Weekly Newsletter for November 14, 2023

Weekly News (November 14, 2023)

Compiled by Ian Steinberg with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(November 8 – 14, 2023)

Canadian News 

• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] Heritage Minister says quick action needed to enact Online Streaming Act (Globe and Mail)
• [TELECOM REGULATION] Canada Orders Phone Companies to Offer Wholesale Access to Fiber-Optic Broadband (Wall Street Journal)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Controversial chant sparks discussions about free speech amid hate-motivated charge in Calgary (CTV News)
• [ARRIVECAN] Procurement department launches review of IT firms accused of contracting misconduct (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/REGULATION] Once a darling of Ottawa, Shopify increasingly distancing itself from city (CTV News)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] With no ‘sunset clauses’ to declassify old records, Canada’s access to information laws keep history under seal (Globe and Mail)
• [FREEDOM OF INFORMATION] Ontario’s access watchdog limits number of appeals requesters can have open at a time (Globe and Mail)
• [HATE SPEECH] Rodriguez faces questions over whether he misled Commons panel(Globe and Mail)
• [INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY] Huawei still filing patents tied to work with Canadian universities after Ottawa’s restrictions (Globe and Mail)
• [RESEARCH FUNDING] Lack of research, post-graduate funding threatens Canada’s innovation infrastructure (Globe and Mail)
• [RIGHT OF PUBLICITY] Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman file lawsuit against … Guess Who? (Globe and Mail)
• [PRIVACY] Opinion: Matt Bubbers: Why are we paying to let car companies harvest our personal data? (Globe and Mail)
• [PUBLIC BROADCASTING] Opinion: Kondrad Yakabuski: CBC president Catherine Tait’s reign of error will not be soon forgotten (Globe and Mail)

International News

• [ELECTIONS/DEEPFAKES] UK cybersecurity center says ‘deepfakes’ and other AI tools pose a threat to the next election (AP)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] Nepal bans TikTok, citing disruption to ‘social harmony’ (CNN)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/CENSORSHIP] How India tamed Twitter and set a global standard for online censorship (Washington Post)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Meta and Snap must detail child protection measures by Dec. 1, EU says (Reuters)
• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Israel’s free speech crackdown: ‘War inside of a war’(Washington Post)
• [JOURNALISM/CENSORSHIP] South Korea Targets ‘Fake News,’ But Journalists Fear Censorship (New York TImes)
• [ANTITRUST/PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Google has spent $26 billion to ensure it remains your default search engine (Washington Post)
• [ANTITRUST] Google Antitrust Trial Shines Light on Feud With Microsoft (Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] Meta says it will start labelling political ads made with AI in 2024 (AP)
• AI GOVERNANCE] Google wants governments to form a ‘global AI corps’ (Washington Post)
• [MEDIA INDUSTRY LABOUR] Striking Actors and Hollywood Studios Agree to a Deal(New York TImes)
• [AI/WEARABLE TECH] Silicon Valley’s Big, Bold Sci-Fi Bet on the Device That Comes After the Smartphone (New York Times)
• [COPYRIGHT/AI] US judge trims AI copyright lawsuit against Meta (Reuters)
• [COPYRIGHT/AI] Google Sues To Stop Fake Ads For Its Bard AI Business — But Defendants Are Unknown (Forbes)
• [PRIVACY/CYBERSECURITY] New York Plans Cyber Rules for Hospitals (Wall Street Journal)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/AI] YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension (AP)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE/PRIVACY/HEALTH CARE] Amazon offers Prime customers discounted health-clinic access (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] British judge says Prince Harry’s lawsuit against Daily Mail publisher can go to trial (AP)
• [DIGITAL DISCRIMINATION/BROADBAND] Opinion: The FCC’s New Racial Broadband Rule (Wall Street Journal)

(November 8 – 14, 2023)

Canadian Heritage

• Government of Canada to mark an important milestone with our cultural sector
• Government of Canada launches survey on resale rights for artists

Canadian Intellectual Property Office

• The Unitary Patent and Unified Patent Court: Unlock the potential of patents in Europe

