Ares Connect

The current election campaign has taken different shapes and the issue of digital policies has not been ignored. Technology writers and pundits have noted a couple of issues on the approach of the major parties on this important issue. What has been noted to be at play in these main political powerhouses is their devotion within their platform to have digital issues tackled, where the New Democratic Party and the Liberals have run different events concerned with digital policy. The trend has been an agreement on many an issue by mostly the main parties, each delivering surprises uniquely, offering a glimpse of the intensity of their distinct aspects of digital policy. General agreements by these parties fall in the area of telecom competition, security-privacy balance, copyright, Internet access and setting the price.

For the conservatives, their policy on digital platform seems to be lacking in details the other parties have in plenty, perhaps because of its track record in the last five years. A number of the positions are mostly geared towards showing their continual commitment to follow their clear course and promise of having rural broadband projects funded, opposing vocally the iPod tax implementation and gearing up towards copyright reform by having Bill C-32 re-introduced.

They have a surprise however; where as much of their emphasis has been on the Canadian economy, Conservatives have smoothly shifted from the economic aspects of digital platforms to concerns of digital security. A good example is the fact that the Tory seems to lack a lot to say on the prospect of having barriers of foreign ownership removed to suit the telecommunication companies or how they insinuate using the spectrum auction’s proceeds.

Rather, Tory seems to want spectrum set apart to the delight of first responders, emergency units and the police authorities, for example. With the spectrum said to be worth dollars in the hundreds of millions, the agencies will be needed to have the same amount of money to make use of it.

Conservatives have also renewed their commitment to have the police enjoy many new powers within the digital framework. A lack of specific reference seems to lurk in the scheme of the party. However, this has been included in its promise to have 12 bills associated with criminal justice passed in 100 days after Parliament has started its business, or at least have a minimum of two bills able to facilitate the police towards digital information access.

The Liberals on their part also have a couple of surprises to boot, for instance showing their willingness to move out of their uncertainty of several years and try out detailed positions of digital policy. The commitment of the Liberals is seen in their stand to use the spectrum auction proceeds specifically to cater for digital polices, that includes cultural funding and the expansion of rural broadband. They are uniquely the only party to set obvious targets towards the connectivity of broadband with their goals aimed at starting rather modestly, for example, within the first three years 1.5 Mbps and better speeds set to take effect by 2020.

Liberals on their part seems have an average detailed prescription on the issue of copyright reform that tells of their looming change to have Bill C-32 transformed. Inclusive in this is the expansion of the provision that describes fair dealing to have education included. However, they have put conditions on this that, “education” and “fairness” must be defined rather clearly. Another change is on the provision that describes digital lock to have it allowed to circumvent for purposes that are not infringing.

The New Democratic Party on its part has taken a rather surprising turn on digital issues. Of this, the party’s commitment to have a decade of new media and Canadian Internet policies transformed is the most significant. This also makes the New Democrats to stand at the top of the other parties in terms of aggressiveness on Internet pricing. It seeks to have practices of billing wholly based on usage banned at the wholesale and retail realm. The party also seeks to have a longstanding approach reversed on Internet regulation and that of telecom, by promising to have the CRTC directive of 2006 rethought so that it can be determined by market forces.

The New Democrats are also gearing their focus on the increase of regulation for Internet providers as well as internet video services. New Democratic Party is also alone in saying that it is considering having Netflix and other prolific video providers and ISPs contributing towards the support funding of Canadian content creation. New Democrats policies will require many reforms be initiated on the Broadcasting Act and compel CRTC to have its decision on new media reopened, seemingly offering a hands-off internet regulation path.

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