CRTC's Report on New Media and
www.canoe.ca, May 17, 1999
Republished with permission

May 17, 1999 -- The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) released its "Report on New Media" today, announcing it would not attempt to regulate the Internet through legislation.

The CRTC said it would not regulate new media activities on the Internet under the Broadcasting Act , as most new media services are not within its jurisdiction. Those which are, such as webcasting, will be exempted.

The Commission asserts that Canadian Internet content is well-provided and also in high demand.

"The Canadian new media industry is vibrant, highly competitive and successful without regulation," said CRTC chairwoman Françoise Bertrand.

The Commission defines new media as that which makes use of video, audio graphics and alphanumeric text, and involves digital delivery over interconnected networks; video games, e-mail, faxing, and Internet services are all considered new media.

In terms of pertinent Internet issues, the CRTC acknowledges the efforts of Internet service providers (ISPs) for screening of potentially offensive and/or illegal material online. ISPs are currently hoping to hook up to high speed networks built by cable companies -- an issue the CRTC plans to address this summer.

As well, it notes that effective filtering software is currently under development, which will give Internet users control of the material online. Dealing with hate propaganda, however, lies outside the regulation of the Broadcasting Act; the CRTC leaves responsibility for questionable web sites to the public and police.

The report pleases advocates of Internet freedom. Aurel Langlois, president of the Interactive Multimedia Arts and Technologies Association , agrees that the CRTC's decision "will foster the growth of this new media and allow it to grow unrestricted."

However, other parties aren't convinced that the CRTC's retreat from Internet intervention is a good idea. The business community is concerned that without a clear idea of the govenment's involvement on the Internet, electronic businesses would be hesitant to invest in Canada.

Broadcasters also fear that the Internet, if left unrestrained, will infringe on the television and radio markets. Unless their own restrictions are lightened, broadcasters say, they won't be able to compete with the Internet.

Academics, such as Dr. Liss Jeffrey at the University of Toronto's McLuhan Centre , also raise eyebrows at the CRTC's outright refusal to take a part in the Internet. Izzy Asper, executive chairman of Canwest Global, advises that the CRTC establish some sort of monitoring procedure to prevent developments such as unlicensed American programming on the Net.

Regardless, Bertrand maintains that the CRTC's stance on Internet freedom concurs with the Commission's mandate while not being "in the way of the entrepreneurship and the creativity and the innovation."