Throne speech reiterates rural broadband, web giant promises

In Wednesday’s throne speech kicking off Parliament’s return, the Liberal government repeated previous commitments to introduce new rules for large foreign digital companies and accelerate rural broadband builds. “Web giants are taking Canadians’ money while imposing their own priorities. Things must change, and will change,” a copy of the speech provided to media read. “The Government will act to ensure their revenue is shared more fairly with our creators and media, and will also require them to contribute to the creation, production, and distribution of our stories, on screen, in lyrics, in music, and in writing.” Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault has been speaking about his plans for those rules in recent weeks and months. In June he outlined his plans to update the Broadcasting Act with a new framework for foreign digital companies, including to introduce legislation requiring companies like Alphabet Inc. and Facebook Inc. to compensate news organizations. The throne speech also said there would be “further support” for industries including cultural industries, though it specifically mentioned only the performing arts. Canada’s production sector has been asking for a government-supported insurance program since June, saying earlier this month that $1 billion of production is now at risk because of a lack of insurance. The speech also said the government would “accelerate the connectivity timelines and ambitions of the Universal Broadband Fund to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet.” But that $1-billion program is already overdue — the government initially aimed to launch it in the spring. Rural Economic Development Minister Maryam Monsef first promised to accelerate the government’s response in late April in an interview with The Wire Report; she then told an industry conference in early June the Universal Broadband Fund would open for applications in the “coming days.” The UBF has yet to open for applications. “In the last six months, many more people have worked from home, done classes from the kitchen table, shopped online, and accessed government services remotely. So it has become more important than ever that all Canadians have access to the internet,” the speech read. The speech also included a promise to “continue to expand capacity to deliver virtual health care.” “The Government will ensure that everyone – including in rural and remote areas – has access to a family doctor or primary care team. COVID-19 has also shown that our system needs to be more flexible and able to reach people at home,” the speech read. It also said that the government hopes more provinces and territories will begin using the COVID-19 app launched over the summer. "Working with private sector partners, the federal government created the COVID Alert app. Canadians living in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Saskatchewan now have an extra tool to keep themselves and others safe. The Government hopes all the others will sign on so that people in all parts of the country can both do their part and be better protected," the speech said. Additionally, as part of the promise to address systemic racism, the speech said the government would take "action on online hate.” The speech didn’t provide further details about how the government would do so, but during the last election campaign the Liberals promised to require all social media platforms to “remove illegal content, including hate speech, within 24 hours or face significant financial penalties.” — Reporting by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

Throne speech reiterates rural broadband, web giant promises

Broadcast | September 23, 2020

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Throne speech reiterates rural broadband, web giant promises

Broadcast | September 23, 2020

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