The Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) wants the federal government to include Apple under the Online News Act.
The act, also known as Bill C-18, subjects Google and Meta to pay publishers to share their news content. Earlier this year, the federal government released draft regulations stating Google could contribute upwards of $172 million a year and Meta $62 million.
In response to the government’s consultation on the proposed legislation, CAB, representing TV and radio broadcasters, says other platforms besides Google and Meta impact Canadian news businesses.
As the National Post reports, the CAB gave Apple as an example. The company offers Apple News, which is free to access, and Apple News+, a subscription service that gives users access to written news content from various platforms.
“The CAB believes that such services should be scoped into the framework, rather than excluded up front,” the organization wrote.
Meta’s response to the act has been to stop Canadians from accessing news content on its platforms. Google has said it will follow suit.
The company reconfirmed the move earlier this month after the Liberal government proposed changes to the act to appease the tech giant. However, the company said the changes didn’t “sufficiently address the critical structural problems with C-18.”
A spokesperson for Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge told the National Post they received “hundreds” of submissions on the proposed legislation, which have yet to be made public at this time.
The Online News Act became law this year and the government will implement it by mid-December.
Via: National Post
