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Monday February 20, 2006 |
The CRTC today unveiled a series of developments
on the creation of a do-not-call list. The Commission will hold
a four-day public hearing on the issue from May 2 to 5, 2006. Those
interested in participating must register by March 6, 2006 (those interested in submitting comments without participating can submit something until May 10, 2006). In addition, there are potential opportunities to participate in a consortium that will appoint the do-not-call list administrator as well as on a technical body that will address operational issues.
While Bill C-37, the legislation that created the do-not-call list, was
gutted by special interest lobbying, the implementation could still be
worse as even more lobbying is expected with further attempts to
broaden the exemptions. For that reason, Canadians should be taking
the CRTC up on its offer to participate in the hearings or to submit
comments.bill c-37, crtc, do-not-call list Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareMonday February 20, 2006 |
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Monday January 30, 2006 |
Several Canwest papers run a story this morning (Montreal Gazette, Edmonton Journal)
on the move toward a two-tiered Internet in Canada. I'm quoted expressing
concern, but the most important part of the story comes from Telus,
which not only confirms the move toward tieried pricing ("The industry
has to move toward different charges for Internet customers with
diverse needs"), but for the first time acknowledges that the company
is considering matching the BellSouth approach of charging websites for
access to their network ("The company is also thinking about charging
large firms such as Google
or eBay for access to its network, something that Bell South and
AT&T are also proposing in the United States.")
Interestingly, the Toronto Star has a story
today featuring an interview with CRTC Commissioner Kevin French who
notes the concern with the two-tiered Internet but says "We're aware of
the problem and believe we have the legal equipment to
deal with it, but we don't have a case in front of us. Somebody has to
file a complaint."
There is no need to wait. With the Canadian telcos on record stating
that this is where they are headed, the time for the CRTC and Competition Bureau to act is now.crtc, isp, network neutrality, telus, two-tier internet Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareMonday January 30, 2006 |
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Saturday January 14, 2006 |
The CRTC quietly launched its commercial radio review on Friday (the Canadian Association of Broadcasters sought a delay that was rejected). The review promises to attract considerable interest as the Commission has signaled its intention to consider the impact of the Internet and new technologies on the music industry. In fact, it specifically seeks comments on the following question:
What is the likely impact of other audio technologies, such as satellite radio, Internet radio, podcasting, file sharing and down-loading, on commercial radio and the music industry?
While CRIA will no doubt get involved in these proceedings, let's hope that other voices - such as Matthew Good - do as well. Submissions are due by March 15th with the hearings scheduled for May 15th.cria, crtc, internet, michael geist, music, podcasting Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareSaturday January 14, 2006 |
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Monday January 09, 2006 |
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Predicting the future of Canadian technology law is challenging at the best of times, but during an election campaign prognostications are admittedly likely to be about as accurate as a coin flip. With that caveat in mind, my weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, freely available version) offers up likely developments in the coming year gleaned from a pair of crystal balls - one that assesses what Canada needs and the other what we are likely to get. The column focuses on six issues: Supreme Court activity, the CRTC, privacy, copyright, Internet concerns, and international developments.bill c-60, copyright, crtc, privacy, spam Slashdot, Digg, Del.icio.us, Newsfeeder, Reddit, StumbleUpon, TwitterTagsShareMonday January 09, 2006 |
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