The CRTC is in the midst of a one week recess in its New Media hearings, respecting the school break in the province of Quebec.
In many ways, this break also serves to separate the content creators, who were the main actors in the first weeks of the hearing, from the carriers who will be appearing next week.
This polarization helps to focus the discussion from those who seek funding to enhance Canada’s new media presence and the ISPs and wireless service providers who are being asked by some to contribute to a new media development fund because they carry new media content.
If the CRTC does decide that delivery of new media content is a form of broadcasting and decides to create a fund, the reality is that shareholders of ISPs and wireless carriers will not pay for it. You and I will see our rates increase. There can be little doubt that this will increase internet and wireless rates with a discrete line on the bill saying CRTC New Media Fee.
ACTRA says that a majority of Canadian support rates going up. Actually, here is how they said it:
We also believe the Canadian public favours such a levy. In a Harris-Decima Poll we commissioned last year, we found that 69% of Canadians believe that ISPs should be required to help fund the production of Canadian digital media content. 73% agree that WSPs should be required to contribute.
I’ll bet if you asked Canadians if they support someone else paying for to improve snow clearing, they would agree in those kind of numbers as well. ACTRA didn’t show how many Canadians agree that they want their own internet and wireless bills to go up. In the average connected household (say, one internet connection and 2-4 cell phones) we could be looking at at increases of $5 per month or more.
Where are the interventions from consumer advocates who claim rates are already too high? I don’t want to pay more. Anyone out there want higher rates for internet and mobile phone service? Canada’s arts community thinks 7 in 10 Canadians do.
Maybe it was the comedians among their members.
There can be little doubt that this will increase internet and wireless rates with a discrete line on the bill saying CRTC New Media Fee.
Really? This fee is already paid by all cable and satellite TV providers. They do not have a discrete line on the bill saying “CRTC Media Fee”. It would be quite cynical of the same companies to add such a line on their ISP bills — although, after Rogers hiked prices 3% to 9% right in the middle of a hearing in which it’s arguing consumers can’t afford a 3% price hike, cynicism does seem to be the order of the day!