Internet video, music services must pay up to save Canadian content, CRTC says


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The national broadcast regulator says online giants like Netflix and Spotify should be forced to open their wallets to pay to create local content before Canadians see losses of jobs, services and content.


The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission says in a new report the federal government should consider regulating any online video or music service, no matter where they are located.


The report says the proposed system would generate new revenue to save things like local news and reduce the pressures on federal coffers that would be financially unsustainable under the current model, which wasn’t designed for the digital age.


The CRTC says deregulation, or applying the existing regulatory system to online services, wouldn’t help navigate the digital disruption shaking the broadcasting and production industries.


Consumers aren’t expected to see major changes on their bills, but internet service providers and companies like Netflix might find themselves facing a new levy if the government adopted all the recommendations in the report.


The Liberals asked the CRTC for the report as it prepares to review federal laws overseeing television, radio and online services.

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