Appeared in the Toronto Star on June 29, 2013 as Celebrating the Canadian Digital Policy Success Stories As Canadians grapple with news of widespread secret surveillance, trade agreements that could upend intellectual property policy, and the frustrations of a failed wireless policy, there are plenty of digital policy concerns. Yet […]
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Canada’s Lack of Innovation an Emerging Crisis
Appeared in the Toronto Star on May 25, 2013 as Canada’s Lack of Innovation an Emerging Crisis The political world may have been focused last week on crises at the Senate and the Toronto mayor’s office, but a new report from the government’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council quietly pointed […]
Canadian Government Establishes Two-Tier Approach for Trade Talks: Insiders and Everyone Else
As the future of the proposed Canada – European Union Trade Agreement becomes increasingly uncertain – the EU has been unwilling to compromise on the remaining contentious issues leaving the Canadian government with a deal that offers limited benefits and significant costs – the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is likely to emerge as the government’s new top trade priority.
The TPP has rapidly become of the world’s most significant trade negotiations, with participants that include the United States, Australia, Mexico, Malaysia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Japan, and Canada. There is a veil of secrecy associated with the TPP, however, as participants are required to sign a confidentiality agreement as a condition of entry into the talks. Despite those efforts, there have been occasional leaks of draft text that indicate the deal could require major changes to Canadian rules on investment, intellectual property, cultural protection, procurement, and agriculture.
My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes the Canadian government has adopted several measures to guard against leaks by departmental officials. According to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, a November 2012 email to government officials noted that their access to TPP texts was conditioned on “Secret” level clearance, an acknowledgement that all texts are watermarked and can be traced back to the source, and confirmation that no sharing within government is permitted without prior approval.
Canadian Wireless Reality Check: Why Our Wireless Market is Still Woefully Uncompetitive
In the aftermath of the CRTC’s hearing on a consumer wireless code and the government’s announcement of its plan for future spectrum auctions, a debate has raged over the competitiveness and health of the Canadian wireless market. Scotia Capital released a report last week titled “Canadian wireless myths and facts” that argued the Canadian market is healthy and that “it is time for the regulators to declare victory on the policies they adopted five years ago”. Meanwhile, Open Media issued a report titled Time for an Upgrade: Demanding Choice in Canada’s Cell Phone Market that places on the spotlight on many of the ongoing problems in the market, with a particular focus on consumer complaints. The report includes many recommendations for regulatory and policy reform.
The reality is that both the regulators and politicians have either expressly or impliedly acknowledged that the Canadian wireless market is uncompetitive. Last week, Industry Minister Christian Paradis promoted the government’s past moves on wireless competition, but admitted that “there is much more to do.” Meanwhile, the Competition Bureau told the CRTC in its submission on the wireless code of conduct that:
certain impediments continue to diminish the effect of competitive forces in this industry. First, certain industry practices have tended to impose costs on consumers who wish to avail themselves of competitive alternatives. Second, consumers are not always provided with sufficient information in an adequately clear manner to make informed purchase decisions.
This post seeks to extend the debate and respond to some of Scotia Capital’s claims. It identifies ten reasons why there is ample evidence that the Canadian wireless market remains woefully uncompetitive when compared with peer countries around the world with higher costs, price gouging, and restrictive terms.
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