Weekly Newsletter for December 12, 2023

Weekly News (December 12, 2023)

Compiled by Ian Steinberg with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(December 6 – 12, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [AI REGULATION] Federal consultations on AI regulations heavily skewed toward businesses, industry groups, say critics (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] N.B’s freedom of information regime among country’s most restrictive (Globe and Mail)
• [NATIONAL SECURITY] British intelligence says Canada’s cyberspies are ‘at the head of the pack’ (Globe and Mail)
• [NATIONAL SECURITY] National-security adviser nixes idea of foreign-intelligence agency for Canada (Globe and Mail) 
• [CYBERSECURITY] Why the ServiceOntario link to a massive GTA auto theft bust is ‘extremely alarming’ (Toronto Star)
• [PRESS FREEDOM] Publisher Jimmy Lai’s son presses Joly to publicly call for father’s release ahead of trial (Globe and Mail)
• [WIRELESS] Rogers told to produce records for Competition Bureau investigation of wireless phone plans (CBC)
• [TELECOM] 5G wireless licence auction with new caps on spectrum purchasing nets Ottawa $2.16-billion (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM] Wireless companies’ spectrum gains could have lasting effect on 5G quality, pricing (CTV)
• [CYBERSECURITY/ELECTIONS] Cyber attacks likely during next Canada’s next federal election campaign, report warns (Toronto Star)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING/OPINION] Opinion: CBC’s president inadvertently makes the case for scrapping the public broadcaster (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/OPINION] Opinion: Google funding can’t go to CBC (Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/OPINION] Opinion: Media got $100-million from Google, but can they also get $100-million from Meta? (Globe and Mail)
• [ONLINE NEWS ACT/OPINION] OPINION: With Google’s agreement to pay off the Canadian media, the shakedown in C-18 is made explicit (Globe and Mail)

International News

• [DISINFORMATION] China, Russia chief culprits in growing disinformation threats: report (Globe and Mail)
• [AI REGULATION] EU begin to hash out EU AI Act details starting Tuesday (Reuters)
• [CENSORSHIP] Protests at UN climate talks, from cease-fire calls to detainees, see ‘shocking level of censorship’ (AP)
• [CYBERSECURITY/FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE] What’s making critics most worried about competing surveillance bills in the House (Washington Post)
• [HATE SPEECH/HIGHER EDUCATION] Inside the Chaotic Struggle for Power at Penn (New York TImes)
• [HATE SPEECH/HIGHER EDUCATION] Harvard governing board faces pressure to respond to president’s congressional testimony (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Companies Use a String of Lawsuits to Take Aim at Regulators (New York Times)
• [AI INDUSTRY] This A.I. Subculture’s Motto: Go, Go, Go (New York TImes)
• [AI INDUSTRY] Microsoft Targets Nuclear to Power AI Operations (Wall Street Journal)
• [AI ELECTIONS] Meet Ashley, the world’s first AI-powered political campaign caller (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY] Pharmacies share medical data with police without a warrant, inquiry finds (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/CONTENT MODERATION] YouTube, wildly popular with teens, gets a pass for kids safety hearing (Washington Post)
• [CENSORSHIP/OPINION] Opinion: What the University Presidents Got Right and Wrong About Antisemitic Speech (New York Times)
• [AI EDUCATION/OPINION] Opinion: AI is forcing teachers to confront an existential question (Washington Post)

(December 6 – 12, 2023)

Supreme Court of Canada  

• [TELECOM REGULATION] – GRANTED – Telus Communications Inc. v. Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Bell Mobility Inc., Electricity Canada, His Majesty the King in Right of the Province of British Columbia, Ice Wireless Inc., Bragg Communications Inc., Cogeco Communications Inc., Québecor Média Inc., Vidéotron Ltée, Xplornet Communications Inc. and Rogers Communications Canada Inc. (Fed.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40776)

Federal Court of Canada

• Application for judicial review dismissed and Rebel News shall pay costs  Rebel News Network Ltd. v. Canada (Elections)

