David Skinner's blog

There’s lots of celebration in the media about the supposed benefits that the recent spectrum auction will bring Canadian consumers in terms of cell phone and other wireless services, as well as speculation about what the federal government should do with the $4.25 billion in proceeds from the auction. But who really wins here? Read more »

CRTC hearings that started this week have the potential to radically alter both the structure and content of Canadian television. Read more »

Critics warned that allowing CanWest Global to partner with US based investment bank Goldman Sachs Group to buy out Alliance Atlantis would undermine the Canadian film and television industry. Now, only months after the deal was approved by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), those predictions are coming true. Read more »

In our submission to the CRTC’s Diversity of Voices hearing, Professor Robert Hackett of Simon Fraser University and I argue that government should not only cap concentration of ownership but that it should also actively encourage the creation of, and investment in, diverse avenues of expression, such as community and public media outlets. If you would like to read more, here’s our submission: Read more »

Perhaps the most pressing concern confronting new media regulation in Canada is “net neutrality.” In their efforts to wring further revenue from various products and services offered over the Internet, there is a danger that Internet service providers (ISPs) will shape traffic flow over their networks, blocking companies that offer competitive services access to their networks and prioritizing those that yield the best return to them. Given the already high degree of cross media ownership in Canada, the potential conflicts of interest in this regard are manifold. Read more »

After decades of struggle, a vibrant internationally acclaimed film and television production industry has finally been built in Canada. The main hurdles have been American distribution companies that for financial and cultural reasons are just not interested in Canadian films no matter how good they are, and the economics of Canadian television production which, in the face of an endless supply of cheap and heavily promoted American programming, makes Canadian programs a heavy financial burden – again, with few exceptions, no matter how good those programs may be. Read more »