Weekly Newsletter for January 21, 2025

Weekly News (January 21, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(January 14 – 21, 2025)

Canadian News

• [SOCIAL MEDIA BANS/PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok appears to be back in the U.S. after a brief ban. Here’s what Canadian users need to know (Toronto Star)
• [CYBERSECURITY/BILL C-26] Cybersecurity bill in limbo after prorogued Parliament puts Canada further behind its global peers (Globe and Mail) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Tech firms look to Europe for direction after prorogation wipes parliamentary bills (Toronto Star)
• [ELECTIONS/FOREIGN INTERFERENCE] Federal security agencies to monitor Liberal leadership race for foreign interference (Globe and Mail)
• [LOBBYING] Former heritage minister Pablo Rodriguez faces questions over meeting with lobbyist (Globe and Mail)
• [GIG WORK/ DIGITAL PLATFORM WORK] Nearly 700,000 Canadians did paid work through digital platforms in 2024 (Globe and Mail)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] With Conservatives promising to ‘defund,’ could the next election kill the CBC? (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/COMPETITION] Local and regional internet service providers push back on Big Three claims of greater competition (Globe Newswire)
• [PRIVACY] The U.S. and Canada quietly agreed to share personal data on permanent residents crossing the border (National Post)
• [SURVEILLANCE/PRIVACY] RCMP leases Blackhawk helicopters, buys more drones to boost surveillance on Canada-U.S. border (Globe and Mail) 
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Complaints about telecom providers hit record levels last year: watchdog report (Financial Post)
• [COPYRIGHT] After a Canadian puzzle-maker’s design went global, a booming copycat industry pounced on her business (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PUBLIC BROADCASTING] CBC needed with Elon Musk ‘meddling’ in Canadian politics: heritage minister (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/INFRASTRUCTURE/INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES] Wonder Valley AI’s proposed data centre creates controversy (Sask Today)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Investment key to keeping Canada a leader in AI; Tech; ‘Paradigm shift’ (National Post) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Momentum to pass regulatory legislation for AI has slowed considerably in Canada and the U.S. (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/EDUCATION] DSFM develops policy on AI in schools (Hamilton Spectator)
• [CYBERSECURITY] OPINION: Michael J. S. Beauvais & Yan Shvartzshnaider: Cyberattack affecting school boards spotlights the need for better EdTech regulation in Ontario and beyond (The Conversation)
• [ELECTIONS] OPINION: Campbell Clark: Liberal data guru Pitfield steps back from Carney campaign and commits to staying neutral (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/SOCIAL MEDIA BANS] OPINION: Matt Malone: While the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates a TikTok ban, Canada’s own TikTok policy remains a mess (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/INFRASTRUCTURE] OPINION: Peter Garland, Rob McMahon & Dwayne Winseck: Elon Musk’s Starlink: A lifeboat for rural Canada or a dangerous trojan horse?(Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS] Opinion: Taylor Owen: AI can be a threat to children’s lives. How can we build safeguards? (Globe and Mail)