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-410
    [2023-12-11 11:00:00]
    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Winnipeg, Manitoba – Application to change the authorized contours of CKSB-5-FM Thompson, a rebroadcasting transmitter of the French-language radio station CKSB-10-FM Winnipeg, which broadcasts the programming of the national network service ICI Radio-Canada Première 
  • Compliance and Enforcement and Telecom order 2023-409
    [2023-12-08 11:00:00]
    Bell Canada – Tariff Notice 7662 – Local network interconnection and component bundling – Public record: Tariff Notice 7662 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-408
    [2023-12-08 11:00:00]
    Télévision communautaire Frontenac – Montréal, Québec – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the predominantly French-language independent community programming service Télévision communautaire Frontenac 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-407
    [2023-12-08 11:00:00]
    AEBC Internet Corp. – Various locations in British Columbia (regional licence) and in Alberta (regional licence); Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, British Columbia – Application to renew the regional broadcasting licence for the terrestrial broadcasting distribution undertakings (BDU) serving various locations in Alberta as well as the regional broadcasting licence for the terrestrial BDUs serving various locations in British Columbia 
  • Telecom order 2023-406
    [2023-12-08 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1197 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-405
    [2023-12-07 11:00:00]
    2190015 Ontario Inc. – Hamilton, Ontario, and various locations in Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the independent conventional television station CHCH-DT Hamilton and its transmitters in Ontario

Communications Security Establishment Canada

• Communications Security Establishment releases 2023 update on cyber threats to Canada’s democratic process

Competition Bureau Canada

• Competition Bureau obtains a court order to advance investigation into Rogers’ marketing practices
• Amp Me to pay penalty to address Competition Bureau concerns over misleading advertising

Global Affairs Canada

• Statement on Russia’s malicious cyber activity affecting the United Kingdom

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada 

• More organizations sign on to Canada’s voluntary AI code of conduct, including CGI and IBM
• Government of Canada supports science and research organizations that are transforming research and knowledge into action

Canadian Intellectual Property Office

• More than a number: intellectual property valuation

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Remarks at the Privacy and Generative AI Symposium 2023
• Canadian privacy regulators launch principles for responsible development and use of generative AI
• Joint Statement on Privacy and Democratic Rights

Amazon

• A new study reveals 5 ways AI will transform the workplace as we know it

Apple

• Report: 2.6 billion personal records compromised by data breaches in past two years — underscoring need for end‑to‑end encryption

Google

• Learn more about Gemini, our most capable AI model

Meta

• Launching Default End-to-End Encryption on Messenger
• What’s New Across Our AI Experiences
• Introducing Purple Llama for Safe and Responsible AI Development

Microsoft

• Celebrating the first year of Copilot with significant new innovations

Supreme Court of Canada  

• [POLICE INFORMER PRIVILEGE] Scheduled Hearing: 2023-12-12 to 2023-12-13 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, et al. v. His Majesty the King, et al. (Quebec) (Criminal) (By Leave) 40371

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days: December 11 to 15, 2023

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  December 11 to 15, 2023
  • [ETHI] Social Media and Foreign Entities, Dec 13, 2023, 4:30PM to 6:30PM
  • [INDU] Bill C-27, Digital Charter Implementation Act, Dec 12, 2023, 3:30PM to 6:00PM

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of December 11 to 15, 2023:
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for television stations
    • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
      Winnipeg, Manitoba
      CKSB-10-FM Winnipeg and its transmitter CKSB-5-FM Thompson – Technical changes
      Public record: 2023-0360-1
• Upcoming Hearings
  • February 12, 2024 – Gatineau, Quebec

Notice of hearing – Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-56, 2023-56-1, 2023-56-2, and 2023-56-3.

View hearing documents (2023-56)

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

CRTC

• Broadcasting
  • 2023-369 – Notice of hearing – 8 February 2024 – National Capital Region – Deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers: 18 December 2023
• Telecom
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2022-147-3: Call for comments – Telecommunications in the Far North, Phase II – Changes to procedure – Public records: 8622-S93-202008482, 1011-NOC2020-0367 and 1011-NOC2022-0147 – Dec. 13, 2023

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• Consultation on the Licence Renewal Process for the 24 GHz and 38 GHz Bands and Preliminary Consultation on Changes to the 24.25-26.5 GHz Band – Nov 17, 2023 to Dec 19, 2023
• Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence – January 15, 2024
• Consultation on Amending CPC-2-0-20 — Radio Frequency (RF) Fields—Signs and Access Control – January 4, 2024

Statistics Canada:

• Census Data on Demand (CDOD) program consultative engagement – March 31, 2024

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