[amitkgupta84]

The content producers (NHL) and publishers (Rogers) neither own nor operate the content distribution networks (ISPs). However they make commercial terms with each other to give one party exclusive rights to distribute the other party’s content via the ISPs, implying a restriction on how any other party (eg ordinary citizens) can use the ISPs. Since they don’t actually control the ISPs, they’re having the government enforce the terms of their commercial agreements against parties that weren’t part of them.

Doesn’t seem like this should be the role of government, but not surprising for Canada. On the spectrum of irrational distrust of government to irrational trust of government, any population is going to have a distribution. Canada skews towards greater trust of government, with more broad and intense irrational trust in government in the last few years than I’d ever noticed in the decades prior.

[unfocused]

You are incorrect. I’m going to assume you are not Canadian? Every Canadian knows that Rogers is an ISP, and so is Bell. Heck Rogers and Bell even have stakes in professional sports!

They are the 2 major telcos of Canada that all Canadians love to complain about.

I really don’t understand your last paragraph.

[ascagnel_]

> Heck Rogers and Bell even have stakes in professional sports!

Rogers and Bell own two of the most popular (if not the two most popular) teams in Canada -- Rogers owns the Leafs, Bell owns the Canadiens.

[amitkgupta84]

You're right about the first part. I actually am Canadian, though haven't lived in Canada for over a decade. Absolute brain fart on my part. If you asked me outside the context of this article what Rogers does, I would've listed cable, Internet, telephone provider before any of its media/publishing stuff, but got tunnel vision in the context of this article.

I forgot about the degree to which Rogers is vertically integrated (ISP, cable provider, landline and cell provider, TV stations, radio, partial ownership in all major sports teams, etc.) and the degree to which this is a duopoly with Bell in Canada. But it's no wonder they can get the courts to issues these orders against themselves (and their smaller competitors) to legitimize actions that protect their broader interests.

Weirder still is that Rogers has apparently sub-licensed the English-language broadcast of NHL in Canada to the state-owned broadcaster, CBC: https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/deal-gives-rogers-rights...

One hand washes the other.

[bregma]

Rogers and Bell are the two ISPs that between them control the Canadian ISP market. They also own the content publishers (the streaming services and networks) that send bytes over those cables, wires, and allocated public radio spectrum provided by the ISPs. They also own many of the Canadian sports teams that provide the content streamed by those bytes. The NHL is owned by the teams, hence controlled by Bell and Rogers.

What's going on is that the vertically-integrated entertainment/communications cartel is refining its regulatory capture through the judicial branch of of the Canadian government in order to launder artificial restrictions on competition at the expense of consumers and taxpayers. It's how they pay me my big fat dividend checks so I can contribute their massive quarterly profits through my taxes, since I don't watch sports.

[helloooooooo]

Rogers itself is an ISP. This order is Bell(also and ISP) targeting all other ISPs in the country.

Finally, I don’t get what purpose your final paragraph adds to the conversation? This is a court order. It has nothing to do with executive action from the government, rather a judge ruling that the ISPs must block pirated sports.

[mortenlwk]

Let's not be naiive here. The courts and the government are not totally disconnected. Everyone has at some point observed court rulings that they thought to have been impacted by political discourse. Instead of indulging myself into a loquacious sesquipedalian treatise on the nature of ethics and origin of judicial and political systems, I will, paraphrasing Hemingway, let go of my dick and just tell you what is there. The system is man-made and man controls every aspect of it. It is corrupt and everything is connected. This is obvious to anyone willing to step away from their ivory tower and just apply common sense.

I believe that last paragraph to be an observation that is obvious to most people.

[908B64B197]

> Canada skews towards greater trust of government, with more broad and intense irrational trust in government in the last few years than I’d ever noticed in the decades prior.

I mean didn't they just decide that the constitution not applies and start freezing bank accounts and detaining people for political speech the government didn't like?