In his opening remarks to the Standing Committee, Dr. Michael Geist suggests that regulating user-generated content in the manner proposed by Bill C-10, An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts is entirely unworkable, a risk to net neutrality, and a threat to freedom of expression.
Dr. Geist emphasizes three major points in his opening remarks. First, he suggests that no other country in the world uses broadcast regulation in the manner being proposed by Bill C-10, making Canada a true global outlier. Second, there is no evidence of a discoverability problem for user-generated content. Third, the issue of excluding Youtube from the scope of the bill is open to considerable debate and was not even raised by CIMA in its written submission to the committee.
Read Michael Geist's full introductory remarks here.
Dr. Michael Geistis a Faculty member at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society, a Full Professor at the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section at the University of Ottawa, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and e-Commerce Law