31, 2023

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

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