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CRTC Mulls Canadian Content On the Internet
PsiCTO writes "The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission is going to weigh Internet content regulation — this could mean requiring some amount of Canadian content coming across Canadian pipes. The CRTC is akin to the FCC. They get that they can't 'regulate' the Internet, but are proposing to promote additional Canadian content in some way, as is currently done with radio and TV content. Likely they will discuss tax credits, subsidies, grants, or other traditional mechanisms. What do people think about this? Are there similar efforts, existing or proposed, in other countries?"
Canadian Content laws may be controversial, but there is no denying that it has helped Canadian art and artists flourish. Personally, I don't mind paying a few extra bucks each year on my tax return, if it means I get to live in a richer, more interesting society as a result.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Note: I work for the CRTC. They are not proposing influencing the content itself but rather the distribution. As mentioned in the article, we do it for radio and television and it ensures that local artists are not over-shadowed by our Southern counterparts.
Bored at work? Play Game!
Oddly enough, Rick Moranis revealed that the Mackenzie Brothers skit tacked on to the tail end of every episode of SCTV fulfilled the CRTC requirement. If someone could figure a way to do that for 'net content, you'd be golden.
And how, pray tell, are you going to influence distribution? Are you going to set up massive filters at the borders to insert Canadian commercials like Starchoice and Bell Expressvu do with satellites (never was there a better justification for grey dishes than this unholy bit of interference)? Are you going to force foreign content providers to test for IP addresses to make sure Canadians are seeing the appropriate amount of Canadian content?
There's a story about King Canute trying to hold back the tide. You guys at the CRTC should read it. The Internet is going to render Canadian content rules obsolete and unenforceable. You cannot force me to download Canadian content. The most you can do is abuse the CRTC's powers to up my Internet bill so some unaccountable board hands out welfare cheques to "artists".
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
Actually, I think it was CBC, not the CRTC, that was pushing the Canadian content:
The sketch was conceived when SCTV moved to the CBC television network. Each episode to be broadcast on that network was two minutes longer than those syndicated to the United States. The CBC network heads asked the show's producers to add specifically and identifiably Canadian content for those two minutes. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas thought that this was a ridiculous request, since the show had been taped in Canada, with a mostly Canadian cast and crew, for two years.
You ought to torrent shows like ReGenesis, The Border, Little Mosque On The Prairie and Trailer Park Boys, a lot of which you can't get in the States unless you live close to The Line. Corner Gas is sometimes seen on WGN, however. There's some good stuff happening above The Line, and I'd LOVE to see more of it down here.
Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.