SaveOurNet.ca has launched a new campaign urging Canadians to write to the CRTC on net neutrality.
Post Tagged with: "crtc"
New Media Requires New Thinking on Cultural Policy
Canadian cultural policy has long relied on two levers to promote the development and market success of Canadian content. First, regulators require broadcasters and cable companies to allocate a portion of their revenues to help support the creation of new Canadian content. Second, that content is granted preferential treatment through minimum "Cancon" requirements for both television and radio broadcasting. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that while these approaches may have worked for conventional broadcasting, the big question in the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications forthcoming hearings on new media is whether they can be applied to the Internet.
Canadian cultural groups, the biggest proponents (and beneficiaries) of this policy approach argue that similar mechanisms can be adapted to the Internet by requiring Internet service providers to hand over a portion of their subscriber revenues for the creation of new media content. ISPs unsurprisingly oppose the proposal, arguing that an Internet tax is inherently unfair since it forces all subscribers to fund content in which they may have little interest. Moreover, they note that such a scheme may also be illegal since it applies the Broadcasting Act to telecommunications activities.
The CRTC adopted a new Cancon approach for the introduction of satellite radio into the Canadian market and similar creative thinking is needed for the online environment.
New Media Requires New Thinking for Cultural Policy
Appeared in the Toronto Star on November 10, 2008 as Can Culture Policy Apply to New Media? Canadian cultural policy has long relied on two levers to promote the development and market success of Canadian content. First, regulators require broadcasters and cable companies to allocate a portion of their revenues […]
CRTC Releases Broadcast Review Decision
The CRTC has released its much anticipated broadcast review decision. The Commission:
- rejects (again) the request from over-the-air broadcasters for a new fee-for-carriage payment (ie. payment for over-the-air signals).
- establishes a new fund for local programming that will cost cable and satellite subscribers about 50 cents per month. The new fund sparked two dissenting opinions.
- concludes that time shifting (in this case carrying multiple versions of the same network) should be compensated and calls for negotiations to establish a price.
- continues to move toward greater deregulation by dropping regulation for smaller broadcast distribution companies (under 20,000 subscribers), removing "genre protection" in competitive areas (which for the moment are sports and news), and provides greater flexibility in packaging channels.
- opens the door to new forms of targeted advertising (ie. closer examination of viewing profiles and interests) with a hearing on the matter scheduled for next year.
While this suggests a mixed bag, it ultimately leaves consumers paying more (the new fund and time shifting fees), though not quite as much as some broadcasters were hoping for. Interestingly, the Internet and new forms of broadcast scarcely merit a mention in the entire decision with those issues slated for review in the new media hearings next February.
Update: A Canadian Press reporter asked for my views on whether today's decision would change broadcasting in Canada by 2011. My response:
CRTC Considers Changes to Do-Not-Call List
The CRTC has announced that it is considering changes to the do-not-call list, including an expansion of the exception for political parties and consideration of how to allow for lengthier registrations (rather than just three years before renewal). Comments are due by December 4, 2008.
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