Tuesday, June 4 was another strong day at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit, wrapping up with a Regulatory Blockbuster that was among the liveliest in a few years, despite (or perhaps because) the panel never got past its first topic – MVNO policy.
On Monday June 3, 2019, these observations were part of the opening remarks, delivered by Michael Sone and me, at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit:
We are indeed living in heady times. The pace of technological change in networks, in devices, in computing power – it’s almost trite to say – is beyond astounding.
Last year from the podium I remarked that we humans are very good at building dynamic algorithms, designing smarter systems, and miniaturizing the heck out of everything, to make our lives more convenient & productive, and wring ever-greater efficiencies out of our hectic routines. But has all this convenience, efficiency and productivity made us happier? Does being able to do more, and do it more quickly in a furious state of hyper-connectedness bring us greater satisfaction? Are the things that really matter to us – our family and community relationships – enhanced because of unprecedented advances in ICT?
Ever since the advent of the nuclear age in the 1940s, it has been eminently clear that we are decidedly less competent at dealing with the ethical ramifications of what our big brains and prodigious intellect are able to invent. We are masters of design & innovation, but often ham-fisted when it comes to handling unintended consequences.
It should be obvious that with every advance in technology, we face difficult choices. The commercialization of the Internet 20 years revolutionized human interaction, yet also brought with it challenges of security & privacy that were under-appreciated at the time, yet are all-too-obvious today. And we’re playing catch-up.
On the one hand, technology allows us to harness systems that invest more power in our hands as consumers, yet that same technology forces us to make tough choices. We want the benefits of on-line everything but we don’t want Google to track us. Or perhaps some of us do. We want to post the significant and the mundane details of our lives on FB, but bristle at the power that Mark Zuckerberg commands and the often poisonous environment that pervades much of social media. Many have no doubt concluded that they have sold their souls to the digital devil.
As the French philosopher, Rene Descartes said: “The greatest minds are capable of the greatest vices as well as of the greatest virtues”. I thinks this sums up nicely what we have before us.
And the overriding question we continually face are we prepared to sacrifice our autonomy on the altar on innovation?
Today, we are at the cusp of a revolution that is ushering in the era of Artificial Intelligence, video analytics and next generation robotics. Self-driving vehicles have moved out of the laboratory and onto the streets. All has not gone smoothly. While pursue these things with gusto we necessarily must take a step back and consider and debate what we have wrought.
And that’s some of what we’re going to do here at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit.
Last year, I said “It is challenging to be in a business that is constantly in transition, requiring continuous investment in new technology and continually facing disruptive threats.” Those words are even more true today.
Next week marks 27 years since Canada endorsed a policy of encouraging facilities-based competition. And 13 years ago, at The 2006 Canadian Telecom Summit, then Minister Maxime Bernier issued a Policy Direction to the CRTC directing it to “rely on market forces to the maximum extent feasible as the means of achieving the telecommunications policy objectives, and when relying on regulation, use measures that are efficient and proportionate to their purpose and that interfere with the operation of competitive market forces to the minimum extent necessary to meet the policy objectives.”
Innovation Minister Bain’s proposed Policy Direction was Gazetted earlier this year on March 9 and the Act requires 40 sitting days of either House of Parliament before it can be finalized. The countdown brings us to this week.
As I said last year, I was not convinced the CRTC complied with a rigorous adherence to the Bernier Policy Direction with some of its decisions; a valid question might be “how will the CRTC respond over the next decade?”
Personally, I’m not convinced that increased regulation can deliver more competition. To me, that is an oxymoron. But we will have plenty of opportunities to discuss such matters over the coming days. I suspect we will also be talking about Canada’s Digital Charter, launched by Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains just a week and a half ago. As I wrote on its release, the Digital Charter raises the level of dialog on some very substantive issues. Not everything has been figured out, but that just means there will be good reasons to continue to get together at events like The Canadian Telecom Summit to help resolve the issues. Minister Bains will be our closing speaker on Wednesday. So I guess we have 2 days to get it all worked out.
And now, it is time to look at Converging networks: a foundation for innovation leadership, the theme of this year’s conference.
