Newsletter: December 22, 2020

Weekly News (December 22, 2020)
Compiled by Emmanuel Appiah with Sara Bannerman
McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

The Communications Governance Discussion Group meets every few weeks by Zoom.  Email organizer Derek Hrynyshyn <derekh@yorku.ca> for details.

(December 15-21, 2020)

Canadian News

• [BROADCASTING REGULATION] Liberals won’t commit to date for 5G, Huawei review (The Toronto Star)
• [TELECOM REGULATONS] Telecom companies want Supreme Court to hear case on rates charged to small internet operators (The Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Ottawa tells Pornhub site deleting videos isn’t enough (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] RCMP will change how it handles data on protesters (The Toronto Star)
• [PRIVACY] Watchdog orders Desjardins to overhaul practices (National Post)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Tsai: Days of online anonymity must end (The Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Opinion: Moira Donegan: How Pornhub – one of the world’s biggest sites – caused untold damage and pain (The Guardian)
• [INTERNET POLICY/TAX] Opinion: Tyra Yah: How should we tax social media influencers? (The Toronto Star)
• [TECH INNOVATION] Opinion: Uttamchandani: When Trump goes, Canada will need to up its tech talent game (The Toronto Star)
• [ACCESS TO INFORMATION] Opinion: Rubin: There’s no excuse for suppressing spending data during the pandemic (Ottawa Citizen)

International News

• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Tech giants risk breakup under strict EU digital rules (The Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Hefty Fines and Strict Rules Facing Big Tech in Europe (The New York Times)
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] Ten States Sue Google, Alleging Deal With Facebook to Rig Online Ad Market (The Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/PLATFORM REGULATION] Joe Biden’s 5 Tech Priorities (The Wall Street Journal)
• [COPYRIGHT] ‘Star Trek’ and Dr. Seuss Mash-Up Not Protected, Court Rules (The Seattle Times)
• [DEFAMATION] The ‘Red Slime’ Lawsuit That Could Sink Right-Wing Media (The New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/PRIVACY] British drivers take Uber to Dutch court over data use (Reuters)
• [PRIVACY/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Facebook And Apple Trade Jabs (The New York Times; Opinion piece also available on The New York Times)
• [PRIVACY] Twitter Fined for Breaking EU Privacy Law in First for U.S. Tech Firm (The Wall Street Journal)
• [PRIVACY] Menstruation apps store excessive information, privacy charity says (The Guardian)
• [CENSORSHIP] No ‘Negative’ News: How China Censored the Coronavirus (The Japan Times)
• [CENSORSHIP] U.S. Charges China-Based Zoom Executive with Disrupting Tiananmen Crackdown Commemorations Executive (Reuters)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Outing of FSB hit squad highlights Russia’s data security problem (The Guardian)
• [CYBER SECURITY] The U.S. government spent billions on a system for detecting hacks. The Russians outsmarted it. (The Washington Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Biden mulls punishments for Russia over suspected role in government hack (The Guardian)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] For years, the Pentagon sits on racial discrimination survey data (Reuters)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Macron and the moguls: Inside the fight over a ‘French Fox News’ (Reuters)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Israeli spy firm suspected of accessing global telecoms via Channel Islands (The Guardian)
• [INTERNET POLICY] YouTube says to appoint Turkey representative in line with new law (Reuters)
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM REGULATION] Opinion: Pearlstein: Facebook and Google cases are our last chance to save the economy from monopolization (The Washington Post)

(December 15-21, 2020)

Canadian Heritage

• COVID-19: Government of Canada Provides Additional Relief to the Broadcasting Sector

Competition Bureau Canada

• Competition Bureau publishes highlights from its Digital Enforcement Summit

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Government of Canada announces approval of first Universal Broadband Fund project
• Ottawa and Regional Municipality of York investments will bring high-speed Internet to Georgina Island and Udora
• Government of Canada announces contribution to next-generation robotic warehouse solution

 Federal Court of Canada

• [PATENT] Richards Packaging Inc. v. Distrimedic Inc. – 2020 FC 1162 (2020-12-17)

Google

• Redesigning Search would harm American consumers and businesses
• The opportunity for “Digital Sprinters”

 Microsoft

• Cyber Mercenaries Don’t Deserve Immunity
• A moment of reckoning: the need for a strong and global cybersecurity response

Twitter

• COVID-19: Our approach to misleading vaccine information

CRTC

News Releases:

• Broadcasting notice of consultation 2019-379-5
  [2020-12-18 11:00:00]
  Notice of hearing – 11 January 2021 – Gatineau, Quebec – Reply by the Corporation to a Commission request for information
• Telecom order 2020-404
  [2020-12-18 11:00:00]
  Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc. TN 1098
• Broadcasting decision 2020-403
  [2020-12-17 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – 1760791 Ontario Inc. – Mississauga, Ontario – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the commercial ethnic radio station CINA Mississauga
• Broadcasting decision 2020-402
  [2020-12-17 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – 10679313 Canada Inc. – Various locations in Quebec – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the French-language commercial radio stations listed in the decision
• Broadcasting decision 2020-401
  [2020-12-15 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Radio Humsafar Inc. – Montréal, Quebec – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the commercial ethnic radio station CHRN Montréal
• Broadcasting decision 2020-400
  [2020-12-15 11:00:00]
  APPROVED – Cogeco Media Inc. – Hawkesbury, Ontario – Ottawa Media Inc. – Hawkesbury, Ontario – Applications to renew the broadcasting licences for the commercial radio stations listed in the decision

Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada announced today that judgment in the following leave applications will be delivered at 9:45 a.m. EST on Wednesday, December 23, 2020.

• [PATENT] Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research, et al. v. Hospira Healthcare Corporation, et al. (F.C.) (Civil) (By Leave) (39099)

Senate of Canada

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week

Canadian House of Commons

• Planned & Possible sitting days this week: No sitting days this week. The House is adjourned until Monday, January 25, 2021 at 11:00 am (EST)

CRTC

 Open Proceedings

• CRTC Open Broadcasting Proceedings
• CRTC Open Telecom Proceedings

Anticipated releases for the week of December 21-22, 2020

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

Broadcasting Decision:

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

• Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for various radio stations

Open Public Consultations:

• Justice: Modernizing Canada’s Privacy Act – Public Consultation (January 17, 2021)
• Consultation on the Technical and Policy Framework for Licence-Exempt Use in the 6 GHz Band(January 19, 2021)
• CRTC: Share your views and ideas on telecommunications services in Northern Canada: Nov 2, 2020 to Jan 20, 2021