I just think it's important for committee members to understand and appreciate that it was accommodating U.S. border stations that led to the copyright regime as we know it now, and Canadians benefited from that accommodation of U.S. border services. Unfortunately, it didn't go far enough, and we now find ourselves in a position where large distribution companies in Canada are benefiting.
I would also just like to highlight for committee members that it's a uniquely Canadian phenomenon we're experiencing now. People talk about the digital divide. We have the traditional media, and then we have new digital industry. Television broadcasting is part of the digital divide, and it's really important in Canada. Because we have a vertically integrated industry that owns the channels of distribution as well as the broadcasters, our local stations hemorrhage money, whereas in the U.S. they're independent and they're profitable. They're profitable because they have the ability to negotiate with their cable and satellite industries; they have the ability to leverage fees beyond advertising, and they have the ability to work with other stakeholders.
And it's only going to become more intense. As we complete the switch to digital broadcasting and next-generation TV comes online, we're seeing the ability to directly broadcast to mobile phones without data plans, and this is free television. Currently in the U.S. there is multicasting. Your local station will also provide you a movie channel, or a news channel, or something specific. It's only going to grow exponentially. However, in Canada, our consumers aren't receiving any of that benefit right now because we're letting the traditional cornerstone of our whole system wither on the vine. We think that by addressing.... The canary in the coal mine really is the right analogy, because the key to dealing with this is really dealing with broadcasters fairly. Sorry.
Thank you.