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By Canadian Press

Fight brewing at CRTC over first Online News Act payment by Google

Aug 8, 2024 | 2:29 PM

OTTAWA — A new fight is playing out at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission over the first $100-million annual payment Google agreed to pay Canadian news outlets.

The group tasked by Google to distribute the money to news outlets has submitted plans for its governance structure to the CRTC.

If the regulator is satisfied with those plans, it will grant Google an exemption from the Online News Act, which will trigger the payments.

But some news outlets say the plan put forward is incomplete, and fear that revising it would delay the payment.

Groups representing the news outlets want Google to pay by the end of the year, and disburse the funds through an accounting firm while the permanent plan is fleshed out.

Google says it shouldn’t have to begin making payments until it receives a full exemption from the law.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press