Appeared in the Toronto Star on April 9, 2007 as Web Radio May Stream North To Canada Online radio is one of the Internet's quiet success stories. While podcasting and Internet video garner the lion share of attention, webcasting has emerged as a major force with millions tuning in daily […]
Post Tagged with: "socan"
Internet Video, Internet Regulation, and Canadian Content
My weekly Law Bytes column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) focuses on the growing push from the Canadian broadcasting community to revisit the CRTC's 1999 New Media decision, in which Canada's broadcasting regulator took a hands-off approach to the Internet. The support for greater regulation is often couched in Canadian content terms, but I argue that the current changes have the potential to dramatically alter Canadian content production from one mandated by government regulation to one mandated by market survival.
The issue began to percolate last June, when Canadian Heritage Minister Bev Oda asked the CRTC to conduct a six-month consultation on the effects of changing technology on the radio and television industries. The CRTC report, which was quietly released in mid-December, went almost unnoticed, yet submissions from broadcasters, copyright collectives, and labour unions all point to an increased regulatory role for the CRTC.
The underlying theme of many stakeholder submissions is that unregulated new media represents a threat to the current regulated Canadian content model.
Broadcasting Community Surprisingly Calls For Internet Regulation
Appeared in the Toronto Star on April 2, 2007 as More Web Regulation Doesn't Make Any Sense The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has faced seemingly continuous criticism for years, however in May 1999 it released a decision that generated near-universal praise. The New Media decision, which adopted a hands-off […]
CAB Wins Appeal of Commercial Radio Decision
The Federal Court of Appeal has overturned the Copyright Board's radio decision that boosted radio royalties by roughly thirty percent. The decision is a big win for the Canadian Association of Broadcasters. The collectives may seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. If they fail, the issue heads back […]
Copyright Board Issues Ringtone Decision
The Copyright Board of Canada has issued its decision involving SOCAN's application for a ten percent royalty on ringtones. The application was opposed by CRIA and the telcos (I wrote about the issue in 2004). The Board awarded six percent. More once I read the decision (Hat Tip: Howard Knopf).