International News

• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] EU assesses Big Tech cases ahead of Trump arrival (Reuters)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/ONLINE HARMS] Supreme Court Seems Ready to Back Texas Law Limiting Access to Pornography (New York Times)
• [AI CHIPS/ TECH EXPORTS] Taiwan says exclusion from new US curbs on AI tech should ‘give confidence’ (Reuters)
• [INFRASTRUCTURE/DATA CENTERS] Singapore, Malaysia Kindle a Border-Town Investment Boom(Wall Street Journal)
• [INFRASTRUCTURE/DATA CENTERS] Australia’s Macquarie to invest up to $5 bln in Applied Digital data centers (Reuters) 
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM REGULATION] Brazil says Meta hate speech policy changes do not fit with local law (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH] Google faces more scrutiny as UK watchdog flexes new digital competition powers(Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Spain to grant $155 mln in subsidies to help companies develop AI(Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] British novelists criticise government over AI ‘theft’(The Guardian)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION/CENSORSHIP] Trump executive order on free speech draws criticism(Reuters) 
• [AI CHIPS/TECH EXPORTS] US tightens its grip on AI chip flows across the globe (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY] Biden signs ambitious order to bolster energy resources for AI data centers (Globe and Mail)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] Biden takes aim at ‘tech industrial complex,’ echoing Eisenhower (Reuters)
• [DATA PRIVACY] General Motors Is Banned From Selling Driving Behavior Data for 5 Years (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] What happened when other countries banned TikTok (Washington Post)
• [ALTERNATIVE PLATFORM/PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Got a Reprieve, but Americans and Chinese Are Still on RedNote (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Flickers Back to Life After Trump Says He Will Stall a Ban (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok says it will ‘go dark’ unless it gets clarity from Biden following Supreme Court ruling (Associated Press)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TikTok Ban Behind Fire Set at a Mall With Congressman’s Office, Police Say (New York Times) 
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] A Trump Party Hosted by Peter Thiel, With All of Silicon Valley (New York Times) 
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] US TikTok users flock to Chinese app Xiaohongshu in protest with TikTok ban looming (Globe and Mail) 
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS/PLATFORM REGULATION] Zuckerberg Debuts ‘Real Mark’ in Push to Woo Trump (Wall Street Journal)
• [LABOUR/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Meta to Cut 5% of Its Workers in New Round of Layoffs(New York Times)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Meta ends its DEI programs as Zuckerberg blasts Biden on Joe Rogan  (CNN) 
• [LABOUR/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Microsoft halts hiring in US consulting unit as cost-cutting measure, CNBC reports (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] YouTubers profit as AI companies search for unused video footage (Seattle Times)
• [HATE SPEECH/ONLINE HARMS/CONTENT MODERATION] LGBTQ creators brace for Meta’s pro-Trump changes (NBC News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ONLINE HARMS] Snap shares drop as FTC refers MyAI chatbot complaint to the DOJ (CNBC)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/JOURNALISM] Apple Plans to Disable A.I. Features Summarizing News Notifications (New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/JOURNALISM] Google signs deal with AP to deliver up-to-date news through its Gemini AI chatbot (Associated Press)
• [BIG TECH/PLATFORM REGULATION] The push to ‘billionaire-proof’ social media (Washington Post)
• [ONLINE HARMS/CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/] OPINION: Jessica Grose: Freedom From Harassment and Exploitation on Social Media, but Not for Girls (New York Times)
• [CONTENT MODERATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Zeynep Tufekci: Zuckerberg’s Macho Posturing Looks a Lot Like Cowardice (New York Times)

(January 14 – 21, 2025)

Supreme Court of the United States 

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] TIKTOK INC. v. GARLAND  

Global Affairs Canada

• Statement:
  • G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) statement on Russian Influence Campaign

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• News Release:
  • CRTC takes action to improve reliability and affordability of Internet services in the Far North
• Backgrounder:
  • CRTC takes action to improve reliability and affordability of Internet services in the Far North 
• Regulatory Policy:
  • Telecom regulatory policy 2025-9
    [2025-01-16 16:00:00]
    Telecommunications in the Far North – Public records: 8622-S93-202008482, 1011-NOC2020-0367 and 1011-NOC2022-0147
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2025-15
    [2025-01-20 11:00:00]
    Establishment of a CISC ad hoc committee for relief planning for area codes 367, 418, and 581 in Québec – Public record: 8621-C12-01/08
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-14
    [2025-01-20 11:00:00]
    Bell Media Inc. – Across Canada – Application to revoke the broadcasting licence for the English-language discretionary service MTV
  • Telecom order 2025-13
    [2025-01-20 11:00:00]
    Interim approval of tariff pages and terms and conditions for aggregated wholesale high-speed access services over fibre-to-the-premises facilities – Public records: 1011-NOC2023-0056; Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership Tariff Notices 569, 569A, 569B, 569C and 569D; Bell Canada Tariff Notices 7664, 7664A, 7664B and 7664C; Bell MTS Inc. Tariff Notices 852, 852A, 852B, 852C and 852D; Saskatchewan Telecommunications Tariff Notices 378, 378A, 378B, 378C and 378D; TELUS Communications Inc. Tariff Notices 583, 583A, 583B, 657, 657A, 657B, and 657C
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-12
    [2025-01-17 11:00:00]
    Corus Radio Inc. – Hamilton, Ontario – Application to revoke the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial radio station CHML Hamilton
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-11
    [2025-01-17 11:00:00]
    Corus Radio Inc. – Edmonton, Alberta – Application to revoke the broadcasting licence for the English-language commercial AM radio station CHQT Edmonton
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2025-10
    [2025-01-16 16:00:00]
    Call for comments – Implementing a retail Internet service subsidy in the Far North – Public record: 1011-NOC2025-0010
  • Telecom order 2025-8
    [2025-01-15 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Statement of work for SSi Micro Ltd.’s satellite project in Nunavut – Public record: 1011-NOC2022-0325
  • Telecom order 2025-7
    [2025-01-15 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund payment order – Approval of claim forms – December 2024 – Public records:1011-NOC2019-0191 and 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom order 2025-6
    [2025-01-15 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Bell MTS, a division of Bell Canada, TN 868; North Frontenac Telephone Corporation Ltd., TN 39; TELUS Communications Inc., TN 596 and TN 597

