The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will keep its hands-off approach to new media broadcasting services, including broadcast content distributed over the Internet and to mobile devices.
The decision keeps in place the Commission’s approach since 1999.
The CRTC says it sees no need to support Canadian content creation or distribution on the Web, and it will not look at Canadian content rules, nor funding mechanisms for Canadian content creation, nor at a licensing process for the companies that distribute these programs.
Nevertheless, the CRTC notes that the digital era will have enormous consequences for Canada’s political, social, economic and cultural future. It says that a focused and concerted approach is warranted, and that it is ready to make its contribution to the development of a national digital strategy.
“While broadcasting in new media is growing in importance, we do not believe that regulatory intervention is necessary at this time,” said Konrad von Finckenstein, Q.C., Chairman of the CRTC. “We found that the Internet and mobile services are acting in a complementary fashion to the traditional broadcasting system. Any intervention on our part would only get in the way of innovation.”
The Commission says it was not presented with convincing evidence that would suggest additional support, as proposed, was needed for the creation and presentation of Canadian broadcasting content in new media.
The announcement comes one day after the release of the 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile (CIIP), in which nearly 3,000 interactive media companies in Canada are said to employ more than 50,000 people while generating an estimated $4.7 billion in revenue.
"The 2008 Canadian Interactive Industry Profile clearly shows the future potential of this fast-growing segment of the knowledge economy," Ian Kelso, President of the CIAIC and President and CEO of Interactive Ontario, said at the release of his organizations report. "We believe that the story of Canada's interactive digital media and its contribution to our country's GDP, employment base and global competitiveness has only just begun to be told."
The Commission expects to review its approach within the next five years, and von Finckenstein did acknowledge that “Canada needs a comprehensive national strategy to secure its digital future. Such a strategy is essential if we want to maintain a competitive advantage in this global environment.”
Part of that strategy may already be in place: the federal government’s Heritage Minister James Moore has unveiled a new $134-million Canadian Media Fund, which covers the two major media production platforms, TV and new media, for the first time.
In the meantime, the Commission will introduce a reporting requirement for new media broadcasting services to ensure that it has the best information available for future reviews.
The CRTC will also initiate a reference to the Federal Court of Appeal to clarify the status of Internet service providers (ISPs). The Court will be asked to determine whether the Broadcasting Act should apply to ISPs when they provide access to broadcasting content.
Finally, the scope of the Commission’s examination of the new media phenomenon was limited given its mandate under the Broadcasting Act. The digital era presents many opportunities and challenges, which can only be addressed through a holistic approach. Many countries have already developed their own plans to respond to this environment.
Online reference materials include:
Broadcasting Regulatory Policy CRTC 2009-329
Broadcasting Notice of Consultation CRTC 2009-330
For more on this story, please see
Interactive Media Companies Generate $4.7 B in Canada : Report
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?aid=1000328892
Broadcast Distributors Call for More Mobile Media
http://www.mediacastermagazine.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?aid=1000325870&PC=
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