Back in the early 1990s when Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications acts were first enacted, Mike Myers and Dana Carvey’s Wayne’s World had just been released.
A few years earlier, when the Radio Communications Act was first implemented in 1985, Marty McFly had just travelled Back to the Future. If you weren’t able to catch either movie in theatres, you had to wait for them to be released on VHS.
These laws framing Canada’s communications sector have been remarkably resilient over the years – and flexible to changes in technology, consumer behaviour and competitive forces. This is all the more impressive when you realize these laws were enacted before the advent of the public internet, digital media and widespread wireless communications.
But this doesn’t mean an update isn’t needed. It is, and we are pleased to participate in the Expert Panel undertaking a review of this framework, tapped by the federal government to propose ways to modernize the legislation that takes into account the realities of Canadian consumers, businesses, artists and broadcasters.
If you would like to learn more about Rogers’ proposed amendments aimed at ensuring Canada maintains its world-class communications system, check out our full submission.