Interference by PMO emboldened Netflix against broadcast regulator: experts
Posted September 23, 2014 11:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS1130) – Experts say a move by Netflix to defy the will of Canada’s broadcast regulator calls into question its very authority to institute any rules governing Internet-based video service providers.
The Prime Minister’s Office is being blamed for forcing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission into a corner.
Netflix has told the CRTC it won’t turn over sensitive corporate information, despite being ordered to do so at a hearing last Friday.
The online video streaming company says it doesn’t have guarantees that the subscriber and programming information will be kept secret.
Perhaps more importantly, Netflix says it does not recognize the CRTC’s authority over it under the Broadcasting Act.
Industry watchers are torn over whether the defiance will lead to a court battle.