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission 

• CRTC takes action to increase choice and affordability of high-speed Internet
• Nirmala Naidoo to the Alberta Rural Connectivity Forum
• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom order 2023-365
    [2023-11-10 11:00:00]
    Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding initiated by Telecom Notice of Consultation 2022-147 – File numbers: 1011-NOC2022-0147 and 4754-718 
  • Telecom order 2023-364
    [2023-11-09 11:00:00]
    Determination of costs award with respect to the participation of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the proceeding in which the Commission considered Bell Canada’s application to review and vary Telecom Regulatory Policy 2018-377 and Telecom Decision 2022-341 – File numbers: 8662-B2-202209973 and 4754-708 
  • Broadcasting decision 2023-363
    [2023-11-09 11:00:00]
    TELUS Communications Inc. – Across Canada – Application to renew the broadcasting licence for the national on-demand service Optik TV 
  • Telecom order 2023-362
    [2023-11-09 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on a final basis the following tariff applications: Télébec, Société en commandite, TN 548, TN 549, TN 550, TN 551 and TN 552 
  • Telecom order 2023-361
    [2023-11-07 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Change request – BH Telecom Corp.’s Saskatchewan transport fibre project – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372 
  • Telecom order 2023-360
    [2023-11-07 11:00:00]
    Broadband Fund – Change requests – the Kativik Regional Government’s transport fibre projects in Quebec (Akulivik, Ivujivik, Kangiqsujuaq, Kuujjuaq, and Salluit) – Public record: 1011-NOC2019-0372 
  • Broadcasting information bulletin 2023-359
    [2023-11-07 11:00:00]
    Guidelines for all licensees of broadcasting undertakings serving the Northwest Territories – Territorial election 
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2023-56-3
    [2023-11-06 16:30:00]
    Notice of hearing – Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework – Hearing date and new interventions – 12 February 2024 – Gatineau, Quebec – Deadline for parties to request to appear at the public hearing: 20 November 2023 
  • Telecom decision 2023-358
    [2023-11-06 16:30:00]
    Review of the wholesale high-speed access service framework – Temporary access to fibre-to-the-premises facilities over aggregated wholesale high-speed access services – Public record: 1011-NOC2023-0056

Competition Bureau

• Competition Bureau participates in G7 Summit on promoting competitive digital markets

Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Statement by Minister Valdez on Global Entrepreneurship Week

United Nations

• Amazon, DoorDash, Walmart, trapping workers in poverty: UN rights expert
• Explainer: How AI helps combat climate change

Amazon

• Amazon introduces compelling new health care benefit for Prime members for only $9 a month (or $99 a year)
• Amazon’s renewable energy portfolio is now big enough to power 6.7 million U.S. homes

Disney

• The Walt Disney Company Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year Earnings for Fiscal 2023

Google

• Google at APEC 2023
• Taking legal action to protect users of AI and small businesses
• How Google is partnering to fight fraud and improve app safety

OpenAI

• OpenAI Data Partnerships

TikTok

• The truth about TikTok hashtags and content during the Israel-Hamas war

Supreme Court of Canada  

• 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: No sitting days November 13 to 17, 2023

House of Commons

• The House of Commons sitting and possible sitting days:  No sitting days November 13 to 17, 2023

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Anticipated releases for the week of November 14 to 17, 2023: 
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    • Applications by various licensees to renew the broadcasting licences for television stations
• Upcoming Hearings
  • November 20, 2023 – Gatineau, Quebec

To consider the broadcasting applications listed in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2023-138,  2023-138-1

o    We are examining what contributions traditional broadcasters and online services need to make to support Canadian and Indigenous content.

Public hearing: November 20 to December 8, 2023.

Read the agenda

View hearing documents (2023-138)

o    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:

Canadian Heritage

·         Arts Market Survey – December 7, 2023

CRTC

·         Telecom

o    Consultation on telecommunications services in the Far North Oct 13, 2023 to Nov 29, 2023

o    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 

·         Upcoming hearings

o    The Path Forward  – November 20, 2023

o    Others

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

·         Consultation on Copyright in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence –December 4, 2023

·         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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