Canadian Broadcasters Seek New Internet Regulation

An anonymous reader writes "Michael Geist's weekly Toronto Star column reports that the Canadian broadcasting community, including broadcasters, copyright collectives, and actor labor unions, are all calling on Canada's broadcast regulator to increase its regulation of the Internet. Some groups want sites such as YouTube to be subject to Canadian content requirements, while the broadcasters want to stop U.S. broadcasters from streaming television shows online into Canada."

Re:Why not take it one step further

[mrbcs]

Thought it was still april fools day, still a Typical Canuck response.. "oh our shitty content can't cut it so we better regulate it to death".

Like we need more swivel servants in Ottawa..

Regulating the internet is like trying to regulate the weather.

Fools.. (and my tax dollars would have to pay for this crap) /canuck

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[account_deleted]

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Re:what's a little competition here and there?

[Brickwall]

I think the issue here is Canadian broadcasters pay US networks for the rights to certain shows. For example, CTV has "Lost" and the "CSI" and "Law and Order" franchises, while Global got the "Survivor" series, "Shark", etc. If people are going to stream those videos in Canada, those broadcasters want them streamed from their sites, not US sites. Doesn't sound unreasonable to me.

And, FWIW, as a Canadian, when I went to abc.com to view the episode of "Lost" I had missed, I was told that I was ineligible to view it, as I was accessing the site from Canada. So at a technical level, it looks like it is feasible to block Canadians, and as I noted above, it's not an issue of Canadian broadcasters producing quality shows or not; it's an issue of them protecting the rights that they have paid for.

WTF is Free Trade for anyway?

[mark-t]

If Canada doesn't want to compete with the US in various sectors, why did it opt in to NAFTA?

Canada needs to friggen grow up.

Re:CanCon

[Scrameustache]

If Canadian broadcasters want Canadians to see Canadian content on youtube, they should put some awesome videos on youtube and then promote them to people. THAT'S how you encourage the development and advancement of culture.

AMEN!

Just like the BBC did: Open up a Director channel, upload some cool stuff [youtube.com] (like clips of David Attenborough narrating the lives of neat animals, for instance).

I would love it, LOVE IT, if the Film Board would put some of their content on [www.nfb.ca] youTube, or their own version of archive.org, or SOMETHING. Now that would promote canadian culture and content.
This move, however, seems to be a way for telecoms to cash in, using culture as a pretext.

The age of the new caravelle

[Corson]

Every once in a while there comes a time of expansion in human knowledge, technology, and commerce. One symbol of such an age is the caravelle, which was the vehicle of geographic exploration and discovery in the middle ages. Caravelles carried explorers, as well as goods, to their destinations. But that expansion would not have been possible if ocean routes had been strictly controlled, if naval traffic across the oceans had been highly regulated.

Now the Internet is the new "ocean" and the media broadcasters are the new "caravelles". When high quality content is created and exchanged, all parties involved can find a benefit in the process. As the author of that article pointed out, "...Internet streaming and new media create incentives for more Canadian productions since profitability in the emerging environment will depend upon original content that can be distributed across all platforms, old and new... If Canadian broadcasters are unable to rely on cheap U.S. programming, they will be forced to compete by investing in their own original content. This will dramatically alter Canadian content production from one mandated by government regulation to one mandated by market survival."

In this age of the new "caravelle" it is content creation that can boost commerce, rather than traffic regulation.

Re:Canadian content requirement...

[AdamD1]

Yikes. :(

Remember also that in 1996 the CRTC unsuccessfully attempted to pass similar legislation regarding all content on the internet.

I hate the CRTC. They have effectively ruined everything regarding broadcast and digital technology.

The CRTC are also are a big reason that Tivo doesn't exist as a service in Canada.

Sure, nice, fine: we get to hear that extra bit of Nelly Furtado (produced in America, by American musicians and producers, for an American label) and friggin' Nickelback. But can we download TV shows in iTunes? Nope. Movies? Nope. Can we get actual HBO anywhere? Nope. Up until mid-last-year there was also no satellite radio. The only reason we have it now is that they created several Canadian stations, literally none of which anyone I know even listens to at all.

But we DO get endless reruns of Corner Gas on multiple tv stations. And we have ET Canada now. Which is nice... I guess... (Cheryl Hickie notwithstanding.)

The CRTC is run by a bunch of 70-year-olds who still probably think Burton Cummings is "hit-worthy." I wish to god they would go away. If it actually led to greater talent discovery and exposure, then I'd be all for it. As it stands the truly good Canadian artists get absolutely no airplay anywhere. CRTC has outlived their usefulness if these are the kinds of battles they're choosing to fight, using my money.

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Telemarketers...

[Beardo the Bearded]

I've given up trying to coach them:

"Do you get paid by the call or the hour?"

"Uh, the call."

"Well, having said that I'm not interested, you persist in continuing to sell to me, an uninterested customer. The longer you talk to me, the more money you lose. The smartest thing you can do financially is to tell me to have a good night, hang up, and try the next person on the list."

"Have a good night, sir."

I had a telemarketer call the other night. He was selling travel insurance.

"It's not legal for me to travel outside of BC or Canada right now."

"What about dependent children?"

"My oldest is a toddler. That would be illegal too."

"How about a spouse?"

"My attorney has advised me not to answer any questions regarding my spouse."

"You, uh... Have a good night, sir."

Re:CanCon

[Brickwall]

If Canadian broadcasters want Canadians to see Canadian content on youtube, they should put some awesome videos on youtube

Absolutely! Check out the following "Hinterland Who's Who" from the Canadian Wildlife Service:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc [youtube.com]