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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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By Connie Thiessen
Canadian Heritage Min. Pablo Rodriguez has announced a newly-reconstituted independent advisory committee that will recommend candidates to serve on the CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Rodriguez said the government is committed to ensuring that the process is “independent, merit-based and results in the recommendation of high-quality candidates” as some current board members near the end of their mandate.
The new non-partisan body is tasked with conducting a selection process for Governor in Council appointments and providing Rodriguez with recommendations “of highly qualified candidates that respect gender parity and truly reflect Canada’s diversity,” according to the Canadian Heritage release.
The members…
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By Denis Carmel
OTTAWA – The House Canadian Heritage committee yesterday unanimously adopted an NDP amendment to the Online News Act, bill C-18, that would give technology platforms an interim one-year exemption from negotiations with news organizations to host their articles until they can be granted a full five-year exemption.
The five-year moratorium on negotiations with news organizations was adopted in a committee hearing on Friday, and the committee was looking to define the limit on an interim exemption that exists in the current version of the bill.
So yesterday, the committee decided that the interim period should be limited to…
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