While greater consumer choice is definitely needed, skinny basic, which still envisions a required basket of channels, isn’t good enough. A preferable approach would be to offer consumers real choice with a full pick-and-pay format. I discussed the option in 2009 during the fee-for-carriage fight:
Concern over the government’s lawful access plans continues to mount, with coverage in the National Post and a column from the Globe’s Tabatha Southey.
A new report says Canada is the second-best place in the world to establish massive computer server farms used for cloud computing. I wrote about Canada’s cloud computing advantage late last year.
Of particular concern is Clause 16 of the former Bill C-52 allowing security services unrestricted access to any device identification data from an ISP or other telecommunications service provider without a warrant. This will allow law enforcement to identify individuals involved in a striking array of online activity including anonymous political opinions made in blog posts or newspaper comments, location data posted online from a smart phone, social networking activity, private online instant message or email exchanges, and a host of currently unforeseeable future online interactions that are sure to come with new innovations and services. This unrestricted access to e-mail addresses will make it possible to track individuals across a vast range of online services, activities, and even locations.
Angus also points to the lack of oversight built into the bill:
In what is likely the most significant political rejection of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement to date, the Mexican Senate has voted to recommend against signing ACTA. While the issue in the hands of the President, the domestic opposition is notable as it may foreshadow similar battles in countries around the […]
“Big Brother Tactics”: Why Bill C-2’s New Warrantless Disclosure Demand Powers Extend Far Beyond Internet and Telecom Providers 
Government Seeks To Exempt Political Parties From Privacy Laws Even As CRTC Reports They Are Leading Source of Spam Complaints 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 236: Robert Diab on the Return of Lawful Access 
Government Remains Silent as it Eviscerates Political Party Privacy in Canada By Fast Tracking Bill C-4 
Quebec’s Streaming Regulation Bill 109: Unconstitutional, Unnecessary, and Unworkable
Michael Geist
mgeist@uottawa.ca
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