The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition that a pro-market think tank has called for sweeping reforms to the institution that regulates broadcasting and the telcos as the feds seek opinions on how to overhaul Canadian-content policy for the digital era. The Post's Emily Jackson writes the CRTC's mandate should be updated to limit what the regulator can do in a marketplace that vastly changed since its creation nearly 50 years ago, a report by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute argues. It suggests that the CRTC kill Canadian-content requirements for all broadcasters except the CBC/Radio Canada; defer to the Competition Bureau to avoid duplication on rulings on anti-competitive conduct, protecting consumers and reviewing mergers; combine several acts that govern broadcasters and the telcos; and generally get out the way on issues such as skinny TV packages. "The CRTC's regulatory decisions have often become inconsistent, heavy-handed, and counterproductive," the report states. "Regulating how much Canadian content is shown on traditional over-the-air television when Canadians are spending roughly one-third of a day per week watching Internet-based content, for instance, seems like a losing battle."
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