Industry Minister Christian Paradis was in the news this week (Globe, Post, Cartt.ca) urging foreign telecom companies to consider investing in the Canadian market in order to beef up the competitive environment. Paradis is right to court the big foreign players, who would bring capital, buying power that the current Canadian carriers can’t match (potentially leading to better deals on devices), and the ability to leverage their global networks to offer better roaming rates. Foreign telecom companies should view the Canadian market as attractive, given some of the highest ARPU (average revenue per user) rates in the world (see CRTC Figure 6.1.9). Yet they will likely give Canada a pass due in part to failed government policies. These include:
News
NDP MP Charmaine Borg Tries To Kickstart Canada’s Dormant Privacy Reform
As reports of yet another government security breach emerge, NDP MP Charmaine Borg has at least tried to kickstart the government’s dormant private sector privacy reform efforts with a private member’s bill that would add mandatory security breach disclosure requirements to the law along with new order making power. The […]
Will Anyone Blink First? Canada – EU Trade Agreement Appears to Hit a Stalemate
Canadian and European officials traded public barbs yesterday over the inability to finalize the Canada – EU Trade Agreement. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said unless Canada makes some additional steps, there will be no deal. Canadian officials responded that Europe has yet to meet Canada’s core concerns. The comments come after a ministerial meeting this month was unable to yield an agreement. De Gucht and Canadian International Trade Minister Ed Fast met in Brussels in November 2012, but those talks failed to solve the outstanding issues. The two ministers met again in Ottawa two weeks ago with a similar result.
While officials continue to put a brave face on the talks, the latest comments suggest mounting frustration at the unwillingness of either side to cave on key issues in order to strike a deal. The major remaining issues have been the same for months: agriculture, patent protection for pharmaceutical companies, investor access and protection, public procurement, automotive issues, and cultural protections. Indeed, these issues were identified years ago as the major areas of disagreement (copyright was initially on this list but the defeat of ACTA removed it as an issue).
Ontario Court of Appeal Permits Warrantless Search of Cellphone Without Password Protection
In a surprising and troubling decision, the Ontario Court of Appeal has permitted a police search of a cellphone that was not password protected or locked during the course of an arrest. The court found that the police had a reasonable belief that the phone might contain relevant evidence and […]
Is the Road to Music Success Paved with Spam? Canada’s Music Lobby Apparently Thinks So
The business opposition to Canada’s anti-spam legislation has added an unlikely supporter: the Canadian Recording Industry Association, now known as Music Canada. The organization has launched an advocacy campaign against the law, claiming that it “will particularly hurt indie labels, start-ups, and bands struggling to build a base and a career.” Music Canada is urging people to tweet at Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore to ask him to help bands who it says will suffer from anti-spam legislation.
Yet Music Canada’s specific examples mislead its members about the impact of the legislation. The organization offers seven examples posted below in italics (my comments immediately follow):
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Let Competition Be the Guide: Why the Government and CRTC Got It Right on Wholesale Fibre Broadband Access
