News

Sirius Canada’s Dream Solution to the Internet Radio Threat

Fascinating discussion at the CRTC New Media hearing with Sirius Canada satellite radio this morning, focusing on the threat from Internet radio.  While acknowledging that it was unlikely to be accepted as a solution, its dream approach would be mandated geo-blocking of Internet radio that does not comply with Canadian content rules.  More soon.

13 Comments

  1. Competition
    This is nothing more than being afraid of internet competition. People will still watch SiriusXM go liquidation bankrupt in the future anyways and its not far off.

  2. Poor choices, no accountability
    I have two Sirius subscriptions which I will not be renewing due to poor programming range. There are too many channels that all sound the same since the consolidation of Sirius and XM. Furthermore a couple of months ago they shook up their whole range of channels with no notice to listeners, canceling the handful of unique radio stations they did have. After joining their “listener feedback panel” and voicing my concerns I was told that they have a broad range of listeners and their channels cover 90% of musical tastes. I guess my $20 a month isn’t worth as much as someone elses, internet radio here I come.

  3. Vincent Clement says:

    More regulation, less competition, all in the name of promoting Canadian content. Exactly how does this help the Canadian consumer in the end?

  4. … and here we go again. Very simple suggestion: read the transcript.

  5. geo-blocking…
    Aint that a cute word for CENSORSHIP

  6. Michael Geist says:

    To Listening
    Yes – I did listen live to the hearing. As did Tech Media Reports, which has similar coverage.

    MG

  7. George Smiley says:

    “mandated geo-blocking” – sounds more and more like China.

    It’ll be a long time before internet is available in cars at affordable bandwidth rates. Rogers and Bell will guarantee that the rates will not be affordable.

    And internet radio will never offer the quality of satellite feeds – as long as Bell and Rogers control the throttle…

    With business plans like this, no wonder Sirius is going bankrupt.

  8. Quebecor (Videotron) and now Sirius: show goes on
    On this hearing we see the real faces of everyone. Especially Quebecor (Videotron) and now Sirius.

  9. Looks like proxies will become very popular
    As a way to easily bypass such BS.

  10. “Tear down this wall!”
    People post solutions like “proxies”. But let’s go further. Let’s tear down this wall! After all, Internet should be borderless, damnit!

    Consider a brand new p2p application called “Tear down this wall” (hypothetical name, see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tear_down_this_wall ).

    You set it up, you specify your country in the prefs. Now, other users of this p2p network from other countries can get content restricted to your country and you can get content restricted to other countries.

    Of course such an app should be shipped with a list of sites, and each user can specify which services it agrees to stream to others. So that it cannot be abused to send spam, for example.

  11. “threat from….”
    this translates to DARN we got into the wrong business and we have to stamp out competition before we lose that million dollar yacht

  12. Michel Monette says:

    heureusement que j’ai une chaise solide
    J’ai, comme vous, écouté au complet l’audience et j’ai vraiment failli tomber en bas de ma chaise. Je n’en revenais tout simplement pas de voir tous ces commissaires, à peu près tous abonnés à Sirius, prendre avec un tel détachement une suggestion aussi farfelue que le géoblocage. Il faut dire qu’elle même n’y croyait pas vraiment et qu’en fait elle était venue demander une partie de la tarte que se partagent les FSI. La dernière chose que je voudrais, c’est de payer plus cher mon abonnement internet pour financer une radio satellite qui va rapidement devenir obsolète. J’aimerais bien, en revanche, que Radio-Canada diffuse tous des programmes radio et télé sur le Net via les FSI canadiens, comme cela se fait en Grande-bretagne. Là j’accepterais de donner quelques dollars de plus par mois.

  13. Doodney Beanbottom says:

    Canadian content rules
    Canadian content rules are tantemount to the government telling Canadians that they are too stupid to listen to the music they should enjoy, so the government, through the CRTC, will impose rules that allow the CRTC to decide what Canadians like. Decisions such as the Canadian content rules imply that Canada is closer to communism than people susupect. If you ask the artists they will tell you that they would rather ‘make it’ on their own talent than be forced upon the population by government edict. The Canadian content rule is disgusting. . . . and now we are in danger of losing more of our freedom to enjoy what we like on the Internet. All this while our elected officials, at any time they can, will tell you that Canada is a free country. Well, it is less and less free every day.