Weekly Newsletter for April 9, 2024

Weekly News (April 9, 2024)

Compiled by Kyle Wyndham-West with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(April 3 – April 9, 2024)

Canadian News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION; COMPETITION] Supreme Court won’t hear Ticketmaster, Live Nation ‘ticket bot’ appeal (The Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTION/FOREIGN INTERFERENCE] CSIS prepped PMO briefing on China’s election meddling, documents at inquiry show (The Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Bloc eyes adding age verification for pornography sites to online harms bill (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Ont. school boards are trying to knock down the social media giants. Do their cases stand a chance? (CBC)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Trudeau announces $2.4 billion for AI-related investments (CBC News)
• [AI GOVERNANCE] Tech experts hope federal AI funding will help quicken adoption, commercialization (The Toronto Star)
• [ONLINE HARMS] Most Canadians think online harms bill should make porn sites verify users are 18 or older, poll says (The Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Ethics watchdog clears Doug Ford’s chief of staff after he ‘overlooked’ Greenbelt email (The Toronto Star)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] OPINION:BRADFORD Time to protect Toronto’s religious and cultural spaces against hate (The Toronto Star)
• [PERSONAL INFORMATION][PRIVACY] OPINION: PALMER Kimberly Palmer: What college students need to know about payment apps (City News)
• [ONLINE HARMS] OPINION:MACDONALD Requiring age-verification for porn won’t save children from online harm. But it will invade our privacy (The Globe and Mail)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION; CONTENT REGULATION] Brazil Supreme Court judge opens inquiry into Musk (The BBC)
• [PRIVACY] Congress has a long to-do list on tech post-recess— and little time (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] House, Senate leaders nearing deal on landmark online privacy bill (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Key lawmakers float new rules for personal data protection; bill would make privacy a consumer right (The Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Lawmakers unveil sprawling plan to expand online privacy protections (The Washington Post)
• [ANTITRUST] How Jon Stewart may have helped the DOJ’s fight with Apple (The Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Maryland Passes 2 Major Privacy Bills, Despite Tech Industry Pushback (The New York Times)
• [AI GOVERNANCE] Microsoft to invest $2.9 bln to expand AI, cloud infra in Japan (Reuters)
• [AI GOVERNANCE] OpenAI prepares to fight for its life as legal troubles mount (The Washington Post)

(April 3 – April 9, 2024)

Supreme Court of Canada

• Supreme Court of Canada publishes its 2023 Year in Review
• “Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., Ticketmaster Canada LP, Ticketmaster Canada Holdings ULC and Ticketmaster LLC v. David Gomel (B.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (40930): The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (Vancouver), Number CA47479, 2023 BCCA 274, dated July 7, 2023, is dismissed with costs.”

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Commissioner meets with U.S. officials and global privacy regulators to discuss priority privacy issues

Google News

• Our new report on AI’s opportunity for developing countries

Amazon News

• Amazon One launches an app to make sign-up for its palm-recognition service even easier

Microsoft News

• China tests US voter fault lines and ramps AI content to boost its geopolitical interests
• A look at the 2024 Washington state legislature

CRTC

Anticipated releases for the week of 8 to 12 April 2024:

• The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 8 to 12 April 2024. This is subject to change without notice.

Broadcasting decisions:

• Broadcasting decision 2024-31-1
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  CKDQ Drumheller – Conversion to the FM band – Finalization of conditions of service – Public record: 2023-0030-0
• Broadcasting decision 2024-27-1
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  CJCW Sussex – Conversion to the FM band – Finalization of conditions of service – Public record: 2023-0084-6
• Telecom notice of consultation 2023-56-4
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  Notice of hearing – Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework – Deadline for the submission of final replies – Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0056
• Telecom decision 2024-75
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  Télébec, Société en commandite – Application to restructure segmented service charges for telephone number reservation service – Public record: 8661-T78-202301125
• Telecom order 2024-74
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  Télébec, Société en commandite – Introduction of Fibre to the Home and Business – Public record: Tariff Notice 535
• Telecom decision 2024-73
  [2024-04-08 11:00:00]
  Bell Canada – Application to align 9-1-1 fees in the operating territories of Bell Canada’s affiliated carriers – Public record: 8661-B2-202301315
• Broadcasting decision 2023-403-1
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  CJLT-FM Medicine Hat – Acquisition of assets – Finalization of conditions of service – Public record: 2023-0303-0
• Broadcasting decision 2024-30-1
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  Community television station in Winnipeg – Finalization of conditions of service – Public record: 2022-0861-0
• Broadcasting decision 2024-28-1
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  English-language commercial speciality (Religious music) FM radio station in Oromocto – Finalization of conditions of service – Public record: 2022-0415-5
• Broadcasting order 2024-72
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  Broadcasting Fees
• Broadcasting decision 2024-71
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  Vista Radio Ltd. – Lethbridge, Alberta – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio station CJOC-FM Lethbridge
• Broadcasting decision 2024-70
  [2024-04-05 11:00:00]
  Vista Radio Ltd. – Lethbridge, Alberta – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio station CKBD-FM Lethbridge

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  The Senate will sit the week of April 8 to 12, 2024.

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The House of Commons will sit the week of April 8 to 12, 2024.

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of 8 to 12 April 2024:
  • The CRTC is not planning on issuing any decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the week of 8 to 12 April 2024. This is subject to change without notice.

• Upcoming Consultation
  • Compliance and Enforcement notice of consultation 2024-43-1 [2024-03-04 11:00:00] Call for comments – Proposed conditions of service requiring implementation of the call traceback process by telecommunications service providers providing voice telecommunications services – Changes to deadlines – Public record: 1011-NOC2024-0043
• 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, 2022-147-3, 2022-147-4
    View hearing documents (2022-147)
  • May 3, 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC  2023-6, 2023-6-1, 2023-6-2 View hearing documents (2023-6)
  • May 11, 2023 – National Capital Region
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-49, View hearing documents (2023-49)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Share your thoughts about the regulatory framework for the Online News Act – March 13 to April 12, 2024
• Call for comments – Co-development of an Indigenous Broadcasting Policy – July 22, 2024 2024-67

Statistics Canada:

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

Competition Bureau

• Competition Bureau seeks feedback on artificial intelligence and competition – Feedback can be submitted until May 4, 2024

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

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