Other noteworthy regulatory developments week ending 16 April 2021 from the Assembly Analyst team
In Australia, Google was found to have misled consumers about the way in which it collects and processes users’ location data. The competition authority, the ACCC, reported that the Federal Court has upheld the action it took against Google in October 2019. Google did not tell users about all the settings through which data collection was enabled on Android devices, making them believe that ‘Location History’ was the only way collection was happening. The ACCC Chair considered this as “an important victory for consumers”.
In the US, the FCC is asking Americans to make use of its speed test app to measure their broadband speeds. The FCC is embarking on an effort to collect as much data as possible about the availability of broadband throughout the country, and plans to use the results of speed tests to challenge the maps operators will submit once its Broadband Data Collection System becomes available. In recent months, the FCC had to come to terms with the clear discrepancy between the data it has available about broadband coverage and real-life experiences of Americans not able to access connectivity.
In Canada, the regulator CRTC is mandating wholesale access remedies on the country’s MNOs, in an effort to spur competition in the market. Bell-Mobility, Rogers, and Telus will have to grant access to MVNOs under terms set by the CRTC, although prices will be left to commercial negotiation. The regulator is also mandating “seamless” national roaming between MNOs, to prevent service outages.
