The Ottawa Business Journal reported that a Harris Decima poll shows overwhelming support among Canadians for requiring Internet and wireless service providers to help finance production of Canadian digital media content.
Of course people would say that.
Until they stop to think about what it really means for ISPs and WSPs to provide financing for content.
Alan Goluboff, President of the Directors Guild of Canada is quoted in the press release saying:
ISPs and WSPs are as much ‘distributors’ of information and entertainment content as cable and satellite TV providers. They should be required to help fund Canadian digital media content in the same way that cable and satellite companies are required to financially support Canadian television programming. These companies are immensely successful and have ample resources to support the creation of Canadian content for new media.
The study was funded by the actors’ union (ACTRA), film producers (CFTPA), the directors guild, and writers guild (WGC).
Who do you think would actually foot the bill? Would it be the shareholders of the “immensely” successful companies or their consumers who pay the Canadian content surcharge?
I’m going to guess that if Canadians were asked “would you be willing to pay more for your internet and wireless service so that producers of Canadian content don’t have to produce economically viable content” the results of the poll would be somewhat different.
This smells a lot like a pitch for a hidden (or not so hidden) tax.
We know that Canadians think that wireless and internet service prices are too high as they are. Do we really need or want a new Content Access Fee added to our bills?
Let’s go back to the underlying premise itself.
Why don’t the Canadian content producers believe they can produce content that would attract advertisers or direct subscribers? Why are we starting with a presumption of a subsidy system to fund production of new media content?
What’s next? Preferential treatment of Canadian content on ISP networks?
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