Steve Anderson's blog

On May 10, 2010, the federal Minister of Industry announced a Digital Economy Consultation to help prepare a Digital Strategy for Canada. OpenMedia.ca has been critical of the narrowness of this consultation process. We did, however, want to make sure the government heard your voice. Since the government chose to ground the consultation in the economy rather than society at large, we made a submission putting an economic argument to support Net Neutrality - find it HERE

As we're thrust into a digital era, many of us have come to realize the importance of citizen-centered media and communications. For me personally, I'm driven by the belief that we need a media system that maximizes our opportunities for free expression, collaboration and sharing exciting new ideas. It's through this free flow of ideas that we come across insights and innovations we can't even imagine yet; it's through this free flow of ideas that we keep open the possibility of a better society.

Collaborated article with OpenMedia.ca colleague, Reilly Yeo

Find this article in The Tyee, rabble.ca, VUE Weekly, and Common Ground.

You probably haven't heard about it, but as you read this, the government is in the final days of its effort to gather input from Canadians about the country's digital future. On May 10, at a major conference with tiered levels of access to leaders in industry and government, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced a 60-day consultation on a digital economy strategy.

The consultation will run until July 9, and will inform government policy around key issues such as media ownership, internet openness, broadband access, cell phone rates and competition, support for digital media production and much more. Clement's choice to announce the consultation at an industry conference seems appropriate considering what key documents reveal about its intended audience.

Collaborated article with Anita Krajnc

Find this article in The Tyee, rabble.ca, and Common Ground.

A year ago, OpenMedia.ca and Canadians for Al Jazeera, along with several other groups, rallied people from across Canada to contact the CRTC in support of Al Jazeera English's (AJE) application to broadcast in Canada. Of the approximately 2,800 public comments submitted to the CRTC, all were in favour of bringing the broadcaster to Canada, except 40 parties who filed comments in opposition.

Last fall, open media advocates celebrated the approval of the AJE application. The CRTC directly cites the citizen input it received to back up its decision, showing once again that we can push the regulator to do the right thing.

While Canadians looked forward to accessing this new independent public broadcaster, many worried that AJE would be unable to convince cable and satellite companies to carry the station. After a much anticipated wait, AJE officially began broadcasting on Bell TV, Rogers, and Vidéotron, on May 4, 2010. The best offering is from Videotron, which is giving customers a three month free preview of AJE from May 4 to August 4, and offering AJE in every package. Cable and satellite customers can learn more on how to order the new channel by visiting IWantAJE.net.

The good news:
Shaw has agreed to give all of its customers a free preview of AJE until August 31st.

They are also promoting the channel through their website.

That covers three of the tasks from our campaign, but leaves one to go.

The bad news:
After the promotion Shaw is only making AJE available if subscribers order it and pay an extra $2.95 a month.

Al Jazeera's coverage provides a unique take, more context and deeper analyses that is important for North American and Canadian audiences. The network's stated objective is "to give voice to untold stories, promote debate and challenge established perceptions."