Rogers CFO Doug Linton has told an investors’ conference that ISPs must move toward increased tiered pricing for customers.
Post Tagged with: "ISP"
Soccer Broadcaster Offside With Demands
Soccer fans around the world are anxiously anticipating this summer's FIFA World Cup. FIFA's broadcast partner, Infront Sports and Media, is apparently looking ahead to the World Cup for a different reason. With the exclusive broadcast rights in hand, Infront's lawyers are sending pre-emptive notice and takedown notifications to Internet service providers. One Canadian ISP has received a letter from Baker & McKenzie, the Infront's Canadian counsel, in which the firm notes the potential for the posting of unauthorized clips or images from the games and demands:
"Should your service be used for the purpose of such unlawful activities we will alert you as a matter of urgency and trust you will assist in taking down any infringing material so you can avoid any joint liability for such infringements, as well as assisting us in identifying the infringers."
While the World Cup is an important sports event, is it really so important that its rights holders and their lawyers believe that Canadian law doesn't apply to them? At least three issues come to mind.
Crawford on Competition
Interesting post from Susan Crawford on broadband competition with analysis that applies equally in Canada.
Does the Government Have a Role in Internet Connectivity?
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) picks up on Toronto Hydro’s announcement last week of its plans to blanket the City of Toronto with wireless Internet access. I note that the announcement has sparked an important debate about the appropriate role for governments and public institutions in providing Internet connectivity, which comes on the heels of the CRTC’s recent decision to distribute $652 million to major telecommunications providers such as Bell and Telus to help defray the costs of implementing high-speed connectivity in rural Canadian communities.
These developments place the spotlight squarely on a critical question for new Conservative Industry Minister Maxime Bernier – what, if anything, should government do about Internet connectivity?
The starting position for a Conservative government might well be to argue that government has a very limited role to play here, concluding that this is strictly a marketplace issue and that the private sector has plenty of incentives to develop networks for consumer use.
Given the Web’s importance, I argue that government cannot adopt a hands-off approach, though it must recognize that its role differs in the urban and rural markets.
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Issues Internet Hate Decision
The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has issued a noteworthy Internet hate decision that focuses on the applicability of the Human Rights Act to Internet hate materials (Globe coverage here). The Tribunal ordered fines against several individuals for their role in maintaining several hate websites and newsletters. The lengthy decision is […]
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