Canada's brave new Internet world that might have been

Click here to visit a guide to hundreds of financial links!

Canada's brave new Internet world that might have been

By Richard Morochove

First published May 20, 1999

Last June the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced it would hold hearings on the role it should play in regulating new media, such as the Internet. This controversial move pit the government agency against the almost-united opposition of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and web developers.

Ultimately, the CRTC decided it would not regulate the Internet. However, I speculated on what regulations it might have put in place and came up with the following fantasy.

"Safe, homegrown Internet telecommunications. That's what we aim to deliver to all Canadians," said the CRTC's recently-appointed New Media Media Liason Officer, B. Reaux Crat.

Postings about the rumoured regulations were circulating in the newsgroup can.t.believe.it for weeks and I was eager to separate the fact from the fiction. Will Canadian web surfers really be taxed one cent for each web page viewed?

"It's not a tax. It's a levy. And it won't affect 90 per cent of Canadian Internet users, since there are basic monthly page allowances and essential information exemptions," said Crat. "It's really a very simple system."

Each Canadian Internet user will be able to view 10 web pages per day without charge, amounting to a total monthly quota of 300 pages. Page views in excess of 300 per month will be charged a levy of one cent per page by the ISP.

This levy will support the activities of CAIR (Centre for Addiction to Internet Research) and offset increased medical expenses that may result from prolonged Internet usage. Exempt are web sites that deliver essential public information, including all Canadian government sites, personal sites of Members of Parliament and candidates running for election.

The key to keeping track of this is a new generation of web browsers that will record and report on the web pages you visit.

"We've already asked Microsoft Canada and Netscape Canada to create special Canadian versions of their web browsers," said Crat. "The new browsers will provide a very attractive display consisting of a red maple leaf logo that screws around... I mean rotates, on a white background."

According to Crat, ISPs will monitor the browser reports to ensure Web surfers view a healthy amount of Canadian web content. Each month you'd be allowed to spend up to 49 per cent of your time, based upon your average usage in the past six months, on the generally U.S.-oriented dot com websites. You could spend as much time as you want visiting Canadian web sites.

A 100 point system determines if a website qualifies as Canadian content. Sites written by a Canadian earn 30 points. Artwork by a Canadian is also worth 30 points. HTML coding in Canada earns another 20 points. Finally, a site hosted on a Canadian server gains 20 points.

Sites scoring 70 points or more would be classified as CanWeb Prime, 50 points or more as CanWeb Basic. Sites with less than 50 points don't qualify as Canadian content. The CanWeb Prime or Basic logo must be displayed on the upper left hand corner of the home page where it will be recognized by the special web browser.

"Initially, we will not censor," said Crat. "However our policy will discourage the development of certain types of content. Adult sites that objectify women will be penalized 15 points on the CanWeb scale.

"We also wish to advance employment opportunities for Canadian models. If a minimum of 66 and two-thirds per cent of the digital photos on the site display our fine Canadian women, a 10 point bonus will be awarded. Internally, we refer to this as the Pamela Anderson bump-up."

Sites that promote Canadian activities and culture, such as sports sites devoted to hockey and lacrosse, receive 10 bonus points. However, sites related to U.S.-based sports such as baseball and basketball would not receive the bonus unless they refer to teams based in Canada. Toronto-based teams are not eligible.

The web isn't only static HTML pages. How will streaming media, such as real-time audio and video feeds from radio and television stations, be regulated on the Internet?

"Ah! This is much more difficult," said Crat. "New media feeds usually include American advertisements we want to replace with Canadian announcements, similar to how we handle cable TV.

"As you've no doubt noticed, broadcasters play commercials at annoying high sound levels, much louder than regular programming. We've developed software that will swap the original signal for a Canadian history moment, whenever the broadcast becomes annoying loud," said Crat.

"In our test lab the system works remarkably well, except for a tendency to cut out most songs by Alanis Morissette. We're working on a patch for this 'You Ottawa Know' bug."

Internet Service Providers must obtain a licence from the CRTC, for an annual fee of $1,000 plus $1 per month for each subscriber, to fund the Commission's New Media regulatory activities.

"Although we think most ISPs will pass on the $1 charge to subscribers, we believe this is a small price to pay, just three cents a day, to create a truly Canadian Internet," said Crat. CW

Richard Morochove, FCA, is a Toronto-based computer consultant.

Click here to visit a guide to hundreds of financial links!

Visit the ComputerWatch Archive to see more columns

Post any questions or comments about this article to Computer Watch WriteBack.