By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The CRTC is being asked to raise the financial threshold for registering online services with the commission and ensure transactional video services are made to contribute to the system when it implements the new Online Streaming Act.
The commission asked the public to submit comments by last week into two out of three consultations it is holding about the implementation of the new Broadcasting Act framework, including who should register with the CRTC for the purposes of collecting data and possibility requiring to contribute to the Canadian content system.
But some of the major broadcasting players are…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Unions representing workers in media production and screenwriting are asking the CRTC to reject an application by Corus to reduce its Canadian content obligations.
The media company filed a Part 1 application in November asking the CRTC to reduce its Canadian programming expenditure (CPE) amount from 30 per cent to 25 per cent of previous year’s revenues and to reduce from 8.5 to 5 per cent its obligation to programs of national interest (PNI) in large part because it has had to compete against unregulated online streamers. In July 2022, the regulator renewed Corus’s licence for…
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OTTAWA – The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled the CRTC had no jurisdiction to force CBC/Radio-Canada to apologize for using the “N-word” and make internal changes as a result, sending the decision back to the regulator for review.
On appeal by the public broadcaster on freedom of expression grounds, the court said in a Thursday decision the CRTC essentially conflated its ability to make broadcasting policy with an ability to impose a rule of conduct, which “goes against the role that Parliament attributed to this policy.” It also said the CRTC’s majority decision did not address the broadcaster’s right…
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Editor’s note: This post has been updated to specify which consultation received a comment deadline extension.
OTTAWA – The CRTC announced Friday it is granting, in part, a request by a group of 12 organizations to extend the deadline to submit comments to one of three consultations on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.
The commission pushed back the deadline to comment on its consultation for a flexible approach to Canadian contributions from online programmers from June 27 to July 11, while replies have been adjusted from July 12 to July 26. The dozen groups, which includes…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – As bill C-18 enters its final stretch in the Senate, two former senior officials with the CRTC have proposed alternative ways to support Canada’s struggling news industry beyond the Online News Act, whose aim to redistribute advertising income from such digital platforms as Meta’s Facebook and Alphabet’s Google to new organizations is untenable in their view.
“The industry and public policy-makers need to accept that during a period of disruption such as the one currently underway, there will be companies incapable of surviving,” write former CRTC chair Konrad von Finckenstein and past CRTC…
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By Christopher Guly
OTTAWA – In proposed policy directions released Thursday to the CRTC on implementing bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, the federal government reaffirmed that there would be no regulation of social media content or its users.
The CRTC will be directed to exclude from regulation social media creators, including podcasters, as well the video games media form. Broadcasters that post on social media as well as other platforms, like TV and radio, however will not necessarily be exempt.
To promote a wide range of Canadian programming, the CRTC will also be directed to consider various means…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is requesting information surrounding the status of negotiations for access to the incumbents’ wireless networks by regional service providers.
In a letter dated June 1, the CRTC said it wants Rogers, Bell, Telus, and SaskTel and the regional players to provide it with status updates on June 8, July 7, and August 7 about access to the incumbent networks by mobile virtual network operators run by the regional providers.
It is requesting that the incumbents provide a list of agreements that are currently in place, a list of regional providers that have made requests to begin negotiations…
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By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – The Fox News network is asking the CRTC to reject calls to ban it from Canadian television because doing so is “grossly disproportionate” and inconsistent with the Charter.
The CRTC last month opened a Part 1 process to collect comments on an April request by Egale Canada, an advocacy organization for equality for gays and lesbians, to hold a public consultation to remove the channel to protect LGBTQ people. The offending segment aired on March 28 in which former Fox host Tucker Carlson stated Egale ignored the death of children in a Nashville…
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OTTAWA – The CRTC is requesting specific information from mobile wireless service providers related to its investigation into international roaming rates, including specific agreements between Canadian and international providers.
A letter dated Thursday requests of over two dozen providers, including the big three, their active or most-recently expired roaming agreements, including number of subscribers; the rates in place, including pay-per-use call minutes, data, texts, daily and multi-day plans; how rates are set, including methodology and costing analysis; the rationale for past increases in rates; and payments made to roam on foreign networks between 2018 and 2022 and revenues generated from…
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Heritage minister denies communications with CRTC on policy directive, “myths and facts” webpage
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – A Conservative member of Parliament is requesting information related to any documents exchanged between the CRTC and Canadian Heritage about bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act.
Martin Shields, MP for Bow River, Alberta, tabled the request Monday for detailed communications between the regulator and the department, including the minister’s office, about the legislation which would require online streaming services to contribute to the Canadian ecosystem.
Shields is specifically asking for types of documents and titles, senders, recipients, subject matter and summary of contents.
The government has…
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