Online Undertakings Registration Rules

Summary#

The Online Undertakings Registration Regulations require people who run online broadcasting undertakings covered by the Broadcasting Act to tell the regulator about their service. The rule came into force on September 29, 2023 and sets deadlines and the basic information operators must give the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

What it does#

• Requires an operator of an online undertaking covered by the Broadcasting Act to register with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission within 30 days after they start operating.
• Lists the basic information that must be provided on registration, including:
  • the online undertaking’s name;
  • the operator’s name and contact details (mailing address, phone number and email);
  • contact-person details if different from the operator’s;
  • where the operator is incorporated or formed and the location of the head office; and
  • the broadcasting services offered by the online undertaking.
• Allows the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to ask for more information if a registration is incomplete or incorrect; operators must provide the requested information “as soon as feasible.”
• Requires operators to update any changed registration information within 30 days of the change.
• Requires an operator to request deregistration within 30 days after they stop carrying on the undertaking. The Commission may also deregister an undertaking if it cannot verify the operator still runs it after trying to contact them.
• All submissions must be sent electronically in the format the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission specifies.
• Gives existing operators who were already operating before the rules came into force 60 days from September 29, 2023 to submit their initial registration.

Who's affected#

• People or organizations that “carry on an online undertaking to which the Broadcasting Act applies.”
• The rules do not list specific platform names. It is therefore the operator (person or entity) running an online broadcasting-type service covered by the Act who must register. If it’s unclear whether a given service is covered, the source does not resolve that uncertainty.

Why it matters#

• The rules create a simple public record so the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission knows who is operating online broadcasting services and how to contact them.
• New online broadcasters must act quickly (within 30 days) to register. Existing ones had a one-time 60-day window after September 29, 2023.
• For operators, this is an administrative step they must follow to comply with the Broadcasting Act; for the public, it means regulators will have basic contact and service information for online broadcasters.