Some of the most influential leaders of the Canadian & International ICT industry will gather in Toronto next week at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit.
No other event matches The Canadian Telecom Summit for the depth and breadth of topics covered and issues debated.
No other event presents as complete a picture of current and expected trends & developments.
You will see why The Canadian Telecom Summit has become the only must-attend conference for service providers, hardware and software suppliers, regulators, professional services organizations, the financial community and other industry professionals.
With more opportunities than ever to learn, network and do business, if you are involved with or impacted by Canadian telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology, you need to be at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit.
Join your colleagues for 3 days of spirited discussion and outstanding networking opportunities, including our Monday evening Cocktail Reception.
The 10 principles set out in the Digital Charter are aimed at restoring and building “public trust in the data and digital environment”:
Universal Access: All Canadians will have equal opportunity to participate in the digital world, and the necessary tools to do so – including access, connectivity, literacy, and skills.
Safety and Security: Canadians will be able to rely on the integrity, authenticity and security of the services they use and should feel safe online.
Control and Consent: Canadians will have control over what data they are sharing, who is using their personal data and for what purposes, and know that their privacy is protected.
Transparency, Portability and Interoperability: Canadians will have clear and manageable access to their personal data and should be free to share or transfer it without undue burden.
Open and Modern Digital Government: Canadians will be able to access modern digital services from the Government of Canada, which are secure and simple to use.
A Level Playing Field: The Government of Canada will ensure fair competition in the online marketplace to facilitate the growth of Canadian businesses and affirm Canada’s leadership on digital and data innovation, while protecting Canadian consumers from market abuses.
Data and Digital for Good: The Government of Canada will ensure the ethical use of data to create value, promote openness, and improve the lives of people – at home and around the world.
Strong Democracy: The Government of Canada will defend freedom of expression and protect against online threats and disinformation designed to undermine the integrity of elections and democratic institutions.
Free from Hate and Violent Extremism: Canadians can expect that digital platforms will not foster or disseminate hate, violent extremism or criminal content.
Strong Enforcement and Real Accountability: There will be clear, meaningful penalties for violations of the laws and regulations that support these principles.
ISED intends for the Digital Charter to set a standard against which the government will measure the modernization of Canada’s privacy laws, competition rules and government programs. The Charter also contains principles intended to address Government digital services, disinformation, as well as hate speech and violent extremism online. These latter elements may prove to be the most controversial elements, as the government wrestles with limits on Canadian speech freedoms.
Among the planned reforms are a modernization of Canada’s privacy law, PIPEDA – The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, with measures intended to address issues around privacy, security, algorithmic transparency, consent, control of data, and enforcement. The Government is understood to be considering how to modernize its 20-year old policy and regulatory framework to protect privacy while supporting innovation. At the same time, the Minister appears to have recognized the administrative burden for small and medium sized companies (SMEs) compared to large corporations who have more resources to dedicate to compliance. ISED is proposing to simplify personal information protection requirements, so that SMEs are not disadvantaged while ensuring individuals’ personal information is still protected.
An initiative being led by the Department of Justice and the Treasury Board Secretariat is studying potential reforms to the Privacy Act, which governs the handling of personal information by federal institutions.
The Minister may want to look at whether Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL) warrants a fresh look, in view of its administrative burden and whether its restrictions are contributing to or detracting from competitiveness in a digital economy.
Nine years ago, the Harper government launched a consultation for a national digital strategy, with Industry Minister Tony Clement, and Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Diane Finley, joining Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages James Moore for a process that dragged on for 4 years, culminating in the release of what I have called a pamphlet, not a national strategy.
The Digital Charter will raise concerns from a variety of quarters as Canada navigates the issues associated with government intervention on speech freedoms, whether it is the role of government in moderating content it considers to be ‘disinformation’ or applies hard restrictions on hate speech and extremism. These are important matters to be discussed and debated meaningfully. As such, it is encouraging to see the Digital Charter raise the level of dialog on such substantive issues.
Minister Bains will be delivering the closing keynote address at The 2019 Canadian Telecom Summit, taking place June 3-5 in Toronto. Have you registered yet?
