Weekly Newsletter for January 28, 2025

Weekly News (January 28, 2025)

Compiled by Brad McNeil and Serra Hasiloglu with Sara Bannerman

McMaster University, Communications Governance Observatory

(January 21 – 28, 2025)

Canadian News

• [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear legal challenge to Quebec’s secularism law (Globe and Mail)
• [PLATFORM  REGULATION] Canada’s digital services tax a likely Trump trade target (Financial Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Ottawa using AI to tackle Phoenix backlog as it tests replacement pay system (Globe and Mail)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] Ottawa to review ‘business relationship’ with Amazon following Quebec shutdown (CityNews)
• [CYBERSECURITY/BILL C-27] Cybersecurity bill in limbo after prorogued Parliament puts Canada further behind its global peers (Globe and Mail)
• [BIG TECH/LABOUR] What Amazon’s Quebec exit means for shoppers, workers, landlords and government (Financial Post)
• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS/COMPETITION] Telus uses petition in attempt to sway CRTC so it can expand high-speed internet in Ontario (Toronto Star) 
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Liberal plan to shore up CBC on ice with halt of Parliament, as Tories renew threat to defund it (Globe and Mail)
• [BROADCASTING POLICY] Local media deserve cash going to CBC; Broadcaster getting $7M via Online News Act (Financial Post)
• [ONLINE STREAMING ACT] CRTC’s CanCon rules could worsen trade conflict, U.S. business groups warn (National Post)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Canada’s privacy watchdog ‘concerned’ about students’ personal info after data breach (CTV News)
• [CYBERSECURITY] Cyberattack affecting school boards across Canada may involve decades of data. What can families do? (CBC)
• [MISINFORMATION/HEALTH] One-third of Canadians turn to the internet for health information due to lack of access to a doctor (Globe and Mail)
• [ELECTIONS/DISINFORMATION] Hogue inquiry final report to propose measures against election interference and disinformation (Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA CENTERS] O’Leary says Alberta pitched AI data centre to him(CityNews)
• [DATA PRIVACY/SPORTS] Wearable tech gives sports teams more info. What will they do with it?(Globe and Mail)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] I spoke with an AI therapist, and it went better than expected(Globe and Mail) 
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Clifton van der Linden: To foster greater trust in artificial intelligence, we need better regulators (Globe and Mail)
• [DIGITAL LITERACY] OPINION: Sibo Chen & S. Harris Ali: Better digital literacy could help reduce climate and disaster conspiracy theories (The Conversation)
• [PLATFORM GOVERNANCE] OPINION: Sarah Thompson: Meta’s actions have little to do with free speech and everything to do with profit (Toronto Star)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/SOCIAL MEDIA BANS] OPINION: Jon Penney: The TikTok ban is already dead in the water (Globe and Mail)