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 

• Statement:
  • Statement by the Privacy Commissioner regarding reports of a data breach at PowerSchool

TikTok

• Statement on possible shutdown

Microsoft

• AI Transformations for Sustainability
• Innovating in line with the European Union’s AI Act

OpenAI

• Partnering with Axios expands OpenAI’s work with the news industry

Senate of Canada

• The Senate sitting and possible sitting days:  Parliament is prorogued – The prorogation of the first session of the 44^th Parliament was proclaimed on January 6, 2025. Parliamentary business, including committee business (other than the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration, Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senatorsand the Standing Committee on Audit and Oversight), is ended and will reconvene on March 24, 2025 for the second session of the 44^th Parliament.

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  The 1st session of the 44th Parliament was prorogued on January 6, 2025. Prorogation occurs when the Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister, issues a proclamation putting an end to a parliamentary session. In practice, as soon as Parliament is either prorogued or dissolved, all committee activity ceases and, as such, all orders of reference and committee studies lapse. 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Interventions to regarding the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ proposed plan for the operation of a temporary fund supporting local news production by commercial radio stations in smaller markets 
• Anticipated releases for the week of 20 to 24 January 2025:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 20 to 24 January 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
  • Broadcasting Decision:
    • Bell Media Inc.
      Across Canada
      MTV (Canada) – Revocation of licence
      Public record: 2024-0631-3
  • Telecom Orders:
    • Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding initiated by Compliance and Enforcement Notice of Consultation 2024-43
      File numbers: 1011-NOC2024-0043 and 4754 756
    • Interim approval of tariff pages and terms and conditions for aggregated wholesale high-speed access services over fibre-to-the-premises facilities
      Public records: 1011-NOC2023-0056; Bell Aliant Regional Communications, Limited Partnership Tariff Notices 569, 569A, 569B, 569C and 569D; Bell Canada Tariff Notices 7664, 7664A, 7664B and 7664C; Bell MTS Inc. Tariff Notices 852, 852A, 852B, 852C and 852D; Saskatchewan Telecommunications Tariff Notices 378, 378A, 378B, 378C and 378D; TELUS Communications Inc. Tariff Notices 583, 583A, 583B, 657, 657A, 657B, and 657C            
• Upcoming hearings:
  •  February 11, 2025 – Yellowknife (Northwest Territories)
    To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-213 – View hearing documents (2024-213)
  • March 31, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – The Path Forward – Defining “Canadian program” and supporting the creation and distribution of Canadian programming in the audio-visual sector in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-288
    View hearing documents (2024-288)            
  • 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)
  • May 12, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing -The Path Forward – Working towards a sustainable Canadian broadcasting system – Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-2 – View hearing documents (2025-2)
  • June 10, 2025 – Gatineau (Québec)
    Notice of hearing – Making it easier for consumers to shop for Internet services – Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-318 – View hearing documents (2024-318)
• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Consultations:

Spectrum Management Consultations

•  Consultation on Changes to Licensing Requirements and Conditions of Licence on Space Debris Mitigation – Respondents should submit their comments no later than February 25, 2025 to ensure consideration 
• Consultation on a Fee Framework and Amendments to Conditions of Licence for Certain Spectrum Licences Used to Provide Commercial Mobile Services Below 10 GHz – Respondents should submit their comments no later than January 22, 2025 to ensure consideration

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Call for comments – Implementing a retail Internet service subsidy in the Far North – Deadline for submission of replies: 28 February 2025  
• Share your thoughts on market dynamics and sustainability of Canada’s broadcasting system  – End date: February 24, 2025 
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-295) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing self-service mechanisms – Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025 
• Share your thoughts on making shopping for Internet easier – End date: February 20, 2025
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-294) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Removing barriers to switching plans Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-293) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification Deadline for submission of interventions – Deadline for submission of replies: 24 January 2025   
• Share your thoughts about enhancing customer notification – End date: February 14, 2025

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