I was recently interviewed by the Washington Internet Daily about the creation of Online Rights Canada. The article appears today but is subscription only – here’s what I was quoted as saying:
Unlike the U.S., Canada has few public-interest organizations on telecom, IP, Internet, privacy and related matters, Hyndman told Washington Internet Daily. Lobbying by “moneyed interests” in Canada has more influence on policy-makers, and CIPPIC, the best-known group, is “terrific… but needs help,” he said. Further, Canadians have a cultural history of “respecting and deferring to our governments perhaps more than you do in the U.S.,” and the country’s media and telecom industry is more concentrated, he said: “The development of transparent, grassroots, public organizations that have the expertise and funding to participate vigorously in this debate is fundamental to ensuring that the debate is full.”
