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Telecom

Rogers Vice Chair Says Netflix Should Face Canadian Regulatory Obligations

Rogers Vice Chair Phil Lind has told Cartt.ca that Netflix should face Canadian regulatory obligations, though he declined specify precisely what they should be.

May 9, 2011 — 7 comments — News

CRTC Chair Calls on Broadcasters to Lobby For Legislative Reform

CRTC Chair Konrad von Finckenstein gave a speech to the Canadian broadcasting community yesterday in which he urged broadcasters and broadcast distributors to speak with one voice for legislative reform. Von Finckenstein presented his vision of a single communications statute (rather than separate Telecom Act and Broadcasting Act) that could […]

May 6, 2011 — 9 comments — News

The Conservative Majority: What Next for Digital Policies?

Last night’s election results have left many online speculating about the future of digital policies in Canada. I think it is hard to project precisely what will happen – we don’t even know for certain whether Tony Clement and James Moore will remain in their portfolios or move elsewhere (there are a fair number of open cabinet positions which could mean changes). Assuming they stay the course, however, the Conservative positions on digital policies are strong in a number of areas.

For example, a majority may pave the way for opening up the Canadian telecom market, which would be a welcome change. The Conservatives have focused consistently on improving Canadian competition and opening the market is the right place to start to address both Internet access (including UBB) and wireless services. The Conservatives have a chance to jump on some other issues such as following through on the digital economy strategy and ending the Election Act rules that resulted in the Twitter ban last night. They are also solidly against a number of really bad proposals – an iPod tax, new regulation of Internet video providers such as Netflix – and their majority government should put an end to those issues for the foreseeable future.

On copyright and privacy, it is more of a mixed bag.

May 3, 2011 — 45 comments — News

Election 2011: The Digital Policy Surprises

Digital policies may not have played a starring role in the current election campaign, but neither have they been ignored. My weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that for the first time, all major political parties have devoted a section of their platform to digital issues and both the Liberals and New Democrats ran events focused on digital policy. While there is general agreement on the key issues – topping the list are Internet access and pricing, telecom competition, copyright, and the privacy-security balance – each party offers a surprise that gives some insight into its digital policy priorities.

April 26, 2011 — 20 comments — Columns

OECD Broadband Rankings: Canada Ranks 28th out of 33 Countries Based on Bell, Rogers & Shaw Data

The OECD published its latest comparative broadband Internet data last week, confirming yet again that Canadian consumers pay more for less when it comes to Internet access. While some will undoubtedly claim that the OECD methodology is faulty, it should be noted that the data is provided to OECD member governments before publication. For this survey, the OECD focused on three of Canada’s largest ISPs – Bell, Shaw, and Rogers – covering 18 of their offerings at a range of speeds and pricing points.

The focus should be on the numbers, which tell a discouraging tale. Among the findings on price of Internet services (all as of September 2010):

Speed	Rank
Overall	28th out of 33
Below 2.5 Mbps	17th out of 24
Between 2.5 an 15 Mbps	28th out of 33
Between 15 and 30 Mbps	29th out of 33
Over 45 Mbps	23rd out of 28