Archive for September 19th, 2014

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The CRTC – Netflix Battle: Could It Lead to a Challenge of the CRTC’s Right to Regulate Online Video?

Netflix just concluded an appearance before the CRTC that resulted in a remarkably heated exchange between the regulator and the Internet video service. The discussion was very hostile with the CRTC repeatedly ordering Netflix to provide subscriber and other confidential information. Netflix expressed concern about the need to keep such information confidential, leaving CRTC Chair Jean-Pierre Blais angry that anyone would doubt the ability of the regulator to maintain the information in confidence. Netflix concern in that regard was understandable given that even confidential information submitted to the CRTC is subject to a public interest test (conversely, U.S. regulators can provide guarantees of confidentiality).

As temperatures increased, the CRTC expressed disappointment over the responses from a company that it said “that takes hundreds of millions of dollars out of Canada” and implicitly threatened to regulate the company by taking away its ability to rely on the new media exception if it did not co-operate with its orders to provide confidential information.

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September 19, 2014 51 comments News