File sharing lawsuit could upend copyright privacy protections
The centerpiece of Canada’s 2012 digital copyright reforms was the legal implementation of the “notice-and-notice” system that seeks to balance the interests of copyright holders, the privacy rights of internet users, and the legal obligations of internet service providers (ISPs). The law makes it easy for copyright owners to send infringement notices to ISPs, who […]
Why the Federal Court set top box ruling threatens Canada’s innovation balance
OTTAWA—The ability to record television programs is a feature that most consumers take for granted today, but when the Sony Betamax was first introduced in the 1970s, it revolutionized television and sparked high-profile lawsuits by the major Hollywood studios who wanted to block its availability. The battle between Universal Studios and Sony ultimately made its […]
Telecom giant Shaw busiest lobbying organization in April
Shaw Communications Inc., the provider of internet and TV services, primarily in Western Canada, was the busiest lobbyist of federal officials in April. The Calgary-based company had 41 communication reports registered for last month, compared to just one in March. The reports showed the company met with several MPs as well as officials from departments […]
The birth of global internet TV
Since it launched in Canada in 2011, the company has been building to create it into a service that’s available globally, said Anne Marie Squeo, director of corporate communications at Netflix. “Canada was our first international, all-streaming market … and we’ve been building our service globally from there,” Ms. Squeo told P&I in an exclusive […]
Why universal, affordable internet access is a job for everyone
OTTAWA—The future of internet access in Canada takes centre stage this week at a major hearing focused on whether it is time to update the rules associated with universal access to communications services. Canada has long had regulations in place that ensure that basic telephone service is available to everyone, using a funding model […]
Engage Canadians on open government: lessons learned from Tony Clement
Tony Clement, the former president of the Treasury Board, is credited with hosting the government’s first Google Hangout. He was criticized by some for trying too hard to “look cool.” On April 6, 2016, Scott Brison, the current president of the Treasury Board, will follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, to host a Google […]
New ‘skinny’ TV packages provide jump-start to competition
Canadians appear to have become so accustomed to an uncompetitive cable and satellite market typified by frequent price increases and restrictive options that many are failing to recognize the arrival of greater consumer choice. Last week’s launch of the new $25 basic “skinny” cable packages, mandated by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, left many […]
An obligation to defend: court confirms telecom companies must stand up for customer privacy
OTTAWA—In today’s communications-driven world, no one collects as much information about its customers as telecom companies. As subscribers increasingly rely on the same company for internet connectivity, wireless access, local phone service, and television packages, the breadth of personal data collection is truly staggering. Whether it is geo-location data on where we go, information on […]
Top 10 observations about Syrian refugee crisis response
OTTAWA—This is an unprecedented national project that will go down in history with the other great refugee experiences from the past that brought in people from Vietnam, Uganda, and Kosovo; and is a counterpoint to Canada’s rejection of The St. Louis in 1939 when we sent back to Germany a boatload of 908 Jewish refugees. […]
It’s 2015, what’s all the kerfuffle about gender parity in Cabinet about?
Forty-seven years ago, Liberal prime minister Pierre Trudeau’s first Cabinet had no women. Here we are in 2015, and the current Liberal leader back in June promised he would have a Cabinet of an equal number of men and women if elected. It hardly got reported. Justin Trudeau formed government, and suddenly there’s all this chatter […]
