Protect your right to free speech and freedom of the press over the internet
By Stephen Pate, (with story from Canadian Press) – Plans to review Federal Canadian regulation of internet and cell phone media is waste of time and dangerous to the economy.
While the old economy of newspapers, television networks and cable are dying, the internet is supporting a whole new world of creative media. Government control only benefits the established providers who are boring young Canadians to tears.
CRTC hearings
Canadian Press reports “The federal broadcast regulator will begin hearings on Tuesday in Gatineau, Que., to review its policy of allowing broadcasting content to be unregulated on the Internet and cellphones. Predictably, there are those who want rules to ensure Canadian content on the Internet and there are others who believe home-grown content already has a presence on the Internet without the encouragement of regulations.”
Who wants the CRTC to interfere? CBC, CTV, CanWest, Quebecor, TVA and the biased Friends of Canadian Broadcasting (CBC employees) who encourage more waste of taxpayers dollars to prop up dying broadcasters.
Of course they don’t want to post your videos on YouTube, or start a blog on sail boarding. They want us to be glued to TV’s, newspapers whatever they can get advertisers to pay for.
It preposterous to think that the CRTC is going to do anything but sponsor expensive mediocrity. Look at cable. Did we get 500 cool interesting channels? No, we got hundreds of repetitive programs on channels we have to pay for. We would like to chose our own entertainment but the big networks don’t want that.
New Canadian creativity
The internet has created a democracy of creativity. People don’t need funding by the big corporations to Let’s see what Canadian creativity will die if Google, YouTube and the other free sites are regulated.
New music – Canadian musicians can create and promote their music to the world with MySpace, Google, Facebook and Reverbnation.com. CBC will only promote a few people it likes.
Video and film – Canadian film makers can produce and promote their movies for free on YouTube and other sites. I have worked on more than 100 films that have been seen by 70,000 people. Even if the National Film Board took me under it’s wing, a long and arduous process, it wouldn’t likely happen that my work and the work of thousands of other Canadian filmmakers would have an audience.
Journalism – you are reading a free online newspaper that only costs me time and a small budget to produce 7 days a week. I report on local stories the Guardian, CBC and CTV don’t cover properly. I’m one of tens of millions of people who express themselves everyday without getting CRTC approval.
We don’t need the CRTC. They can just go away, perhaps retire. The free and open exchange of information is what we need.
Every Canadian can present a brief statement of their opinion on this topic by visiting the CRTC site. Don’t let big broadcasting restrict your right to get free information, whenever and wherever you want. We have until March 27th, 2009 to respond. Please protect your rights to free access by submitting even a brief response. You can be sure big money is working overtime to restrict our freedom.
Here is the question.
Broadcasting Notice of Public Hearing CRTC 2008-11
See also: 2008-11-1 Ottawa, 15 October 2008
Notice of consultation and hearing 17 February 2009 National Capital Region
Canadian broadcasting in new media
Q.18. Is there a special role for community broadcasters in the environment for broadcasting in new media? If so, are measures required? Describe any such measures and how these can be accomplished within the mandate of the Commission.
Bill McMinn
So this probably means that there would be a government ban on trying to watch videos on Hulu.com when Hulu.com already bans anybody from visiting from a Canadian IP address. Give me net neutrality regulation but nothing else.