Remote working was supposed to be part of the future of work. As the pandemic forced many offices to transition to working from home, we asked if networks could handle the shift in online traffic. Many offices were completely closed during the first year or so following the declaration of a pandemic. It turned out that the networks performed pretty well. The future of work had arrived. And, a lot of people got used to the idea of working from home. Hours of commuting time were eliminated, as well as savings in travel costs and parking. Some people (and some jobs) adapted well to working from h ..read more

Maybe I am the naive one for expecting delegates at national political convention to produce thoughtful policy resolutions. Shame on me. At the recent Liberal Party convention, there were 24 policy proposals that earned majority delegate support as an “official party policy”. One of these, ranked tenth in priority, was entitled “Combatting Disinformation in Canada”. The policy requests “the Government explore options to hold on-line information services accountable for the veracity of material published on their platforms and to limit publication only to material whose sources can be traced ..read more

On July 25, just two months from now, applications and pre-auction deposits are due for Canada’s 3800 MHz spectrum auction. The list of applicants (and beneficial ownership and associated entities information) should be published by the end of July, and the finalized list of approved bidders will be released by mid-August. The auction is slated to begin October 24. The 3500 MHz and 3800 MHz spectrum bands are often characterized as “Goldilocks spectrum”, offering a balance between capacity and coverage. The propagation characteristics of such midband spectrum allow signals to travel for miles ..read more

On June 5, the International Telecommunications Society will host its next webinar, “Ethical AI Governance: Are Companies and Governments Ready for the AI Revolution?” The webinar is topical as many jurisdictions around the world explore legislation to control the deployment of artificial intelligence. The Government of Canada recently released “The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) – Companion document” about which Barry Sookman has written. For the past few years, I have been keeping current on issues relevant to telecommunications professions by virtual attendance at these ITS web ..read more

As Canada continues to push forward on its Digital Charter, I noticed an interesting thread looking at Florida’s proposed “digital bill of rights”. Ben Sperry, of the International Center for Law & Economics, writes: While it bills itself a “Digital Bill of Rights,” the Florida Senate Bill 262 could actually harm consumers and businesses online by substantially raising the costs of targeted advertising. For consumers, this would mean less “free” stuff online, as publishers switch from advertising-based to subscription-based models. For businesses, it would mean having less ability to targ ..read more

The expansion of Canada’s 5G networks represents a significant advancement in technology, unlocking transformation and opportunities in virtually every sector of the economy. Canada, like many other countries, has been anticipating the arrival of 5G, the fifth generation of wireless technology as it revolutionizes the way we communicate, work, and live. It is reasonable to explore why 5G is being termed a generational evolution. Since Canadians already had access to some of the world’s fastest 4G networks, it is difficult for many consumers to understand the need for the investments necessary ..read more

If you like stinky fish, you would probably like kippers. Personally, I like stinky fish. And, I love kippers. (For the record, I understand the Canadian Sardine Mackerel and Herring Association would prefer that we use the more politically correct term: “full flavoured fish”.) If you haven’t tried kippers – and it isn’t easy to find a place that serves them – let me describe them for you. Take a herring, a member of the clupea harengus stinkus family, and butterfly it. Then, make it smellier by smoking it. As a final touch, to add that extra bit of pungency, fry it. Serve the fried kippers on ..read more

As governments increase intervention in internet content and services, I wonder if sufficient regulatory humility being applied. A recent New York Times article noted, “As companies like Google and Facebook grew into giants in the early 21st century, regulators chose largely not to interfere in the still-young market for online services.” The concern was that regulatory intervention could restrict the development of innovative applications and new business models. What has changed? Many internet public intellectuals have long advocated for a free and open internet, which many interpreted as su ..read more

Affordability of telecom services is a major theme in the CRTC’s review of telecommunications in the far north. The far north is one of the only areas where broadband service is price regulated, and prices in many areas are substantially higher in the north than consumers typically pay in urban areas. Of course, prices for virtually everything are substantially higher in the north. For more than 15 years, I have been writing about the relationship between income and the adoption computers and broadband, observing as early as 2008 that the rate of adoption of broadband are as much an issue of g ..read more

The Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association announced it is rebranding itself, dropping the ‘wireless’ qualifier, explicitly expanding its scope to include wireline communications. Its new Twitter tagline reads “Dedicated to building a better future for Canadians through connectivity”. Welcome to the Canadian Telecommunications Association, a new name reflecting the organization’s broadened role. The Association promotes the “importance of both wireless and wireline telecommunications to Canada’s economic growth and social development, and the crucial role of ongoing investments by fa ..read more