Canadian Groups Call For Massive Net Regulation 318
An anonymous reader writes "Michael Geist is reporting that Canadian cultural groups including ACTRA and SOCAN have called on Canada's telecom regulator to implement a massive new Internet regulation framework. This includes a new three-percent tax on ISPs to pay for new media creation, Canadian content requirements for commercial websites, and licensing requirements for new media broadcasters, including for user-generated content."
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:5, Informative)
For those who aren't familiar with the groups referenced in TFA:
ACTRA: http://www.actra.ca/actra/control/insideActra_what [actra.ca]
SOCAN: http://www.socan.ca/jsp/en/about/what_we_do.jsp [socan.ca]
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Oh, Canada (Score:4, Informative)
The government is not saying this. This is SOCAN (Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) and ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) proposing this.
It's analogous to the wailing the RIAA and MPAA put up in the US, aside from that it doesn't get as much traction up here.
Re:Nothing Good (Score:5, Informative)
I don't think we have to worry (Score:5, Informative)
With our embattled prime minister basically shutting down Parliament until end of January, at which time he is likely to get turfed in a confidence motion, I don't think this proposal will see the light of day.
In fact, (crosses fingers) I don't think given how the opposition finally grew some gonads and ganged up to toss him out of his chair, he will dare re-introduce a C-61 clone either.
Re:Once again I shout ABOLISH THE CRTC! (Score:3, Informative)
Maybe you should look at the article again, or even the summary. This isn't the CRTC, this is ACTRA and SOCAN. While groups like this are pretty powerful in the U.S., they're really not too powerful up here.
And do you really think the CRTC is going to tax ISPs? That would be Bell and Rogers? When have the CRTC ever sttod up to either of those companies?
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:5, Informative)
ACTRA and SOCAN are Canada's recording industry associations. They parallel the US's MPAA and RIAA.
Not quite. CRIA is Canada's RIAA.
SOCAN is a performing rights organization, so it parallels the US's BMI and ASCAP.
I know nothing about ACTRA.
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:3, Informative)
ACTRA and SOCAN are Canada's recording industry associations. They parallel the US's MPAA and RIAA.
No, SOCAN is more along the lines of BMI and ASCAP. They represent artists and songwriters, not movie studios and record labels .
Re:Minority Mandates (Score:2, Informative)
One province forced the entire country to have to be effectively bilingual. Then when that province wanted to secede...
That's just so completely inaccurate and misleading. Even in my home province of Alberta, about as redneck and xenophobic as Canadians get, has several francophone communities. There were a lot of reasons to become officially bilingual. Not everything bad that happens in Canada can be blamed on Quebec. 30%, tops.
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:5, Informative)
More than not quite. More like completely different than MPAA and RIAA.
As stated above, SOCAN is a performing rights organization. Specifically they handle the authoring and composition royalty of a piece of music. So I write a song, I become a member of SOCAN (as a Canadian), they track the usage of that song (typically radio play only) and they pay out a royalty for the authoring (lyrics) and composition (music) of the song.
ACTRA represents musicians to broker the royalties as they relate to (what is defined in Canada as) Neighbouring Rights (http://www.nrdv.ca/) which is essentially the "performance" of a recorded piece of music. So I play as a musician on a recorded piece of, it gets played (again, typically on the radio) and they pay out based on my performance on this piece.
This later concept differs greatly in the US, where terrestrial (AM/FM) radio does not owe "performance" royalties. SoundExchange via a whole heck of congress lobbying is the closest equivalent to ACTRA (or the two other Canadian associations that deal in these royalties), however, it only deals in Internet streaming and satellite radio. And, yes they totally fucked up.
SOCAN and ACTRA have historically helped to look after the little musicians. They are not inherently evil despite what the likely opinion on slashdot will be.
Now, as a musician, in Canada, who writes songs, gets airplay and, yes, has leftish values, I think that this is an acceptable compromise. Bars, restaurants, dentist offices, etc all get surcharged for playing music in Canada at their workplaces (as music is seen to add value to their business). The same argument can apply to ISPs who have more demand/usage by people looking to listen and become exposed to music. I think ultimately the impact to consumers will be negligible in terms of a rate increase (which is likely to be also monitored by the CRTC).
Re:Minority Mandates (Score:5, Informative)
One province forced the entire country to have to be effectively bilingual. Then when that province wanted to secede, the First Nations who owned the land that 2/3 of their hydroelectric power came from, regardless of actual population numbers, refused to go along, and stopped it cold.
Are you trying to be funny? You've got modded "Interesting", so let me set some records strait. First, the "entire country" is not "effectively bilingual". It is officially bilingual as a whole, yes, but try speaking French in most parts of Canada outside the Province of Quebec... Even in several areas of Montreal, the biggest city of the francophone province (where I live), it can sometimes be hard to be served in French!
Second, as a French Canadian myself, I'm convinced First Nations did not play a big role at the last referendum. Sure, they were part of a very large equation, but clearly did not "stopped it cold" as you claim. And they don't "own" the 2/3 of electricity-providing land of the province.
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:3, Informative)
I used to work for my uncle who had video games, pool tables and jukeboxes. One bar bought a jukebox off my uncle and the next week I went back they told me SOCAN had been flipping through the songs to see which were Canadian and then making the bar pay a license fee for them, I haven't worked there since 2002 and this was long before that so at least ten years ago.
Even the bands that played were made to pay up for any songs written by Canadians or rather considered 'Canadian content' meaning the artist may not be Canadian but the majority of the work; music, lyrics, arrangement was created by a Canadian (think David Foster).
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:3, Informative)
ACTRA is the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (or used to be, I think they've modified what it stands for since I knew any actors). It's essentially an actors' union.
Re:how outragous laws get passed (Score:4, Informative)
It's known as the Door-in-the-face technique [wikipedia.org].
Re:Gawd... (Score:1, Informative)
Dave Thomas will entirely have to stop by your place and bludgeon you with a live beaver coated with maple syrup while shouting "It's 'Take Off, Eh!' You Hoser!".
Re:Nothing Good (Score:1, Informative)
What you failed to mention is that the funding that was going to be cut was, by law, the only funding the parties can get. So....Harper was essentially trying to eliminate all opposition to him. The Conservatives have a massive war chest from before when this legislation was passed.
So people freaked out. Just like Harper, who is the biggest baby in recent Canadian history would have if the Liberals had done it to him.
Don't forget, this came after an election that was called by Harper that broke his own fixed election date law.
Re:Minority Mandates (Score:3, Informative)
Who modded this rant as +5? Mod this down ... way down! Outside of the fact that this rant is completely off topic, it is also completely inaccurate:
- There are at least 4 multilingual provinces, including the two largest. This bozo has obviously not been to Northern Ontario where french is as common as english. No, Quebec did not force other provinces to be blingual.
- There has NEVER been a vote that permitted succession in Quebec. So again, the First Nations/hydro electric is crap
- This isn't about forcing artists to provide content in Canada.
What a bunch of whining dribble. +5 for this?!!
Re:ACTRA/SOCANwestopthisalready? (Score:3, Informative)
Nobody in Canada drinks a Molson, eh. In Canada, you ask for a Canadian. Molson's for the export market. Sorta like Foster's in Australia.
Re:No Seriously (Score:3, Informative)
Re:ACTRA/SOCAN (Score:3, Informative)
ACTRA CALLS FOR INTERNET REGULATION (Score:2, Informative)