Is the state going to control streaming and podcasts?

There is dissatisfaction in the community with the introduction of mandatory registration.

On Friday evening, the Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) shocked the public with news of data collection. All podcasts and streaming services with annual revenues of CA$ 10 million or more will have to register in a specially created service and share certain data with the Canadian authorities. There is not much time for this — until November 28. Over the weekend, Canadians had time to decide on their attitude to this initiative, and it seems that many are not happy with it.

What data will be collected?

In the register, companies will have to provide a legal name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, as well as the types of services offered. This does not seem like much, and CRTC itself calls the registration quite a burden. However, the public already fears that this is only the first step towards more detailed reporting.

Thus, Professor Michael Gates of the Department of Internet Law at the University of Ottawa expressed alarm at the very fact of regulation:

"I think a lot of people take a look at this and feel like it's the thin edge of the wedge [and] that more regulation is on the way."

Jesse Brown, who runs the Canadaland podcast network about media, arts, culture, cooking, medicine and politics, agrees. CRTC order affects him directly — and promises unnecessary inconvenience.

What's all this for?

The move is part of the implementation of the Online Streaming Act, formerly known as Bill C-11, which came into effect in April. It supplements the Streaming Act by requiring streaming and online services like Netflix and Spotify to pay into the domestic media ecosystem. This is expected to eventually help local content, including music and TV shows.

However, the law does not say how exactly the support will be provided or what kind of content it will be. CRTC is in charge of solving this problem.

Separately, the C-11 notes that only large companies will be affected by the regulation. Social media users, including those who share podcasts through social platforms, do not have to register anywhere. Why? Because CRTC expects their revenues to clearly be below CA$ 10 million.

Industry giants will have to report on what content they offer and who subscribes. The new law also prohibits them from restricting access to users of certain ISPs.