OTTAWA — Bram Abramson is the CRTC’s next commissioner representing Ontario, Canadian Heritage announced today.
The lawyer with over 20 years of experience in the communications and technology industries will complete the nine-person commission when he takes his position on February 15 for a five-year term. The vacancy was created by the exit of Monique Lafontaine.
“Bram Abramson’s extensive experience in law and telecommunications will be a great asset in his role as CRTC Ontario Regional Commissioner,” Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said in a press release. “The CRTC’s regional commissioners ensure that the tribunal’s scope encompasses the entire country, thereby enabling…
Continue Reading
By Douglas Barrett, featured above, adjunct professor in the arts, media and entertainment MBA program at the Schulich School of Business at York University.
This is the fifth piece I have written for Cartt.ca on the definition of a Canadian Program (the previous pieces are listed below) and I want to focus this one on the 10-point content scale used by both CAVCO and the CRTC in determining whether to certify a program. As this measurement metric is now decades old, and as the world of production has completely changed multiple times in that period, it is almost universally assumed…
Continue Reading
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Just over three months since the CRTC put in place guidance for its mandated mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) regime, the new chair wants providers to let the commission know about the status of negotiations.
“I would like to know where those negotiations are,” Vicky Eatrides, who took on the job just over two weeks ago, told Cartt as part of her rotation of media interviews on Friday. “We are going to follow up soon to figure out where those negotiations are between the larger players and the regional providers.”
The CRTC, under previous chair Ian Scott,…
Continue Reading
TORONTO – Corus Entertainment announced today it suffered losses in revenue and profit for its fiscal first quarter due in part to advertisers shying away as a result of the pandemic and supply chain issues.
But despite the concern, executives at the pure-play media company said on a conference call this morning they are optimistic about a future of stabilized advertising revenue as more of that supply moves from social media to trusted linear television products. They also expressed optimism about “regulatory change…on the horizon” as a new-look CRTC with new responsibilities means bringing wealthy competitive foreign streamers more under…
Continue Reading
GATINEAU – Canadian Heritage announced today that more than $1.2 million will go toward 16 research projects intended to “counter and educate about online harms, misinformation, and disinformation.”
The projects will “evaluate the efficacy of efforts by platforms to counter disinformation and other online harms, understand the role of non-news and alternative media sources of disinformation, or identify the behavioural and psychological underpinnings of the spread of disinformation and other harmful content in the Canadian context,” the press release said.
The projects were selected following an annual call for proposals launched in July by the Digital Citizen Contribution Program (DCCP), a…
Continue Reading
With nearly three decades of communications policy and regulatory experience under his belt, Ian Scott has quite a bit to say as he leaves his CRTC leadership post today. Listen in as Scott asserts his “vision” for the commission and what it truly means to serve the public interest.
Scott doesn’t hold back on accomplishments, such as narrowing the digital divide, consensus building, and the biggest challenges faced on the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications fronts since 2017.
Scott, never a media-hound, is blunt and frank when addressing criticisms of his tenure. This is a no-holds-barred conversation that includes a few personal…
Continue Reading
OTTAWA — Former CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein was appointed last week to the Order of Canada, announced the Governor General of Canada.
He was recognized for “his distinguished and multifaceted career in law and federal public service,” which includes being the chair of the CRTC from 2007 to 2012.
He is listed on his LinkedIn page as an arbitrator for mediation firm JAMS.
A lawyer by training, von Finckenstein was a judge on the Federal Court from 2003 to 2007, commissioner of competition from 1997 to 2003, and before that assistant deputy attorney general in the Justice Department,…
Continue Reading
Note: This story has been updated on Tuesday morning with comments from the Competitive Network Operators of Canada and former CRTC Chairman Konrad von Finckenstein
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA — Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced today the appointment of lawyer Vicky Eatrides as chairwoman of the CRTC for five years, effective January 5.
Eatrides will replace outgoing chairman Ian Scott, who leaves the post on January 4.
Eatrides is a lawyer who has worked since 2005 in various federal positions, including for the Competition Bureau, Natural Resources Canada, and Innovation Canada. Over a 12-year period at the Competition Bureau, she held senior positions…
Continue Reading
By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The Senate transportation and communications committee pushed forth more amendments on the last leg of its clause-by-clause review of the Online Streaming Act, approving an age verification requirement for explicit material on the internet.
“Online undertakings shall implement methods such as age verification…to prevent children from accessing programs on the Internet that are devoted to depicting, for a sexual purpose, explicit sexual activity,” according to a committee-approved amendment this week.
Bill C-11 would give the CRTC the power to further regulate digital platforms, so platforms will be subject to scrutiny to implement those measures.
Other amendments adopted by…
Continue Reading
By Howard Law, former director of media locals for Unifor, who writes in mediapolicy.ca
The Australian finance minister’s overdue anniversary review of the groundbreaking News Media Bargaining Code (NMBC) gives Canadians some welcome pointers on how to think about, improve or critique our bill C-18, the “FaceGoogle” Online News Act.
The report does two things well, the first being an evaluation of how well the Australian legislation was implemented. The other is that finance minister (‘Treasurer’ in Oz lingo) Jim Chalmers unapologetically backs the code as an anti-oligopoly law and downplays using the code…
Continue Reading
