The Canadian regulator responsible for implementing the country’s online news law announced that it will begin setting up a framework for negotiations between news organizations and internet giants in autumn. The aim is to initiate mandatory bargaining by early 2025.
The Online News Act, which requires tech firms like Google and Facebook to pay for news, became law in June but has yet to take effect. Google and Meta have both expressed concerns about the law’s feasibility for their businesses, with Meta already ending news sharing on its platforms. The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will oversee the negotiations and plans to hold a public consultation on the framework this autumn. The CRTC expects to publish the final framework and code of conduct in the summer of 2024, enabling mandatory bargaining to begin once news organizations and arbitrators are in place by early 2025.