Canada to start planning how it will make internet giants pay for news

Meta has already ended news sharing on its platforms while Google also plans to block news from search results

OTTAWA:

The Canadian regulator responsible for implementing the country's online news law on Thursday said it will start setting up a framework for negotiations between news organizations and internet giants this autumn, with the aim of initiating mandatory bargaining by early 2025.

Canada's Online News Act, part of a global trend to make tech firms like Alphabet's Google and Meta's Facebook pay for news, became law in June but has not yet come into effect.

Both companies have said the law is unworkable for their businesses, and Meta has already ended news sharing on its platforms. Google also plans to block news from search results in Canada before the law comes into effect.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has been tasked with finalizing rules, and will be the overseeing authority for negotiations between Canadian news publishers and online platforms.

The regulator will hold a public consultation regarding the framework for negotiations in autumn, CRTC said in a statement. It would recruit independent arbitrators next year.

The CRTC said it will publish the framework and code of conduct for the law in the summer of 2024, and mandatory bargaining can begin once eligible news organizations and arbitrators are in place by early 2025.