[Advisors] article re: the non-showing of CAP documentary

[James Van Leeuwen]

Marita,

I expect to see more behaviour like this from Canada's senior =
governments.

Their instinct is to defend their inaction and half measures, rather =
than commit to substantive action that would enable Canadians to fully =
capitalize on the opportunity.=20

As with our telecom industry, they have neither the strategic capacity =
nor the motivation to respond effectively and appropriately to the ICT =
Revolution and the massive development opportunities it offers.=20


Things would be different if we had more capable and visionary =
leadership in our senior governments.=20

Instead we have managerial leadership, and frankly, we have the =
leadership we deserve.=20

Our crippling apathy and complacency has caught up with us, and we =
really have nobody to blame but ourselves... present company =
notwithstanding.=20


The incentive for senior governments to respond effectively will be =
substantive political pressure from grassroots.

The incentive for industry to respond will be existential threats =
created by communities taking matters into their own hands.=20

Even then, industry's response will likely be counterproductive to =
everyone's better interests including their own.=20

I expect them to lobby for regulatory reforms that protect the duopoly =
status quo and prevent the emergence of real competition.=20

This is the U.S. industry's strategy, and they have now successfully =
lobbied nineteen State governments to hinder the emergence of community =
broadband initiatives:=20

http://www.muninetworks.org

This merely digs a deeper hole for communities in these States to climb =
out of, vis-a-vis realizing the economic and community development =
potential of of broadband.

Obama and the FCC aren't at all happy about this, but they don't control =
State-level Public Utility Commissions (PUCs) that oversee telecom =
infrastructure deployments.=20

(Be thankful we don't have the equivalent here in Canada)


That said, the U.S. industry's strategy will blow up in its face soon =
enough.=20

The strategy is a case study in socially irresponsible corporate =
conduct, and they are already on the radar screens of corporate =
responsibility watchdogs around the U.S.=20

Despite this, I expect Canada's industry to adopt a similar strategy =
focused on leveraging a captive regulator and all-too-compliant senior =
governments who seem eager to believe almost anything the industry tells =
them (because they just don't know any better).=20

They are literally banking on Canadians remaining complacent and =
apathetic.=20


In the meantime...

Investing time and effort in lobbying senior government offers little =
profit compared to investing time and effort in community initiatives.=20=


This is where meaningful change is taking place in Canada, and this is =
where I encourage all advocates to focus their investments.=20

JvL




On 2012-03-21, at 9:46 AM, Marita Moll wrote:

>=20
> Although the headline is a bit misleading, I think this is a fairly =
balanced story about the controversy over the CAP documentary that was =
not shown at the BC summit.  Just to add a bit more detail, the film was =
never banned at the Summit.  Even as the Summit was already underway, =
there were difficulties in finding a good time slot for the film.  So =
where and when it was to be shown was still up in the air when the =
surprising e-mail, asking that it not be shown, landed.  This was pretty =
shocking for everyone who knew about it.  It was an issue we were just =
unprepared to address in mid-conference like that. So, the e-mail had =
it's intended effect. Nothing was cancelled -- but nothing was offered =
either.
>=20
> Had this not happened, some of us probably would have got together, =
found a room, bought some popcorn and announced the showing -- which =
some people would have attended and enjoyed.  But it wouldn't have =
generated various requests for information from the press in Nova Scotia =
or an article like the one below.
>=20
> Talk about creating a crisis...................
>=20
>=20
>> =
<http://halifax.openfile.ca/halifax/text/film-free-internet-cap-sites-stif=
led-province>http://halifax.openfile.ca/halifax/text/film-free-internet-ca=
p-sites-stifled-province
>=20
>=20
> Marita
>=20
>=20
>=20
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