Quote:
Originally Posted by chemgear
What is going on?
Why are entities in the podcast space/podcasts having to register with the government?
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Most companies involved in any kind of telecommunications or broadcasting of media in Canada have to register with the CRTC. That has always been the case. The difference now, is they want online content providers (i.e. streaming services) who generate over $10M/year in revenue in Canada to do the same.
And the registration isn't particularly onerous. It's a very short form where you list your company, the name of a representative, and then check a couple of boxes saying what kind of content you provide. It could be filled out in a couple of minutes.
Then the question becomes, what is the next step? Is this merely a precursor to significant regulation in this space, or is it relatively benign data collection that will be used to inform policy (or something in between)? People howling about free speech seem to assume the former is the case, but there isn't a whole lot of evidence pointing that way so far. Personally, I don't really see the distinction between this and something like registering a business or getting a GST number, or the other million things we register for all the time without batting an eye.