#CHEGADEBARREIRAS

The Issue

In 2011, the former President of Brazil – Lula – signed a law prohibiting telecommunications companies from owning at the same time both the production and distribution of audiovisual content in Brazil.

Unreasonable and undermining the freedom of the consumers choice from the beginning, this law also did not follow the evolution of streaming technologies and the growth of digital media distribution markets.

The integration of telecommunications, advertising, TV operators, internet giants and the entire digital world is a clear and growing trend all over the world, but in Brazil, the synergy of those markets was prevented from deepening due to unclear and anti-consumer choice regulations.

Fast forward to 2019 and the archaic regulation of the Brazilian TELCO market got even worse, threatening to have channels belonging to TimeWarner (p.e Warner Channel) cancelled due to its merger with AT&T (which, in Brazil, controls Sky – the PayTv Provider). The group FOX was also prohibited of selling its channels, programs and other products directly to the consumer.

Observing since the beginning the threat to free market and consumer choice on the Pay Tv market in Brazil, the Consumer Choice Center was called to act by the Brazilian consumers. We believed it was important that policymakers and the laws itself should have adapted to a new, digital world and implemented strategies and structures that made room for the digital markets, giving more freedom of choice to the consumers.

CCC’s Response

Back in June 2019, the Consumer Choice Center started mobilizing consumers and the civil society with the Chega De Barreiras campaign, which brought together online and in-person media strategies.

The landing page Chegadebarreiras.org contained information about the issue to the general public. Our policy paper “How to Prepare Brazil for a Digital Future?” was distributed among policymakers in Brasilia and other stakeholders. Social media posts and videos were created to mobilize and create empathy from consumers.

We successfully showed consumers in Brazil that their freedom of choice in particular their freedom to choose what and where to watch content was being threatened by a outdated law that did not fit the current model of digital market and content distribution. The campaign resonated with millions of people.

In addition to targeting and mobilizing consumers, our Managing Director Fred Roeder and our Brazilian Affairs Manager Andre Freo visited Brasilia, and they spoke with dozens of congressmen and members of the regulatory agency ANATEL arguing about the importance of repealing article 5 of the SEAC law (Audiovisual Communication Services Conditioned to Access Law) and the benefits for consumers and the free market. They spoke with deputies, senators and advisers of the Regulatory Agency, presenting the report and the barriers that the bureaucracy of the law created for the very development of the production and commercialization of audiovisual content in Brazil.

The Impact

Due to the work of the Consumer Choice, the Chega de Barreiras campaign reached more than 4 million people, with a high level of engagement. Our message resonated with consumers in Brazil.

This victory was consolidated in early February, when, in a historic voting, ANATEL’s board of directors relaxed the law and allowed the merger and operation of TimeWarner & AT&T in Brazil ruling it was not against Article 5 of the SeAC Law, opening precedent for new similar rulings on this subject.

Finally after 8 months of consumer activism, the Consumer Choice Center managed to be an integral part of this change ensuring that consumers in Brazil continued to have access to quality and diverse audiovisual content and even opening space for Brazil to break down more barriers to a bigger, better and stronger free market.

In Ontario, it was previously prohibited for legal documents to be virtually commissioned, or notarized online. At the end of 2019, the Ontario Government asked for consultation on the allowance of both virtual commissioning, and online notarization. In January of 2020, the Province announced changes to the Notaries Act, specifically legalizing both changes to Ontario’s legal system. In the announcement, Ontario’s Attorney General Doug Downey quoted the Consumer Choice Center’s David Clement. Specifically, he quoted the following:

“Allowing for virtual commissioning and notarizing is a positive step for those using legal services. Permitting virtual commissioning and notarizing ultimately makes the system more consumer friendly and more responsive. From a consumer standpoint, this is a welcomed change.”

David Clement, North American Affairs Manager, Consumer Choice Center

The Consumer Choice Center is pleased with Ontario’s commitment to making commissioning and notarization more consumer friendly. 

The Issue

In 2017, the Ontario Liberal government proposed to slowly roll out government owned, and government run, cannabis stores. Under that plan there would be no private retail at all for cannabis in Ontario, making the market highly regulated and unfairly funded by citizens.

The CCC’s Response

In the 2018 general election, the Liberals were swept from power. The Consumer Choice Center took this opportunity to showcase to the new Conservative government the issues and risks for consumers if the government were to only allow for government owned cannabis retail outlets. David Clement, our North America Manager, wrote an op-ed in the Globe and Mail, and did several media appearances arguing that the government to change course, and go with a private, uncapped, retail market for cannabis sales.

The Impact

As a result, David Clement was invited by the government to testify on the regulations in front of the legislatures’ social committee. In that testimony, he passionately advocated for private uncapped retail and its benefits for consumers.

As a result, David Clement was invited by the government to testify on the regulations in front of the legislatures’ social committee. In that testimony, he passionately advocated for private uncapped retail and its benefits for consumers.

The Attorney General of Ontario then announced on the floor of the legislature that the province would be moving forward with a private, uncapped, retail market for cannabis. The Attorney General quoted our North America Affairs Manager, David Clement, and the work of the Consumer Choice Center, in the justification for going with the uncapped model.

There were a few hiccups, and the Government backtracked a bit during this process. They started with a lottery process to give out licenses for retail stores. We were once again doing media appearances asking for the government to keep their word, and move forward with their original plan. We were published in the Globe and Mail saying the government should end the lottery system.

Finally, at the end of 2019, the government announced that as of January 1, 2020, they would be moving forward with an uncapped private system.

To this day, the Consumer Choice Center remains vigilant of the government and the Ontario Province in order to protect and defend consumers’ choice and the free market.

As a result, David Clement was invited by the government to testify on the regulations in front of the legislatures’ social committee. In that testimony, he passionately advocated for private uncapped retail and its benefits for consumers.

The Attorney General of Ontario then announced on the floor of the legislature, that the province would be moving forward with a private, uncapped, retail market for cannabis. The Attorney General quoted our North America Affairs Manager, David Clement, and the work of the Consumer Choice Center, in the justification for going with the uncapped model.

There were a few hiccups, and the Government backtracked a bit during this process. They started with a lottery process to give out licenses for retail stores. We were once again doing media appearances asking for the government to keep their word, and move forward with their original plan. We were published at the Globe and Mail saying the government should end the lottery system.

Finally, at the end of 2019, the government announced that as of January 1, 2020, they would be moving forward with an uncapped private system.

To this day, the Consumer Choice Center remains vigilant of the government and the Ontario Province in order to protect and defend consumers’ choice and the free market.

The Issue On Aug. 13, Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fideli announced the government’s plan for cannabis legalization. The keystone of the Progressive Conservatives’ policy was a reversal of the public retail monopoly model proposed by the former Liberal government, to instead opt for private retail provincewide. Along with the private retail announcement, the government stated that municipalities […]

The Issue The U.S. Senate’s version of the FAA reauthorization bill included a provision authored by U.S. Senators Markey and Blumenthal that would have regulated airline pricing. The provision, initially rejected by the Dept. of Transportation, was known as the Forbidding Airlines from Imposing Ridiculous (FAIR) Fees Act. Supporters contended the FAIR Fees Act would have benefited […]