Senate hearing to review online privacy, e-commerce, competition and content

The head of the Interactive Multimedia Producers Association of Canada (IMPAC) says he doubts that another federal inquiry into the Internet and new media will spur Ottawa to free up more money for the new media industry. On April 19, Senator Marie-P Poulin announced that the Senate Sub-committee on Communications will spend the next year examining a wide range of issues related to the Internet, broadcasting and telecommunications. Privacy, Security & E-commerceWhat the Senate sub-committee will be asking:How will Bill C-6, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, be implemented? What personal information is becoming widely available because of the Internet? How has the wired world affected the balance between the rights of individuals to privacy and the needs of industry for marketing information? How do the technology companies intend to resolve the problem? What tools are currently available to combat fraud? How are Canadian businesses embracing e-commerce to deal with other businesses? What are the impediments to e-commerce? What can be done to facilitate and encourage Canadians to adapt quickly to the Internet trading post? For more information on the Senate review, contact the committee's clerk at (613) 990-6087.The first phase of the review is expected to begin soon and will examine issues related to Internet privacy, security and how quickly Canadian businesses are embracing e-commerce. The report from this phase is scheduled for release this fall. The second phase will deal primarily with telecommunications issues, and in phase three, the roles of the CRTC, the Copyright Board and the Competition Bureau will be examined, as will be the impact of the Internet on traditional industries and Canadian content. "If Canada can no longer effectively regulate content because IP networks lead to separation of technology and content, how can the government foster growth within Canadian cultural industries," the sub-committee asks in its terms of reference. IMPAC's executive director, Maxim Engel, isn't optimistic that the study will do much to help creators of Canadian content for the web. Speaking from first-hand experience as a web content developer, he says little funding exists for the development of national content, and it's unlikely this study will change that situation. Engel's pessimism is shared by many in Canada's new media industry who have seen several government and industry reports released that support their demands for more money as well as a more coordinated public policy approach to new media. Like last year's CRTC proceeding on new media, the Senate will be tabling recommendations that will go no where, unless the political will is there to act. The Senate sub-committee has already issued one report that dealt with competition and convergence. Released last year, Wired to Win! Canada's Positioning Within the World's Technological Revolution tended to ask more questions than it answered (CNM, June 23/99). This time around, Poulin says the process will produce more concrete advice for legislators and regulatory bodies. Asked why another study is necessary, the Senate sub-committee chair replied, "We don't really know where all these new technologies are taking us. I don't think that any of us can ever pretend to have a crystal ball, but I think it's important, at this time, to take a snapshot of what our country looks like." She emphasizes the role this study will play in providing advice specifically to Canada's public policy makers. She says that within the study's mandate, and possibly even beyond, the entire regulatory structure for broadcasting, telecommunications and new media could be subject to some radical proposals. "(We will look at) whether each regulator is supported by appropriate legislation," she says. "The legislation for broadcasting is totally different from the legislation on copyright. Should we look at bringing these legislations together? At this time, broadcasting is also different from telecommunications. Is convergence creating the need to bring those legislations under a third umbrella, which means that it brings the agency under a single department?" While the senators may strike off in some controversial directions, Poulin says they will operate independent of government influence. The study will be done as a stand-alone effort and has been undertaken solely on the initiative of the committee, she says. Nevertheless, it will tackle some thorny issues with recommendations that could be perceived as credible given the Senate's arm's-length relationship to the government, the regulatory agencies and the private sector. Poulin promises an examination of foreign ownership, as well as the nature of regulation in an era with much different technologies than existed when the Broadcasting and Telecommunication Acts were drafted.

Senate hearing to review online privacy, e-commerce, competition and content

News | 05/04/2000 4:00 am EDT

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