By David Farrell
Spectrum auction raises record $8.9B
Canada's auction of 3500 MHz spectrum, which is key for next generation 5G networks, generated a record C$8.9 billion, with the country's three dominant telecom companies accounting for more than 80% of the amount raised.
Out of 1,504 available licenses, 1,495 were awarded to 15 companies, including 757 licenses to small and regional providers, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement on Thursday.
Preliminary results showed that BCE Inc spent C$2.1B, Rogers C$3.3B and Telus Corp C$1.9B. – David Ljunggren & Moira Warburton, Reuters
Michael Geist vs Steven Guilbeault, the latest round
Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault was recently asked about his plans to mandate licensing of links to news articles on social-media sites such as Facebook. While the policy is often referred to as a link tax, Mr. Guilbeault insisted that it was not a tax, stating “some people think every time the government acts, it’s a tax. What I’m working on has nothing to do with tax.” Instead of a government tax scheme, Mr. Guilbeault explained that he intends to have the Copyright Board of Canada set a fee for the links to articles, backed by government power to levy fines for non-payment.
Leaving aside the semantic debate over what constitutes a government tax, my Globe and Mail op-ed argues that the comments are notable because when it comes to addressing the concerns associated with the large technology companies, Canada should be working on taxation. Mr. Guilbeault has said his top legislative priority is to “get money from web giants,” yet rather than focusing on conventional tax policy, his preference is to entrench cross-subsidy programs that keep the money out of general tax revenues and instead allow for direct support to pet projects and favoured sectors.
Northern Canada may be a popular destination at the end of the world
Islands with low population density, particularly those with distinct seasonal changes, fared the best with New Zealand topping the list compiled by Global Sustainability Institute.
Iceland, U.K., Australia (specifically Tasmania) and Ireland made up the rest of the shortlist where it would be best for society to restart after a collapse.
Northern Canada, while not on the shortlist, could act as a “lifeboat” in the event of societal collapse due to climate change and extreme temperatures, but survival would rely on maintaining agriculture and renewable energy sources to keep the population alive. – Brooke Taylor, CTV News
Cancel culture chic is worrisome to the majority of US electorate, study shows
Religion and politics are never polite subjects to discuss in mixed company. But imagine if what most people consider to be merely a social faux pas became the reason you were fired from your job, sued, or had all of your personal information spread publicly on the internet. Simply because someone at the table disagreed with whom you voted for.
For most of American history, this response would be unfathomable.
But it happens every day.
Journalists and editors get fired for printing differing opinions—even if they don’t agree with that opinion themselves. Small business owners get sued or fined for following their conscience. Workers get fired for social media posts from their youth. Not even Abraham Lincoln is safe when the mob is on a warpath.
The danger and destruction of cancel culture is far-reaching and, if we aren’t careful, it could become a defining characteristic of American culture for posterity.
It’s a popular issue with the talking heads on cable news, but the Center for Excellence in Polling wanted to see what a diverse population of the United States thought of “canceling” people for their beliefs.
The results paint a very different picture than the woke elites would have you believe.
Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times
Started almost two decades ago with a stated mission to “provide information to Chinese communities to help immigrants assimilate into American society,” The Epoch Times now wields one of the biggest social media followings of any news outlet. – Brandy Zadrozny & Ben Collins, CNBC News
How to defend yourself against NSO spyware attacks
There may be no such thing as perfect security, as one classic adage in the field states, but that’s no excuse for passivity. Here, then, are practical steps you can take to reduce your “attack surface” and protect yourself against spyware like NSO’s. – The Intercept
CNN's interview with Tom Walker (aka Jonathan Pie) takes an unexpected turn, 11/19
