Newsletter: September 1, 2020

Weekly News (September 1, 2020)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(August 25-August 31, 2020)

Canadian News

• [TELECOM REGULATION] Canada blocking Huawei – just not formally (Reuters)

• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] New Uber contract could have chilling effect on class action, says lawyer ( The Globe and Mail)

• [PRIVACY/COVID-19 APP] Quebec opts out of federal COVID-tracing app for now (The Globe and Mail)

• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Opinion: Colby Cosh: Latest WE debacle shows the government’s contempt for Parliament (National Post)

• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Tories ask speaking agency to release records on WE’s payments to Trudeau family (The Canadian Press via The Toronto Star)

• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Media study says hundreds of Canadian radio stations, TV outlets risk closure (The Toronto Star)

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Artificial intelligence needed to fight child prostitution, Quebec committee told (The Canadian Press via The National Post)

• [PERSONAL INFORMATION/DATA BREACH] Personal info of kids with disabilities accidentally shared: Manitoba government (Winnipeg Sun)

International News

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Indian Court Hands Down Symbolic Sentence for Outspoken Lawyer (The New York Times)

• [PATENT] Huawei, ZTE lose patent appeal cases at UK Supreme Court (The Associated Press)

• [PRIVACY] Tech Firms Filing to Go Public Warn Investors of Shifts in Privacy Rules (The Wall Street Journal PRO: Cybersecurity)

• [PRIVACY/ANTITRUST] Apple’s iPhone privacy change rankles firms (The Washington Post)

• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] Google location-tracking tactics troubled its own engineers (The Associated Press via New York Post)

• [PRIVACY/COVID-19] Natural History Museum Union Files Complaint Over Coronavirus App (The New York Times)

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] China’s new tech export controls could give Beijing a say in TikTok sale (Reuters)

• [PERSONAL INFORMATION/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] In Bid for TikTok, Microsoft Flexes Its Power in Washington (The New York Times)

• [PERSONAL INFORMATION] U.S. House panel narrows Deutsche Bank subpoena for Trump records (Reuters)

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Opinion: Pavin Chachavalpongpun: An entire generation in Thailand is counting on Facebook to do the right thing (The Washington Post)

• [CYBERSTALKING] ‘Antifa hunter’ gets 3 years for online racist threats (The Associated Press)

• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Data on Covid care home deaths kept secret ‘to protect commercial interests’ (The Guardian)

• [DEFAMATION] Opinion: Erik Wemple: Sarah Palin’s defamation suit against the New York Times clears another hurdle (The Washington Post)

(August 25-August 31, 2020)

Competition Bureau

• Competition Bureau invites feedback on changes to the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations

Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada

• Government of Canada ensures that Canadians continue to have access to the highest quality wireless services

Federal Court of Canada

• [PATENT] Tatuyou, LLC v. H2Ocean Inc. – 2020 FC 865 (2020-08-28)
• [OFFICIAL LANGUAGES] Thibodeau v. St. John’s International Airport Authority (2020 FC 858 – 2020-08-27)
• [PATENT] Bauer Hockey Ltd. v. Sport Maska Inc. (CCM Hockey) – 2020 FC 862 (2020-08-28)

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

• Letter to shadow ministers
• Letter to committee members
• Commissioner writes to parliamentary committees on privacy in a pandemic

Youtube

• Responsible policy enforcement during Covid-19

Twitter

• How LikeFolio Gains Financial Insights for Investors with Twitter Data

Facebook

• Making It Easier to Shop and Sell on Our Apps
• Bringing Facebook News to More Countries

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting decision 2020-316
  [2020-08-28 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Rogers Media Inc. – Sechelt, British Columbia – Application to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial FM radio station CFUN-FM Sechelt
• Broadcasting decision 2020-314
  [2020-08-27 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – TELUS Communications Inc. – Red Deer, Alberta – Application to add Red Deer to the regional licence for broadcasting distribution undertakings in Alberta
• Broadcasting decision 2020-312
  [2020-08-27 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Saguenay and Petit-Saguenay, Quebec – Application to amend the broadcasting licence for the French-language radio station CBJ-FM Saguenay in order to operate a new transmitter in Petit-Saguenay to rebroadcast the programming of the national network service ICI Radio-Canada Première
• Telecom notice of consultation 2020-178-1
  [2020-08-26 11:00:00]
  Call for comments – Accessibility – Mobile wireless service plans that meet the needs of Canadians with various disabilities – Changes to procedure – Public record: 1011-NOC2020-0178
• Broadcasting decision 2020-304
  [2020-08-26 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Bell Canada, on behalf of Groupe V Média inc. – Montréal, Québec, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay and Sherbrooke, Quebec – Application to amend the list of services that are included in the French-language Bell Media Group as well as the conditions of licence for these services
• Telecom order 2020-302, Telecom order 2020-301,
  [2020-08-25 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order- The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Bell Aliant, a division of Bell Canada TN 544, and Bell Canada TN 7613
• Telecom order 2020-288, Telecom order 2020-287, AND Telecom order 2020-286
  [2020-08-24 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: TELUS Communications Inc. TN 552, Northwestel Inc. TN 1089, and Northwestel Inc. TN 1085
• Telecom order 2020-285
  [2020-08-24 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis the following tariff application: Bell Aliant, a division of Bell Canada TN 547

Supreme Court of Canada

• Judgment in the following leave applications will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. EDT on Thursday, September 3, 2020.
• [SEARCH & SEIZURE] Agence du revenu du Québec c. B.T. Céramiques inc., et al. (Qc) (Civile) (Autorisation) (39177)

Senate of Canada

• No sitting days this week – Parliament is Prorogued. The second session of the 43^rd Parliament is set to begin on September 23, 2020.

 Canadian House of Commons

• No sitting days this week – Parliament is Prorogued. The second session of the 43rd Parliament is scheduled to open at 2:00 p.m., on September 23, 2020.

 CRTC

Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of August 24-28, 2020

The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, regulatory policies and reports in the coming week. This list may be incomplete and is subject to change without notice.

            Broadcasting Decisions:

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

• Vernon Community Radio Society
  Vernon, British Columbia
  Community radio station in Vernon
  Public record: 2018-0946-9
• Atlantic Digital Networks Ltd.
  Across Canada
  ToonAvision – Licensing of a discretionary service
  Public record: 2019-0551-4

 Open Public Consultations:

• Call for comments – Appropriate network configuration for disaggregated wholesale high-speed access services (September 9, 2020 deadline)