International News

• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY/POLITICS] EU to target AI, biotech, cheap energy in global competitiveness push (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Silicon Valley Is Raving About a Made-in-China AI Model (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] OpenAI to face Indian news firms of Ambani, Adani in copyright battle, documents show (Reuters)
• [MILITARY/BIG TECH/ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Google rushed to sell AI tools to Israel’s military after Hamas attack (Washington Post)
• [PRIVACY] Gov.uk app could lead to ‘mandatory ID scheme’, claim privacy groups (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION/ELECTIONS] Berlin urges tech firms to do more to stop disinformation ahead of vote (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/TECH EXPORTS] Asian tech fundraising to expand 10% in 2025, says Citi (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Pope warns Davos summit that AI could worsen ‘crisis of truth’ (The Guardian)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/AUTOMATION] Robot packers and AI cameras: UK retail embraces automation to cut staff costs (The Guardian)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Spain’s leader wants the EU to ‘make social media great again.’ Here’s how (ABC News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Trump revokes Biden executive order on addressing AI risks (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] Trump announces a $500 billion AI infrastructure investment in the US (CNN)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/FUNDING] Tech titans bicker over $500bn AI investment announced by Trump (The Guardian)
• [BIG TECH] OpenAI and other tech titans worked on Stargate deal months before Trump won(Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY] Big Tech wants to plug data centres right into power plants. Utilities say it’s not fair (Globe and Mail)
• [BIG TECH/POLITICS] Trump shrugs off Elon Musk’s criticism of AI announcement: ‘He hates one of the people’ (CNN)
• [PRIVACY] Trump Seeks to Paralyze Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Watchdog (New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Meta to spend as much as $65 billion on AI in 2025 (Financial Post)
• [BIG TECH] OpenAI’s Stargate Deal Heralds Shift Away From Microsoft (Wall Street Journal)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/AUTOMATION] OpenAI unveils tool to automate web tasks as AI agents take center-stage (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY] Trump just declared an ‘energy emergency.’ Here’s what it means. (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY/INFRASTRUCTURE] Siemens Energy forecasts ‘massive tailwind’ from Trump power drive (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/ENERGY/DATA CENTERS] Lonestar’s moonshot: Firm aims to place data center on lunar surface (Reuters)
• [CONTENT MODERATION/HEALTHCARE/CENSORSHIP] Instagram and Facebook Blocked and Hid Abortion Pill Providers’ Posts (New York Times)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] Trump discussing TikTok purchase with multiple people, decision in 30 days (Reuters)
• [PLATFORM REGULATION] New bid for TikTok from Perplexity AI could give U.S. government 50% stake (CTV News)
• [CENSORSHIP/SOCIAL MEDIA BANS] Am I being censored? Some US TikTok users say app feels different after ban lifted (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA PRIVACY] Microsoft’s LinkedIn sued for disclosing customer information to train AI models (Reuters)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Samsung aims to turn its next generation of Galaxy smartphones into AI companions (Associated Press)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/TECH STOCKS] Stock market today: Netflix and AI excitement send Wall Street to the brink of an all-time high (Globe and Mail)
• [DATA PRIVACY/CYBERSECURITY] PayPal fined by New York for cybersecurity failures (Reuters)
• [CYBERSECURITY/HEALTHCARE] UnitedHealth says hack at tech unit impacted 190 million people (CTV News)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/LABOUR] Google pushes global agenda to educate workers, lawmakers on AI
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/COPYRIGHT] Paul McCartney: Don’t let AI rip off artists (BBC)
• [CRYPTOCURRENCY] Bitcoin drops to 11-day low amid tech selloff (Reuters)
• [BIG TECH] OPINION: Jamelle Bouie: Mark Zuckerberg Has a Funny Idea of What It Is to Be a Man (New York Times)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE/DATA CENTERS] OPINION: Philip Kennicott: Trump wants beautiful architecture. His legacy will be data centers. (Washington Post)
• [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REGULATION] OPINION: Steven Rosenbush: The Internet Should Be ‘Neutral,’ but Congress Should Not (Wall Street Journal) 

(January 21 – 28, 2025)

The Supreme Court of Canada

• The Supreme Court of Canada has decided the following leave application.
  • [FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION] GRANTED: English Montreal School Board, Mubeenah Mughal and Pietro Mercuri v. Attorney General of Quebec, Jean-François Roberge, in his official capacity, and Simon Jolin-Barrette, in his official capacity – and – Mouvement laïque québécois, Pour les droits des femmes du Québec and François Paradis, in his official capacity – and between – World Sikh Organization of Canada and Amrit Kaur v. Attorney General of Quebec – and between – Ichrak Nourel Hak, National Council of Canadian Muslims and Canadian Civil Liberties Association v. Attorney General of Quebec, Jean-François Roberge, in his official capacity, and Simon Jolin-Barrette, in his official capacity – and – François Paradis, in his official capacity, Mouvement laïque québécois and Pour les droits des femmes du Québec – and between – Fédération autonome de l’enseignement v. Attorney General of Quebec, Jean-François Roberge, in his official capacity, and Simon Jolin-Barrette, in his official capacity – and between – Andréa Lauzon, Hakima Dadouche, Bouchera Chelbi and Legal Committee of the Coalition Inclusion Québec v. Attorney General of Quebec – and – Mouvement laïque québécois – and between – Lord Reading Law Society v. Attorney General of Quebec – and – Quebec Community Groups Network, Ichrak Nourel Hak, National Council of Canadian Muslims, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Fédération autonome de l’enseignement, Andréa Lauzon, Hakima Dadouche, Bouchera Chelbi, Legal Committee of the Coalition Inclusion Québec, Canadian Human Rights Commission, Lord Reading Law Society, World Sikh Organization of Canada, Amrit Kaur, Amnistie Internationale, Section Canada francophone, Public Service Alliance of Canada, Christian Legal Fellowship, Quebec English School Boards Association, Fédération des femmes du Québec, Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, Pour les droits des femmes du Québec, Mouvement laïque québécois, Libres penseurs athées, English Montreal School Board, Mubeenah Mughal and Pietro Mercuri (Que.) (Civil) (By Leave) (41231)

Federal Court of Canada

• [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] Bell Media Inc. v. John Doe 1 (Soap2day) – 2025 FC 133

Competition Bureau Canada

• News release:
  • Competition Bureau issues report summarizing feedback on artificial intelligence and competition

