Canada: Mobile TV to stay unregulated

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ruled that TV broadcasted to mobile phones and similar devices is exempt from federal regulation because the Internet-based services fall under regulations written in 1999. The CRTC said it would rather "promote innovation in delivering television to Canadians." Bell Mobility, Rogers Wireless and Telus Mobility have already teamed up with MobiTV to offer mobile TV over the Internet. While the commission indicated that mobile TV delivered via emerging technologies like MediaFLO, DVB-H and DMB should also be regulation-free, it's asking for Canadians' input on the issue in case an exemption should be made. The deadline for interested parties to submit comments is May 12.

Interestingly, the country's actors' union ACTRA is frustrated by the ruling: "The CRTC's hands-off approach with digital media is putting Canada's cultural future at risk" by flooding Canada with more U.S. television programming. The CRTC attempted to quell the union's fears: "If one begins to see that half the [television] viewing is done on [mobiles] rather than 0.01 per cent, then at that stage there may be something to look at."

For more on Canada's regulation of mobile TV:
- take a look at this article from The London Free Press
- also see the CRTC's press release