Scrambled Signals: Canadian Content Policies in a World of Technological Abundance

Having undergone a transformation from an era of a few channels broadcast over the air to hundreds of channels available via cable or satellite, Canada's broadcasting and telecommunications sector is on the verge of another tectonic shift, say the authors, of which Internet Protocol (IP) TV is an example. The transition from a "push" network, where entertainment choices were limited to those available at a given time, to a "pull" network, where content is available on demand, will render many current regulatory tools obsolete, they say. Ownership regulations and exhibition and expenditure quotas that mandate Canadian ownership of media and the percentage of Canadian content broadcast or purchased will be unenforceable online and should be abolished.