While the rest of us are slugging it out in the content game, the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the CRTC have been VERY busy trying to fuck us over – apparently in secret.
Dr Michael Geist (the world’s foremost expert on copyright law and e-commerce) alerted us to some new information this morning: The head of the CRTC, former Telus Exec Ian Scott, held several secret mtgs with Bell execs and lobbyists in  an attempt to help big media, and the Liberal government control free speech in Canada

The pressure on CRTC Chair Ian Scott escalates: House of Commons committee report questions CRTC approach and private meetings with Bell execs raise fairness concerns. The government fired a previous CRTC commissioner for such meetings. https://t.co/DaOxe2C6Db

— Michael Geist (@mgeist) June 26, 2021

AHHHH.  It’s a shame no one saw this coming.

Financial PostMeetings that Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission chairman Ian Scott had with lobbyists from big telecom companies – including a one-on-one at an Ottawa pub with the now-CEO of Bell – are further reasons to overturn a recent CRTC decision and fire Scott, a small internet provider told the Liberal government.

TekSavvy has filed a petition to the federal cabinet asking it to reverse the CRTC’s May decision not to lower internet wholesale rates. Critics have said that surprise ruling, in which the CRTC reversed a 2019 decision that lowered rates, will lead to higher internet service prices for Canadians.

MPs on the House of Commons industry committee also weighed in on the decision in a report released this week, saying they were “very frustrated with the CRTC’s decision to cancel the new wholesale rates.”

“The committee questions this change of direction by the CRTC,” it said.

TekSavvy announced Thursday it has filed additional evidence, based on lobbying records, that Scott held “numerous ex parte meetings with litigants with open CRTC files, apparently unaccompanied.”

“In particular, Mr. Scott held at least 11 reported solo meetings with Bell, Rogers or Shaw during the course of the CRTC’s open and active file,” TekSavvy said in a press release.

“Remarkably, at least one of Mr. Scott’s ex parte meetings took place in a social setting, alone, with the CEO of one of the primary litigants in the open file. Mr. Scott met one-on-one with Mirko Bibic, then chief operating officer of Bell (and now CEO) at D’Arcy McGee’s, an Ottawa bar on December 19, 2019.”

Four years ago the Liberal government fired CRTC commissioner Raj Shoan for reasons including meetings with stakeholders who had open files in front of the commission. Shoan later argued in court documents that such meetings are commonplace, and that given some companies file more than a dozen CRTC applications a year, they’d never have a chance to meet with the commission if that rule was followed.

Canada’s broadcast policies need to be changed but not like this.  Not in secret.  Not with gag orders and not at the expense of free speech in this country.

I’m not railing against this bill because the CRTC is absolutely targeting groups like ours, I’m targeting the unfair practices of Big Media and the Liberal government for doing their best to control content in this country for the exclusive benefit of both.

Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Torstar, and other regulated big media corps have been working with Ian Scott, directly and indirectly, to push Bill C10 through and Trudeau is more than willing to collude against Canadians for them. He’ll be rewarded by Telcos like Bell, Rogers, and Telus, with favorable coverage from their media assets, come election time.

It’s collusion against everyone who isn’t a big media outlet in Canada and it’s criminal.

These companies are so powerful and generate billions for shareholders, yet they’re not above some questionable criminal activity to further fuck over anyone and everyone else.

I had dinner with a friend who works for Bell 2 months ago and his summary was perfect.

I’m paraphrasing but he said, Bell looks at everyone as the competition and doesn’t give a fuck about anything else.  He said there isn’t a law they wouldn’t change or an old lady with a blog then wouldn’t run over if it meant something to their bottom line.  They’re probably not alone.

God Bless Dr. Geist for his unbiased legal opinion and effort to follow along with this fugazi attempt to turn the Canadian telco/media landscape into a fucking dictatorship.

Think I’m just a baby who hates the Liberal gov’t?  Fine.  Follow Geist and get interested in this thing.  If C10 gets royal assent, you’ll be getting fined by the CRTC for retweeting a CTV story with the word ‘fuck’ in your comments by Christmas.

DB