Archive for August, 2012

How To Address Canadian Media Convergence if Bell – Astral is Approved

Summer is rarely a time of heated broadcast policy battles, but the proposed Bell – Astral merger has generated considerable public attention and fostered a growing war of words between Bell and groups that have banded together under the “Say No to Bell” banner.

The anti-merger campaign, supported by consumer groups as well as several leading cable and telecom companies, has garnered tens of thousands of signatures on an online petition and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has received more than 1,700 submissions on the deal.

Despite the mounting public opposition, my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) argues that stopping the $3 billion merger remains a longshot as none of the big three – government, the CRTC, or the Competition Bureau – seems ready to call it off.

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August 29, 2012 8 comments Columns

How To Address Canadian Media Convergence if Bell – Astral is Approved

Appeared in the Toronto Star on August 26, 2012 as Remedies if Bell – Astral Merger Goes Through Summer is rarely a time of heated broadcast policy battles, but the proposed Bell – Astral merger has generated considerable public attention and fostered a growing war of words between Bell and […]

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August 29, 2012 1 comment Columns Archive

Why I’m Running for a Place on the CIRA Board

Earlier this year, I wrote a column and post about proposed governance changes to the Canadian Internet Registration Authority in which I expressed concern that the plans would remove the ability for CIRA members to nominate their own candidates to the board. The Board decided to hold off on the […]

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August 24, 2012 24 comments News

Conservative Chair of International Trade Committee: TPP is Doha-Lite

Rob Merrifield, a Conservative MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on International Trade, has expressed doubts about the Trans Pacific Partnership.  Merrifield told iPolitics (sub req) that Canada was unlikely to join the negotiations before the end of the year and likened to talks to the failed WTO Doha […]

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August 24, 2012 3 comments News

NDP Calls for Removal of Patent Provisions from CETA

The NDP has called on the government to remove the patent reform provisions from the Canada – EU Trade Agreement, noting the provisions could add billions in additional health care costs. Earlier this month, I wrote about the concerns with the CETA patent provisions.

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August 24, 2012 Comments are Disabled News