On CBC, the digital transition, and the Code of Access Best Practices
Last week, the CRTC announced that the CBC will be given one more year to make the transition from analog television to digital television. Starting August 31st, the CRTC has…
Front Page
The importance of Canada’s media economy
Editor's note: This Policy Watch piece is a rare look at Canada's media economy from the perspective of an academic researcher, rather than the usual commercial consultants. In this detailed…
The importance of Canada’s media economy
Editor's note: This Policy Watch piece is a rare look at Canada's media economy from the perspective of an academic researcher, rather than the usual commercial consultants. In this detailed…
CRTC: Canadians cutting cords, going wireless
According to the CRTC's report Navigating Convergence II: Charting Canadian Communications Change and Regulatory Implications, the rate at which Canadians are cutting cords and opting for wireless devices is on…
CRTC: Canadians cutting cords, going wireless
According to the CRTC's report Navigating Convergence II: Charting Canadian Communications Change and Regulatory Implications, the rate at which Canadians are cutting cords and opting for wireless devices is on…
Ars Technica: Canada poised to say goodbye to online privacy & security
Privacy commissioners, academics, digital rights advocates, and former Conservative ministers have all voiced their concerns about Lawful Access. At the very least, oversight and caution must guide such sweeping, invasive…
The Unsung Heroes of The Pro-Internet Movement
We want to take a moment to note some of the unsung heroes of the pro-Internet movement. OpenMedia.ca truly operates as a fluid network of collaborating organizations and people. This…
Our submission to the UBB proceeding: A summary
We recently made our final submission to the CRTC's usage-based billing (also known as "UBB" or "Internet Metering") hearing, which was brought about because of the hundreds of thousands of…
Government Trust Broken? Breach of Abused Mother’s New Identity
After years of domestic abuse, there were high hopes for Jane Doe and her daughter to lead a normal life with new identities. With assistance from a secretive federal program,…
Security-surveillance states trending abroad and at home
Momentum against the government's online spying legislation continues to build. Here, Lawrence Martin places Lawful Access in socio-historical context, amidst the growing international trend of increased state security-surveillance measures. 9/11…
History Repeating: 130 years later and still stuck in "Telephonmania"
Interestingly, Arstechnica points to questions that were raised 130 years ago regarding the telephone industry and its implementation of metered billing. Sound familiar? Like those who protested in 1886, the…
Cogeco Hikes Rates to Pay for Failed Investment
By Phillip Dampier of Stop the Cap Cogeco Cable customers are about to pay for the company’s tragic financial results from its Portuguese operations in the form of broad-based price…
Little Help for the Little Guys: Giving small business a fighting chance
Small business and entrepreneurial ventures are a top priority for the Canadian government. In fact, they’re so important that the government has decided to declare 2011 the Year of the…
Rogers LTE and 4G: Beyond Sales Puffery?
This blog post comes courtesy of Mike Fujimoto, PIAC's summer student intern. I hope to add occasional pieces on the open internet from a telecom-regulatory-consumer-advocate perspective and not to make…
Will Canada take advantage of the digital switch to surf the Super Wi-Fi wave?
Super fast and super strong, Super Wi-Fi (a name coined by the Federal Communications Commission in the US) is wireless high-speed Internet with long range capabilities. Though technologically brand-new, it's…
The Mark: What the "lawful access" bill might mean for Canadian’s online security
By Alexander Ly and Adam Webb for The Mark Canadian privacy online is about to be put at serious risk. As if internet malefactors and unruly privacy settings on major…
Letter to Supporters: What’s next for the Internet in Canada?
We're planning our next steps. We’re trying to learn more about the actions you want to take to defend the open, affordable, surveillance-free Internet. The Internet impacts every aspect of…
Coalition Members Talk Stop Online Spying on CBC Radio
Why is everybody freaking out about Lawful Access right now? Why is the "I've got nothing to hide" argument missing the point? And why are the experts (Privacy Commissioners, academics,…
Security risks of increased digital surveillance call for a closer look
As this CBC commentary from Dan Misener describes, despite its "unfortunate name," the Conservative government's "Lawful Access" legislation is anything but boring. Indeed, this invasive set of electronic surveillance bills…
Hasiuk: Conservative "Lawful Access" bills would bring about unprecedented online powers
By Mark Hasiuk for Vancouver Courier Cyberspace. The final frontier. Back in 2003, Barrett Lyon, a computer scientist from California, embarked on the most ambitious cartography project since David Thompson.…