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• Broadcasting and Telecoms:
  • Telecom notice of consultation 2025-20
    [2025-01-27 11:00:00]
    Call for comments – Improving the routing of 9-8-8 calls and texts – Public record: 1011-NOC2025-0020
  • Broadcasting decision 2025-19
    [2025-01-27 11:00:00]
    Canadian Broadcasting Corporation – Ottawa, Ontario, and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, Quebec – Application to amend the technical parameters of CBOF-FM-9
  • Broadcasting notice of consultation 2025-18
    [2025-01-24 11:00:00]
    Notice of hearing – 27 March 2025 – National Capital Region – Deadline for submission of interventions/comments/answers: 24 February 2025 – Public record: 1011-NOC2025-0018
  • Telecom order 2025-17
    [2025-01-23 11:00:00]
    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
  • Telecom order 2025-16
    [2025-01-21 11:00:00]
    Streamlined order – The Commission approves on an interim basis, by majority decision, the following tariff application: Northwestel Inc., TN 1239

United Nations

• Global education must integrate AI, centred on humanity

OpenAI

• Computer-Using Agent A universal interface for AI to interact with the digital world.
• Announcing The Stargate Project

Meta

• Building Toward a Smarter, More Personalized Assistant

YouTube

• Creators gather in Washington, D.C.

Amazon

• Amazon will share its Q4 2024 earnings on February 6

Microsoft

• Celebrating 50 Years of Innovation: AI for Good Grants for Washington

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

• Anticipated releases for the week of 27 to 31 January 2025:
  • The CRTC plans to issue the following decisions, notices of consultation, orders and/or regulatory policies in the week of 27 to 31 January 2025. This is subject to change without notice. 
  • Broadcasting Decisions:
    • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
      Ottawa, Ontario, and L’Isle-aux-Allumettes, Quebec
      CBOF-FM Ottawa and its transmitter CBOF-FM-9 L’Isle-aux-Allumettes – Technical amendments
      Public record: 2024-0361-6
    • Pattison Media Ltd.
      Kelowna, British Columbia
      CKOV-FM Kelowna – Acquisition of assets (corporate reorganization)
      Public record: 2024-0321-0
    • Durham Radio Inc.
      Peterborough and Lindsay, Ontario
      CKPT-FM Peterborough, CKQM-FM Peterborough and CKLY-FM Lindsay – Change in ownership and effective control
      Public record: 2024-0081-0
    • Bell Media Inc.
      Halifax and Caledonia, Nova Scotia
      CJCH-DT Halifax – Deletion of transmitter
      Public record: 2024-0542-2
    • Bell Media Inc.
      Winnipeg and Brandon, Manitoba
      CKY-DT Winnipeg – Deletion of transmitter
      Public record: 2024-0527-4
    • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
      Prince George and Granisle, British Columbia
      CBYG-FM Prince George – New transmitter in Granisle
      Public record: 2024-0436-7
    • Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
      Whitehorse and Carmacks, Yukon
      CFWH-FM Whitehorse – New transmitter in Carmacks
      Public record: 2024-0431-7
  • Telecom Orders:
    • Bell Canada, Saskatchewan Telecommunications, and TELUS Communications Inc. – Amended support structure service tariffs
      Public records: Bell Canada Tariff Notices 977 and 978; Saskatchewan Telecommunications Tariff Notice 377; and TELUS Communications Inc. Tariff Notices 580, 655, and 655A
    • Broadband Fund Payment Order – Approval of Claim Forms – January 2025
      Public records: 1011-NOC2019-0191 and 1011-NOC2019-0372
  • Telecom Decision:
    • Regional County Municipality of D’Autray – Application regarding costs for corrective work to support structures
      Public record: 8633-M168-202402171
• 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 27, 2025 – National Capital Region
    Notice of hearing – The Commission intends to consider the following applications, subject to interventions, without the appearance of the parties in Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-18 – View hearing documents (2025-18
  • 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)            
  • 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 

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission

• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-20) Call for comments – Improving the routing of 9-8-8 calls and texts –  Deadline for submission of replies: 10 March 2025 
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-294-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Removing barriers to switching plans – Changes to procedure – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 14 March 2025  
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-295-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing self-service mechanisms – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 12 March 2025   
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2024-293-1) Call for comments – Making it easier to choose a wireless phone or Internet service – Enhancing customer notification – Changes to procedure – Revised deadline for submission of replies: 28 February 2025   
• (Telecom Notice of Consultation CRTC 2025-10) 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 enhancing self-service – End date: March 12, 2025 
• Share your thoughts on market dynamics and sustainability of Canada’s broadcasting system – End date: February 24, 2025 
• Share your thoughts on making shopping for Internet easier – End date: February 20, 2025
• Share your thoughts on the implementation of an Internet subsidy in the Far North –  End date: February 18, 2025 
• Share your thoughts about enhancing customer notification – End date: February 14, 2025

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