Media Regulation

Media Regulation

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To find success in the communications and media sectors—locally, regionally or globally—you need a partner who understands the pace of change in the industry and knows the decision- and policy-makers who matter.

Dentons has the sectoral experience and fully integrated team to help you navigate the policy and regulatory issues in this fast-moving industry involving:

Traditional radio and television broadcast media
Retransmitters (DTH/DBS, cable, SMATV, IPTV)
Video-on-demand, gaming and other content providers
Carriers, resellers, MVNO and VoIP providers
Satellite operators, broadband and Internet access providers
Equipment manufacturers

Our seasoned advocates and regulatory specialists deliver seamless, effective advice, including:

Advocating for legislative or policy changes through legislative, government relations and public consultation processes, including copyright, competition, antitrust and foreign ownership matters
Advising on spectrum allocations, spectrum auctions, domestic licensing and approvals, access to support structures and rights-of-way, local land-use and other, relevant regulatory matters
Assessing and responding to regulatory and policy initiatives and damaging decisions
Designing compliance programs for human safety standards, anti-corruption, import and export controls, privacy, public safety requirements, and network and national security requirements
Securing governmental, regulatory, competition and antitrust law clearances in connection with mergers, acquisitions, public offerings, financings and infrastructure projects, and public-private partnership (P3) projects

Experience

Al Jazeera: Advising on a broad number of matters and regulatory issues such as the extension of its multiplex carriage agreement with Arqiva, enabling its international English-language news channel, Al Jazeera English, to begin broadcasting 24-hours daily on Freeview and, in the U.S., a carriage agreement enabling the 24/7 distribution of Al Jazeera English in the New York metropolitan area via Verizon FiOS and Time Warner Cable, as well as various pay per view agreements for Al Jazeera Sports.
Chinese-based purchaser: Advising a China-based corporation in the proposed acquisition of the business assets of Rainmaker Animation Inc., a Canadian public company operating an animation studio in Vancouver, B.C. This included settling undertakings under the Investment Canada Act with Canadian Heritage and obtaining Ministerial approval of the acquisition.
Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC): Advising the Saudi Arabian telecommunications regulator on a major program to reform the regulatory framework for communications in Saudi Arabia. The reforms focus on liberalizing measures, strengthening competition, introducing new operators (including MVNOs) and streamlining telecom licenses to promote service innovation and respond to convergence.
Facebook: Representing in a variety of proactive educational and government relations initiatives involving issues such as privacy and child protection. We also advise the company in the development of its strategy relating to inquiries from state attorneys general offices.
International distributor: Advising on the format licensing, development, production, financing and distribution of the television series The Real Housewives of Vancouver.

Insights

Canada's Online Streaming Act receives Royal Assent: Implications and next steps

May 1, 2023

The Broadcasting Act has been amended to clarify that it applies to online streaming and on-demand services and to add online undertakings as a distinct class of broadcasting undertaking subject to regulation by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Online platforms’ regulatory trends to watch in 2022: New obligations on the horizon for media services

January 17, 2022

In recent years, services and media content available online have evolved and proliferated to a point where governments around the world are now seeking to subject them to more detailed and comprehensive regulation. These are invariably attempts to catch up with current technologies and business models, and establish regimes that will better stand the test of time. Canada’s efforts are playing out in proposed amendments to the Broadcasting Act and the Copyright Act.

Top 10 IP and TMT CJEU judgments of 2020

January 29, 2021

European Union: The whirlwind that was 2020 brought about an abundance of significant judgments from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the area of intellectual property, technology and data protection.

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News and Events

Recent Press Releases

Zdeněk Kučera and his TMT team join Dentons in Prague

March 1, 2022

Global law firm Dentons has strengthened its capabilities in the technology and communications sectors with the recruitment of Zdeněk Kučera as a partner and Head of the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) group in Prague. He joins with his team of three associates: Štěpánka Havlíková, Blanka Crháková and Jiří Maršál.