Somedays, more than others, I really do feel the years spin by.
As I wrote last year, I am continuing to use lyrics from Joni Mitchell’s Circle Game as the title of my year-end wrap-up.
So the years spin by and now the boy is 20
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
No question. The years seem to be spinning by ever so quickly, but I’m not ready for that “last revolving year”… yet. There is so much still that needs to get done. So much that I wrote about last year remains just as valid today.
Improved access to quality information is the presumptive raison d’être for Canada’s Online News Act, Bill C-18. While I understand the motivation behind the legislation, as I have written, its implementation was badly fumbled.
Unfortunately, I am concerned that this is another case of government focus on the supply side without consideration of factors impacting demand. With all the best funding in the world to create better news, are we doing enough work to ensure there is a market to consume that news? Just as I have frequently complained about our work on broadband, we seem to be better at stimulating supply, and rely upon a Field of Dreams hope for the demand side. What if you build it and they don’t come? There are a number of ways to improve funding for news, but how does that help deliver quality information to a generation who don’t watch linear TV, and don’t pick up a newspaper, or rely upon news websites?
What do we do if we provide funding to create high quality local and national newsrooms, but a generation of consumers rely on 30-second high-energy video clips where adherence to facts isn’t valued as highly as the entertainment quality by the search algorithms?
Will digital literacy training in elementary and secondary schools include teaching how to differentiate between information, misinformation, and disinformation? How can we create more sophisticated consumers of high quality content?
Dealing with supply side issues is relatively easy. In most cases, if you throw enough money at the problem, it gets solved. Whether it is building broadband, funding newsrooms, creating quality Canadian media content, supply can be stimulated with injections of cash. Dealing with the demand side is much more challenging. What do we do when Canada’s universal broadband objectives are met, but more than a million people remain off-line? The issue of driving increased adoption will need to be a carry-over from my 2023 agenda into next year.
Last week’s “Checking my scorecard” provided more reasons for why I think it is too early to consider hanging up the ol’ keyboard.
Looking at what I set out as my 2024 agenda, I see that we made progress on some items, but others, such as the issue of driving increased adoption, will need to be carried over once again. I continue to shake my head, in both amazement and dismay at academics who think the best solution to all broadband afflictions, both adoption and rural access, is building municipal or government-owned fibre.
I added 72 blog posts to “Telecom Trends” over the course of 2024, continuing to write 1 or 2 posts per week. There are now more than 3325 posts in the archives (fully searchable). I continue to send out my weekly newsletter; you can subscribe here.
As I have said in the past, it is my objective for this blog to be a source of quality information on Canadian telecom policy, with occasional gastronomical diversions. The past year has seen me add content dealing with the rising levels of antisemitism and online hate in this country. This content rightfully belong on a blog looking at Telecom Trends because of the tie-in to proposed Online Harms Legislation.
I look forward to engaging with you in the New Year, as the years spin by toward another spring and summer.
I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, safe and peaceful holiday season.