BTLR reaction mixed, no clarity on gov’t implementation

OTTAWA — A broadcasting and telecommunications legislative review report recommendation that would task a renamed CRTC with regulating online news sites is the “ok, boomer” approach to the internet, according to Conservative industry critic Michelle Rempel Garner. Rempel Garner told a press conference following the BTLR report’s release that its “nuanced regulatory approach” would mean Canada’s media and telecommunications industries would be having the same conversation in three years time. “The report, I think it’s well intentioned but it doesn’t address the issues in the Canadian telecommunications industry,” she said. “It’s layering bureaucracy upon an already bureaucratic system in a highly regulated space where an oligopoly has control over virtually everything.” The government has promised to move “quickly” following the report’s release, but Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault did not specify which recommendations the Government was supportive of. “We have committed to table a bill on this in the first year of the mandate, and we will follow through on this promise. Our goal is simple, to make the system more equitable than it is right now,” Guilbeault said. Guilbeault’s mandate letter directs him to introduce, by 2020, legislation that would force content providers “including internet giants,” to include in their catalogues “meaningful levels of Canadian content,” contribute to CanCon creation, promote that content and ensure it’s “easily accessible.” It’s a promise that predates the fall election campaign and that was part of the party’s election platform. Earlier this month, Guilbeault said in an interview with the Wire Report that “the clock is ticking” on content rules for the web giants. Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, standing next to Guilbeault, said the recommendations linked well with the government’s previous commitments. “The recommendations that the panel has provided really underscores our previous commitment around affordability, around accessibility, and net neutrality, which are key principles in terms of an open internet,” he told reporters. The report recommends a number of policy objectives be added to the telecom act, including that “all Canadians, including those with disabilities, should have timely, affordable, barrier-free access” to advanced telecommunication, the panel recommended. NDP Heritage critic Alexandre Boulerice said that his party was encouraged by the report’s contents. “We clearly like the general orientation of the Yale report today,” referring to the report by the name of the chair of the panel that produced it, Janet Yale. The CRTC, which would be vastly expanded, renamed and have its number of commissioners slashed if the BTLR’s recommendations were acted upon, said it was studying the report with interest. “At first glance, it is clear that the panel recognizes that fundamental changes need to occur to fully enable the CRTC to act in the public interest,” the regulator’s chair Ian Scott said in a press release. “We look forward to future legislative changes to effectively fulfill our mandate in this new environment.” The reaction amongst trade groups and media lobbies was mixed, though most identified the report as a call to action for the government. Friends of Canadian Broadcasting executive director Daniel Bernhard identified three areas where he said the government could act today, without needing to wait for legislation: the bringing of streaming giants like Netflix Inc. into the CRTC’s regulatory framework for Canadian content financing, the imposition of a sales tax on foreign digital media companies, and the increased funding for the CBC to replace revenue that would be lost from moving towards an advertising model. “The panel has laid this out very clearly, about what is doable. Their expertise and legal knowledge is beyond unimpeachable. And it's time to just go for it,” Bernhard said in a phone interview with The Wire Report. Netflix, which the report recommends be subject to the Broadcasting Act and register for a regime administered by the CRTC, said it looked forward to working with the government as it modernized the laws governing the industry. “The local industry is flourishing; we will continue investing in made-in-Canada productions and stories, bringing them to the world,” a spokesperson said in an email. The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) said in a Wednesday afternoon statement that the impact of the report’s recommendations is unclear. “Canadians can now expect that government will assure they can actually receive, and afford, mobile wireless and home Internet service,” said PIAC’s executive director John Lawford in a statement. “The report recognizes that to live in this society, you have to be connected.” “The report also recommends changes to the Broadcasting Act to ensure continued creation of Canadian content. While the goal of these changes is laudable, the potential impact on consumers is unknown,” he said. The Canadian Communication Systems Alliance (CCSA), which advocates for smaller telecoms in rural areas, said in a statement that it was pleased the report “has recognized the need to continue and bolster support for extending broadband service to Canadians in rural parts of the country.” “CCSA members are committed to providing their customers, wherever they live, with high quality, affordable broadband services and a number of the panel’s recommendations, such as giving the CRTC increased powers to address the increasingly prohibitive costs of access to support structures, will certainly help in that regard,” CCSA CEO Jay Thomson said in a statement. Canadian Network Operators Consortium chair Matt Stein said the report contained “a lot of good things.” “It feels like the recommendations that would lead to the overhaul Canada is ready for,” he said in a phone interview. Stein said CNOC was particularly fond of recommendations around streamlining and speeding up the CRTC’s appeals process and making the regulator more proactive in its approach, rather than completely reliant on applications and submissions. -With reporting by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca and Adam Langenberg at alangenberg@thewirereport.ca, and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

BTLR reaction mixed, no clarity on gov’t implementation

Broadcast | January 29, 2020

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BTLR reaction mixed, no clarity on gov’t implementation

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