Editor’s note: This post has been updated to specify which consultation received a comment deadline extension.
OTTAWA – The CRTC announced Friday it is granting, in part, a request by a group of 12 organizations to extend the deadline to submit comments to one of three consultations on the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.
The commission pushed back the deadline to comment on its consultation for a flexible approach to Canadian contributions from online programmers from June 27 to July 11, while replies have been adjusted from July 12 to July 26. The dozen groups, which includes a labor union, a legal clinic and public interest groups, filed the request on May 19 asking for extensions to July 28 and September 1, respectively.
“Commission…finds that an extension shorter than that requested by the co-applicants would help to avoid any significant delays to the proceeding initiated by the Notice,” the CRTC said. “In the Commission’s view, a two-week extension for both the submission of interventions and the submission of replies would be appropriate.”
However, the commission did not budge on the two other consultations that will define which online undertakings must register with the CRTC and what to do about the existing digital media exemption order. It had set a deadline of June 12 on questions of which online services should register with the regulator and what it should do about the digital media exemption order that has previously allowed online outfits to avoid Canadian content obligations. The groups had asked for extensions into July for those.
The CRTC said the reason it won’t extend the deadline is because those consultations are “industry focused and relatively narrow in scope.”
The CRTC requested comment on the extension request and subsequently fielded comments in support. The groups complained that they wouldn’t have time to provide a fulsome response in time and wouldn’t have the benefit of the outstanding policy directions from the Canadian Heritage department to guide their submissions.
“The Commission notes that it has no control over the timing of the publication of any finalized policy direction that may be issued by the Governor in Council. However, as the proposed policy directions were published on 8 June 2023, interested persons do have the ability to take the proposal into account when completing their interventions,” the CRTC said.
On Thursday, Heritage released its proposal for the policy directions to the CRTC on implementing the legislation. The department outlined a need for the regulator to ensure that it excludes social media content, supports Canadian content discoverability, allow for regulatory flexibility on CanCon contributions, and redefine how it view Canadian programs.
A final version of the policy directions is expected to be published this fall after a 45-day consultation period.
