The Hill Times published recently a policy briefing on AI & 5G. The issue discusses different challenges and more recent developments and considerations in Canada with regards to the next generation of mobile network technologies and AI. Along with others, I was invited to write an op-ed for this issue, which is accessible for subscribers here. In the op-ed I explain how the move to 5G is about to re-iterate existing problems the communication market experiences when it comes to citizens rights and diversity considerations. “The driver behind 5G is not to enable super-fast downloads of movies, so consumers can have a better experience. This is about enhancing industrial productivity and automation of services.” More speed means more data means more information, means more money, should mean better protection of privacy, guarantee of net neutrality and variety of offers and accessibility. In my piece, I argue that instead of driving 5G further very fast, it is time to step back for a moment or two, and think about how to not fall into the same structural pitfalls that technological innovation has been re-iterating for decades. The recent review of Canada’s Broadcasting and Telecommunications Regulatory Framework should not disregard the new pressures that 5G technology will impose on existing communication policies. Current policy frameworks have been challenged significantly by the big digital platform companies for over a decade and if policy-makers do not consider the new challenges to come due to 5G technologies, communication policy will continue to be dysfunctional in terms of acting on behalf of the public interest.
